Arizona State had two free throw opportunities that could've sealed a much needed win against Kansas State on Tuesday night. However, freshman phenom Jayden Quaintance missed both and the Sun Devils fell tragically 71-70.
Jayden Quaintance misses both free throws as Kansas State, down 18-2 to start the game, wins 71-70 to beat Arizona State and pick up its fourth consecutive conference win. @CbbReview pic.twitter.com/j2aZbIp0eX
— Mihir Sinhasan (@MihirSinhasan) February 5, 2025
Despite a 15-0 run to open the first half, ASU's offense fell stagnant as the Wildcats clawed their way back into things late and took a 35-32 lead into the halftime locker room. Despite the Devils outscoring Kansas State 38-36 in the second half, the crucial free throws with just 4.1 seconds remaining in regulation doomed them to back-to-back losses to Wildcat teams.
Kansas State earned its fourth straight victory while ASU is practically chained to the Big 12 dungeon floor at 3-8 in conference play.
ASU's latest loss likely ends any hope of an NCAA tournament bid
At 12-10, there's little realistic hope that the Sun Devils will catch the eye of the selection committee even if it rattles off nine consecutive wins (four of them over ranked opponents). ASU opened the previous week as a bubble team according to multiple bracketologists but it's more likely now the team will fall a further rung below.
Head coach Bobby Hurley was under enough scrutiny and pressure for his post-game antics against Arizona on Saturday, refusing to shake hands with any Wildcats and telling his team to head to the locker room early. Whether this latest failure causes anyone in the athletic department to reconsider his tenure in Tempe is yet to be seen but the unmistakable writing on the wall has to be harder to ignore than ever before.
Quaintance will learn from this painful moment, at least we hope. The loss doesn't fall entirely on his shoulders but for as highly-touted a recruit as he was entering the season, mistakes like Tuesday's just cannot happen. He's an elite talent and he's young but with no consistency from him or the team around him, it's not very likely he decides to stick around next year.
ASU basketball is reaching an inflection point. Should Hurley stay or should he go? Will the program have to blow everything up and start all over again? Time will tell but patience is running thin out here with the fan base.