Handshakes or head-butts? It's tough to know which is more likely when Arizona State and Arizona meet for Round 2 of their in-state rivalry Tuesday night.
Things got testy when the rivals last met Feb. 1 in Tempe, Arizona, punctuated by then-ASU swingman BJ Freeman delivering a late-game head-butt to Arizona's Caleb Love in the Wildcats' eventual 81-72 victory.
Sun Devils coach Bobby Hurley sent his team to the locker room without shaking hands with the Wildcats, at the time saying he feared it could lead to another skirmish.
Freeman was ejected from the game and since has been dismissed from the team for repeated deteimental conduct.
The Sun Devils (13-16 overall, 4-14 Big 12) are stumbling to the end of the regular season, having lost two in a row and eight of their last nine. Arizona (19-10, 13-5) also has struggled in recent weeks, losing four of its past six games.
"It was virtually a coin-flip game at our place," Hurley told Arizona Sports' "Bickley & Marotta" on Tuesday. "We were right there. It was a one-possession game with 90 seconds left in Tempe, so we can compete."
That said, Arizona State will be shorthanded this time around against Arizona, with freshman phenom Jayden Quaintance ruled out with a knee injury and senior guard Adam Miller's availability in question due to a hip pointer sustained against BYU on Feb. 26.
"We're going to just circle the wagons and play with a lot of pride and determination and see where that takes us," Hurley said.
Arizona leads the all-time series with Arizona State 162-86 and has won the last four meetings. The Sun Devils' most recent win in Tucson came on Feb. 25, 2023.
How to watch Arizona State at No. 24 Arizona
The Sun Devils and Wildcats tip off at 9 p.m. MST on ESPN with Roxy Bernstein (play-by-play) and Corey Williams (analyst) calling the action.
Fubo TV subscribers can watch ASU and other college basketball games here.
Betting information
Arizona State enters the game at McKale Center as a 17.5-point underdog, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
The Sun Devils are +1,200 on the moneyline, while the Wildcats are -3,000.
The over/under for the game is 154.5.