KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Iowa State, ranked seventh, decisively defeated turnover-prone Arizona State by a score of 91-42 on Wednesday. This match, part of the Big 12 tournament’s second round, potentially marked the Sun Devils’ final contest with coach Bobby Hurley leading from the bench.
The 49-point triumph by Iowa State stands as the most substantial in the history of the Big 12 tournament, surpassing Texas’ 43-point victory over Colorado in the year 2000, according to ESPN’s findings. Furthermore, this represented Arizona State’s second-largest defeat historically, eclipsed solely by a 50-point drubbing suffered against Texas Tech in 1956.
All indications have suggested that Arizona State is prepared to part ways with Hurley, whose record now registers at 185-167 over his eleven seasons.
“I am uncertain of future developments. I lack knowledge regarding this. My prospects for the upcoming year have been discussed,” Hurley commented. “Nevertheless, I harbor no remorse. I exerted maximum effort, giving my all each evening. And my commitment persisted until the concluding signal.”
Milan Momcilovic tallied 21 points, while Joshua Jefferson contributed 20 points along with 12 boards for the Cyclones (26-6), seeded fifth. They bested the Sun Devils (17-16) for the second occasion in under seven days, thereby progressing to face sixteenth-ranked Texas Tech in the quarterfinal round on Thursday.
Santiago Trouet secured 13 points for Arizona State, a team that converted merely 1 of 19 attempts from beyond the arc, committed 23 turnovers, and received three technical infractions.
Iowa State displayed such complete supremacy that they had established a 45-16 advantage by the intermission. A pivotal momentum shift occurred with an 18-0 scoring streak toward the end of the opening half, during which the Sun Devils incurred two of their three technical fouls on one particularly calamitous possession.
The sequence commenced when Buchanan received a hard hit from the Sun Devils’ Pig Johnson during a drive toward the hoop, an infraction subsequently escalated to flagrant status. Massamba Diop vociferously confronted Buchanan upon his rise, thereby incurring the initial technical foul, and Hurley promptly acquired the second while disputing the preceding call.
Iowa State converted five out of the subsequent six free throws. Jamarion Batemon concluded the seven-point possession with an effortless score near the basket, and the Cyclones’ comfortable 33-10 advantage rapidly escalated into a 40-10 rout, with 2 minutes and 40 seconds remaining in the opening half.
Details provided by The Associated Press were incorporated into this account.