Men's Basketball falls to USC in Maui Invitational Championship

Notables

• After a 15-point effort in the win, Pig Johnson has seven double-digit scoring efforts as a reserve. He shot 10 free throws and drew eight fouls for the second consecutive game
• Massamaba Diop (12 points) has 10 or more points in six of eight games
• The Sun Devils made the Maui Invitational Championship game for just the second time in program history
• Arizona State has won two games or more at the Maui Invitational in four of their six visits
• ASU went 23-of-27 (79.3%) from the free-throw line after going 23-of-39 (78.3%) last night. It is the third straight game in which they have finished at 78% or better despite frequent visits. ASU only had one game with 27+ free throw attempts last year in which they shot 78% or better and have already done so three times this year
• Coach Hurley's team got back to their style of pushing the pace, finishing with a 15-3 advantage in fast break points
  
  First half
  The Maui Invitational Championship offers as big-time an atmosphere as any non-conference neutral site tournament. Arizona State was up for the moment, getting off to a strong offensive start. Grbovic and Ford connected from deep early, followed by an old-fashioned three-point play from Trouet which gave ASU a 9-4 lead. It was the first of two and-one conversions for Trouet prior to first media timeout.

  A hot-shooting Trojans side allowed them to take the lead back, but an Odum three pointer provided a sound response. A perfectly executed pick-and-roll between Odum and Diop got the big man on the board, as the Sun Devils went back up 20-19. A back-and-forth battle continued to ensue, with each team exchanging the lead. Diop was at the right place at the right time, collecting a late-shot clock miss from Ford for a putback to make it 25-24 ASU. A Meeusen triple was a timely one, with the Sun Devils offense starting to get stagnant. At the same time, the defense began to lock in, which allowed them to stay in the game.

  It was more Moe, as Odum hit from 30-feet out to re-energize the bench and Sun Devil crowd. Johnson did what he does best as well, attacking the basket and converting with the left-hand. He then drew an offensive foul thanks to his on-ball pressure, the second foul on Trojans’ starting forward Amarion Dickerson. Diop took over with the USC frontline limited due to foul trouble, as he completely dominated the next stretch of action. It started with a bucket plus the foul off a Trojans’ turnover, followed by a transition dunk that put ASU back in front 43-41 and put him into double figures. A late USC bucket evened the game at 43 at halftime.

Second half
Coming out of the break, USC had a quick 5-0 spurt, but it was quickly answered by another deep three from Odum. A Baker-Mazara three gave USC the largest lead by either side, putting the Trojans up 55-47 with just under 15 minutes to go. Johnson responded with what has become his signature move, catching the defense not set in transition and drawing a foul. He would convert both free throws to snap the USC run. Diop showed off his footwork and skill set with a fantastic post move, pulling the Sun Devils back within three.

USC continued to struggle with the quickness of Johnson, as he reached double figures by cashing in on another contested layup to trim it to 61-59 Trojans. Consecutive crafty finishes inside by Trouet kept the Sun Devils within striking distance, but the Trojans’ shooting did not slow down. Much like the first two games, anytime Arizona State needed a three, it was Odum who came through. His fourth triple of the game made it 71-66 USC. After the Trojans claimed their largest lead of the game at 77-66, Ford responded with a massive triple.

Down the stretch, the reality of playing four games in six days proved to be too much, as the Trojans became to pull away. ASU continued to battle, as Odum and Johnson converted on six straight free throw attempts. However, the Sun Devils did not make a field goal during the final 4:59, resulting in USC claiming the 2025 Maui Invitational Championship. 

Quotables
Arizona State Head Coach Bobby Hurley
Opening statement
“It's rough to lose, obviously, but I feel proud of my team. I thought overall we had a really good trip. We unfortunately came up short. I think defensively can't let a team shoot 60 percent from the field and expect to win, like, a championship. But really proud of these guys, how we performed in the four games here in Hawai'i over the last week or so, and Moe had an outstanding tournament.

On the setting of the championship game
"I thought it was an opportunity. I've been here, I understand what it feels like as a player and coach to win these holiday tournaments, so it gives you a real boost, certainly, so that's disappointing. I'm disappointed for my guys that we couldn't get that done today. It wasn't for a lack of effort or lack of trying.

On the outlook of the team going forward
"I've used the word "resilience" a lot when I've described this team, so I think that's like the perfect way if you want to watch a team. Like Moe said, this team is going to fight and they're not going to give up. A bit of an underdog. No one thought much of us coming into the season. A lot of people just piled on about having no hope to have a good season and so far, we're proving some people wrong.

Senior guard Moe Odum

On the play of Massamba Diop
“He played good. He's a freshman, so he going to have growing pains. So it's all about just being mature, whether you have a good game last game or a bad game every time. Just knowing how to bounce back. That's what he been doing every time, so I'm just proud of him."

On the benefits of the Hawai'i trip
“it was a really good experience starting last Tuesday when we got out here and we played Hawai'i and just connecting with them, bonding with them, taking walks on the beach as a team, talking about life, talking about our goals as a team, individually, just seeing where everybody's minds is at before the game."

Full transcription of press conference in PDF format 

Up next
Sun Devil Men's Basketball will enjoy a well-deserved break before their next game. Arizona State will take on Oklahoma at the 2025 Jerry Colangelo Classic, part of the Hall of Fame Series. The matchup will take place at The broadcast can be found on ESPN with the game also available on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM (KMVP). 

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Head coach Bobby Hurley (X: @BobbyHurley11)