ASU Stuns Santa Clara with Historic Comeback, Overcomes 17-Point Halftime Deficit Without Head Coach Bobby Hurley
In a game that had all the makings of a blowout loss, Arizona State flipped the script in dramatic fashion Saturday night in Las Vegas, tying a school record by erasing a 17-point halftime deficit to beat Santa Clara, 82-79, at the Jack Jones Hoop Classic.
The win pushed the Sun Devils to 9-2 on the season and dropped Santa Clara to 8-3 - but the story here goes far beyond the box score.
Nick Irvin Steps Up in Hurley’s Absence
The turning point came just before halftime, and not in the way you'd expect.
Head coach Bobby Hurley was ejected after a heated exchange with officials. The sequence started with a controversial charge call on sophomore forward Santiago Trouet, followed by a block call that didn’t sit well with Hurley.
His frustration boiled over, earning him a technical foul. Moments later, after further animated protests - including language that drew a second technical - Hurley was tossed from the game.
With Hurley out, assistant coach Nick Irvin took the reins. And what happened next was nothing short of remarkable.
Down by 17 at the half and 19 less than two minutes into the second, ASU didn’t just hang around - they came alive. The Sun Devils ratcheted up the defensive pressure, clawed their way back into the game, and tied it up with just under eight minutes to go. Irvin, animated and drenched in sweat from pacing the sideline and urging his team on, became the emotional heartbeat of the comeback.
After the final buzzer, the team celebrated in the locker room by dousing Irvin with water - a fitting moment for a coach who’s no stranger to leading teams through big-time moments. Before joining ASU, Irvin guided Morgan Park High School in Chicago to two separate back-to-back state championship runs and was named USA Today’s Coach of the Year in 2017.
Saturday night, he showed he can do it on the college stage, too.
Defensive Adjustment Turns the Tide
Irvin’s postgame comments revealed a crucial second-half adjustment that helped fuel the rally: switching all ball screens.
In the first half, ASU’s defense sagged off the perimeter, and Santa Clara took full advantage. The Broncos shot a blistering 58.1% from the field and 60% from beyond the arc. But once ASU shifted to switching everything, the tone of the game changed instantly.
With a front line that includes three starters standing 6-foot-11 or taller, the Sun Devils used their length and mobility to smother Santa Clara’s shooters. The Broncos hit just 27.3% of their shots in the second half and managed only 11.8% from deep. That’s not just a tweak - that’s a full-blown defensive transformation.
It was one of the most dramatic first-to-second-half defensive turnarounds in recent memory for ASU, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
Pig Johnson Delivers When It Counts
Senior guard Anthony “Pig” Johnson had a rough start in his first career NCAA start, picking up two early fouls and scoring just one point in five first-half minutes. With Bryce Ford sidelined by injury, Johnson’s opportunity looked like it might slip away.
But in the second half, Johnson flipped the switch.
He poured in 14 points after the break, going a perfect 3-for-3 from the field and 7-for-7 from the line. While senior point guard Moe Odum was limited by foul trouble and went scoreless in the second half, Johnson stepped into the spotlight and delivered. His energy and efficiency were critical to ASU’s 44-point second-half explosion.
Johnson may have started slow, but he finished like a veteran who knew the moment was his.
Sendek’s 1,000th Game Ends in Familiar Fashion
Adding another layer of intrigue to the night was the presence of former ASU head coach Herb Sendek, now at the helm of Santa Clara, coaching in his 1,000th career game.
The irony? Sendek’s final game at ASU back in 2015 was a crushing loss in the Pac-12 Tournament - also in Las Vegas - where his team blew a 14-point lead with under nine minutes to play. That collapse played a major role in his dismissal.
Fast forward a decade, and Sendek watched another double-digit lead vanish in the same city, this time from the other bench. His Broncos led by 19 early in the second half before ASU stormed back to spoil the milestone moment.
It’s a full-circle twist that underscores just how unpredictable - and sometimes poetic - college basketball can be.
Sun Devils Surging in Rankings, Defying Expectations
Coming into the season, expectations for ASU were modest at best. With 14 new scholarship players on a 15-man roster, and picked to finish last in the Big 12 by both coaches and media, the Sun Devils were widely seen as a team in transition.
But Hurley’s squad isn’t following the script.
Saturday’s win, a Quad 2 victory, bumped ASU up to No. 49 in the NCAA’s NET Rankings - a position that, if the season ended today, would put them squarely in the NCAA Tournament conversation.
Even more impressive? ASU currently sits ninth in the NET among non-conference performances - a massive overachievement relative to preseason projections.
Of course, the real test lies ahead. The Sun Devils still have to navigate a brutal Big 12 schedule and face a Quad 1 road challenge at No.
25 UCLA on Wednesday. But make no mistake: this team is playing with belief, grit, and a chip on its shoulder.
And if Saturday night was any indication, they’re not just surviving - they’re finding ways to thrive, even when the odds are stacked against them.
Final Word
In a game filled with emotion, adversity, and high-stakes drama, Arizona State didn’t just win - they made a statement. With their head coach ejected, down nearly 20 points, and facing a seasoned opponent led by a familiar face, the Sun Devils showed heart, resilience, and a level of toughness that’s starting to define their season.
This wasn’t just a comeback. It was a culture win - the kind of moment that can galvanize a team and reshape the narrative around a program.
And if this keeps up, ASU might not just be the surprise of the Big 12 - they could be one of the most compelling stories in college basketball this season.