Mar 8, 2025; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Bobby Hurley during the press conference at Desert Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images

College Basketball Expert Previews Arizona State's 2025 Team

Originally posted on Arizona State Sun Devils on SI
By Kevin Hicks | Last updated Sep 26, 2025 3:00 PM ET

TEMPE -- The 2025-26 Arizona State men's basketball program is set to open up the regular season with a home game against Southern Utah on November 3.

Year 11 of the Bobby Hurley era is virtually unprecedented, as all but one player from last season's team departed, and the roster has been built in a fashion that the head coach hadn't previously attempted to construct.

College basketball insider Jon Rothstein visited a Sun Devil practice on Wednesday morning and gifted his trademark observations of the squad shortly thereafter.

Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images

Rothstein began his observations on the team by naming two standouts from the practice, while also raising a potential concern.

"Arizona State has capable PG play with Pepperdine transfer Moe Odum and a burgeoning presence up front in Massamba Diop. Questions linger on the wings. Bobby Hurley needs to identify some shooters and scorers over the next five weeks before opening night."

Rothstein's Starting Five Projection

Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

"Early prediction on Arizona State’s 2025-26 starting five:

Moe Odum, Noah Meeusen, Vijay Wallace, Marcus Adams, Massamba Diop"

Meeusen was a late addition to the team from Belgium, while Wallace was the number seven JUCO transfer in the 2025 class. Diop is an intriguing overseas addition - having played in Europe after hailing from Senegal.

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The potential for Odum and Diop to have a special connection as the team is set to play in an incredibly challenging Big 12 is intriguing, while Adams Jr. is the potential wing scorer that Rothstein mentioned the roster needs, as the Cal State Northridge transfer averaged north of 16 PPG last season.

The roster build is unconventional. The Big 12 has as many as seven teams that are top-10 caliber. Hurley is coaching in the final year of his contract without a guarantee to lead the program following the season. There are many factors that are working against Arizona State men's basketball this season - but Sun Devil fans have become accustomed to Hurley doing his best work with his back against the wall.

Read more on major takeaways from Arizona State's clutch-time victory over Baylor here, and more on why Arizona State fans should be feeling confident about the outlook of the season following the win here.