Arizona State men’s basketball team gets manhandled by No. 7 Houston

HOUSTON — The Arizona State Sun Devils were looking to build on a strong performance against No. 1 Arizona five days earlier. While Bobby Hurley’s team didn’t win that game, it was a one-possession game with a minute to go.

ASU traveled to face the No. 7 team in the country, the Houston Cougars. The Sun Devils were never in this one, though, falling 103-73 in Big 12 play on Jan. 18 at the Fertitta Center.

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It marked the sixth loss in the last seven games for the Sun Devils (10-8, 1-4). Three of the last four losses have been to teams ranked in the top 10 nationally, and all three of those games were on the road.

It marked the 11th straight win for Houston (17-1, 5-0), whose only loss came to Syracuse 76-73 on Nov. 25. Houston remains tied for first in the Big 12 with Arizona. Texas Tech and BYU are one game back.

What went wrong

Turnovers, lots of them: This was perhaps ASU’s worst game in that regard, as they totaled 17, with 12 of those coming in a first half that ended with Houston comfortably ahead 56-29. The Cougars had 31 points off turnovers, with a 22-5 edge in that category in the first half.

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Got off to a bad start: The Sun Devils spotted the host team a 9-0 lead. Houston led 28-5 six minutes into the contest, with ASU going 2-for-12 and turning the ball over seven times. Meanwhile, Houston made 11 of its first 14 shots from the field. It never got much better for the visitors. It was the most points ASU has given up in a first half since a game against Kentucky (58) in 2016.

Maurice Odum #5 of the Arizona State Sun Devils drives to the basket during the first half of the game against Emanuel Sharp #21 of the Houston Cougars at Fertitta Center on January 18, 2026, in Houston.

The big two had a tough night: The Sun Devils go as far as Moe Odum and Massamba Dio can take them. Both struggled mightily. Diop had only four points and five rebounds, going 1-for-5 from the field, while Odom went 2-for-10 from the field, although he did have six…

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Publish date : 2026-01-19 03:17:00

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