On March 11, 2026, the Arizona State Sun Devils were soundly defeated by 91 points to 42 by the Iowa State Cyclones in the Big 12 Conference Tournament. In contrast to their last meeting at the beginning of the season, during which Arizona State was leading at halftime, Iowa State dominated this game from the first minutes and never turned back.
First Half: Cyclones Get a Mammoth Lead
Iowa State then started the tone in the first half and capitalized on the weaknesses of Arizona State in offense and ball handling. The Cyclones took advantage of a decisive 18 to 0 run late in the half in order to increase the width of the lead.
Arizona State struggled to hold onto the ball, making 15 turnovers during the first period. The Sun Devils were also poor with the field, making only seven shots and missing all 10 of their 3-point attempts.
An anarchic series towards the latter half also damaged Arizona State. Both Massamba Diop and head coach Bobby Hurley were given technical fouls after Anthony Pig Johnson committed a flagrant foul. Iowa State made use of it to make five out of six free throws and went up 4010 before halftime. The Cyclones led the break at a very comfortable margin, 4516.
Second Half: Iowa State Holds On
The second half was no different as Iowa State continued to be defensive and executed on offense. The Cyclones continued to score a total of 46 points as Arizona State could not create any steady scoring chances.
The Sun Devils ended up with 23 turnovers and only went 31.9% out of the field goals. They were especially weak in their outside shooting, and they were 1-of-19 out of three-point range.
The low number of points Arizona State scored at 42 was also the lowest of any opponent of Iowa State this season, underscoring the outstanding defensive play of the Cyclones.