Coming into tonight, Bobby Hurley's Sun Devils had never won consecutive Big 12 conference games. That will remain the case after a heartbreaking three point loss on the road in Orlando.
UCF (15-4) came into this game as a heavy favorite, and they started off that way. The Knights ran out to a 9-2 lead in the first four minutes, suffocating Arizona State's offense. But a few big buckets from Massamba Diop and Anthony "Pig" Johnson - all set up by the crafty work of point guard Moe Odum - helped the Sun Devils go up by one just four minutes later.
It was a back and forth affair for the rest of the first half, but a late flurry of scoring put Arizona State on top 39-35 at halftime.
The second half saw the Knights shot out of a cannon. More defensive domination helped cut the Sun Devils' lead to one, and it looked as if they might take over. But Odum and the Sun Devils had other plans. Andrija Grbovic hit several three's and before anyone knew it, Arizona State was up 50-58 with just six minutes left.
Then, UCF took over.
Three straight 25-footers for the Knights, with a missed jumper and a blocked shot on the other end, narrowed the lead to just five with 4:31 left. Hurley called a timeout, hoping to stop the bleeding, but it didn't help.
UCF scored eight unanswered points out of the timeout, putting them back on top. A pair of free throws from Odum gave Arizona State a one-point lead inside of a minute remaining, but those would turn out to be their last points of the night. A turnover from Odum led to him fouling out, and a last-second game-tying heave from Bryce Ford fell short, ending the game.
Odum finished with the team lead in scoring with 18 points. He added 6 assists and a steal. Johnson and Ford were the only other two in double-digits for points. Diop, who finished with 8 points and 6 rebounds, started off strong but faded late in the game as UCF made defensive adjustments.
It's another heartbreaker for Hurley's squad, which has now lost four of their last five games. They fall to 11-10 on the year and 2-6 in the Big 12. This Saturday they'll return home to host rival Arizona, ranked first in the nation. They have three other Big 12 schools left on their schedule that are ranked inside the top 15.
Translation: things are only going to get harder. Arizona State missed a chance at a statement win in Orlando, and they'll now have to work twice as hard to climb out of the hole they're in.