Moe Odum is making his presence felt in a big way-and the Big 12 is officially on notice.
The Arizona State senior guard was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week after a breakout showing at the Maui Invitational, where he didn’t just play well-he took over. Odum averaged 26.3 points, 4.0 assists, and 2.0 rebounds across the tournament, shooting a blistering 55% from beyond the arc. That’s not just efficient-that’s elite.
Arizona State finished second in the tournament, a result that exceeded most expectations and was powered largely by Odum’s fearless play. Head coach Bobby Hurley, who’s seen his fair share of high-level guards, didn’t hold back in his praise.
“It’s rough to lose the championship, obviously, but I feel proud of my team,” Hurley said. “Moe had an outstanding tournament.”
Odum’s performance earned him a spot on the all-tournament team, and it’s easy to see why. He tallied the second-most points of any player in the field, trailing only Washington State’s freshman phenom Ace Glass. But it wasn’t just the volume-it was the moments.
Take the opening-round clash against Texas. Odum dropped a career-high 36 points, knocking down six of his 12 attempts from deep.
And when the game was hanging in the balance? He buried the game-winner with 10 seconds left.
That shot didn’t just seal the win-it marked the highest-scoring performance by a Sun Devil since Alonzo Verge’s 43-point explosion against Saint Mary’s back in 2019.
That win over the Longhorns was more than just a highlight-it was a milestone. It marked ASU’s first nonconference win over a Power Five opponent since a November 2023 victory against Vanderbilt. And it came in a season where the odds were stacked high against them.
Let’s rewind a bit. Arizona State came into this season with more questions than answers.
After finishing 15th in the Big 12 last year, Hurley found himself in the final year of his contract, facing a near-total roster overhaul. Fourteen new players joined the program-mostly mid-major transfers and international additions.
The preseason coaches poll had ASU pegged dead last in the Big 12.
But in Maui, something clicked. The Sun Devils strung together three impressive wins-two on the island and one against Hawaii-to vault themselves into the conversation. Now sitting at 6-2 and ranked 13th in the Big 12 by the NCAA’s NET rankings, ASU is starting to turn heads.
“I’ve used the word ‘resilience’ a lot when I’ve described this team,” Hurley said. “A bit of an underdog. No one thought much of us coming into the season… and so far we’re proving some people wrong.”
At the heart of that resurgence is Odum, a transfer from Pepperdine who was the first of ASU’s newcomers to commit this offseason. He brought with him a solid résumé-13.1 points and 7.5 assists per game last year-but he’s taken it to another level in Tempe.
Through eight games, he’s leading the Sun Devils with 19.1 points, 6.0 assists, and 1.8 steals per game. He’s already racked up 48 assists, and with 25 guaranteed games left on the schedule, he needs 108 more to crack ASU’s top-10 single-season assist list.
That’s the kind of production you get from a player who doesn’t just want the ball-he demands it.
“Sometimes when you’re a coach, you ceremoniously hand the guard the ball and say, ‘Hey, run my team,’” Hurley said. “But Moe just went in the gym in practice and dominated… He did it by action, and from there, we’ve just been kind of following his heart.”
Odum isn’t chasing stats-he’s reading the game and taking what it gives him.
“I’m just doing whatever to take the win,” he said. “If the defense is not letting me pass to my teammates and they’re giving me the shots to take, then that’s what I’m going to do. I’m not really trying to go out there and score a lot of points; I’m just taking what the defense is giving me.”
That kind of poise, that kind of leadership-it’s not something you can teach. And it’s exactly what ASU needed in a season many thought would be a rebuild.
Now, with momentum on their side, the Sun Devils are gearing up for a showdown with 5-2 Oklahoma in downtown Phoenix as part of the Jerry Colangelo Classic. It’s another chance for Odum and company to show the Big 12 that they’re not just here to compete-they’re here to disrupt.
And if Moe Odum keeps playing like this, they just might.