Arizona State’s shocking collapse against No. 7 Houston leaves fans stunned—what went horribly wrong?

Boy, oh boy, did the Arizona State Sun Devils hope to ride the momentum after nearly toppling No. 1 Arizona—down to the wire, one possession, less than a minute. That flicker of promise, however, flickered out in Houston at the Fertitta Center. Facing off against the No. 7 Houston Cougars, ASU got steamrolled, 103-73, in a Big 12 clash that was anything but close. The Sun Devils struggled mightily, marking their sixth defeat in seven games and revealing the brutal reality of life grinding through the schedule—especially when three of those setbacks came on the road against top-10 powerhouses. Meanwhile, Houston, cranking their 11th straight win, cemented their spot tied atop the Big 12 with Arizona. The gap between the two teams wasn’t just on the scoreboard—it was all over the court. Want the real scoop on what went sideways and what, if anything, went right? Dive deep and get the full skinny. LEARN MORE

HOUSTON — The Arizona State Sun Devils were looking to build on a strong performance against No. 1 Arizona five days earlier. While Bobby Hurley’s team didn’t win that game, it was a one-possession game with a minute to go.

ASU traveled to face the No. 7 team in the country, the Houston Cougars. The Sun Devils were never in this one, though, falling 103-73 in Big 12 play on Jan. 18 at the Fertitta Center.

It marked the sixth loss in the last seven games for the Sun Devils (10-8, 1-4). Three of the last four losses have been to teams ranked in the top 10 nationally, and all three of those games were on the road.

It marked the 11th straight win for Houston (17-1, 5-0), whose only loss came to Syracuse 76-73 on Nov. 25. Houston remains tied for first in the Big 12 with Arizona. Texas Tech and BYU are one game back.

What went wrong

Turnovers, lots of them: This was perhaps ASU’s worst game in that regard, as they totaled 17, with 12 of those coming in a first half that ended with Houston comfortably ahead 56-29. The Cougars had 31 points off turnovers, with a 22-5 edge in that category in the first half.

Got off to a bad start: The Sun Devils spotted the host team a 9-0 lead. Houston led 28-5 six minutes into the contest, with ASU going 2-for-12 and turning the ball over seven times. Meanwhile, Houston made 11 of its first 14 shots from the field. It never got much better for the visitors. It was the most points ASU has given up in a first half since a game against Kentucky (58) in 2016.

Maurice Odum #5 of the Arizona State Sun Devils drives to the basket during the first half of the game against Emanuel Sharp #21 of the Houston Cougars at Fertitta Center on January 18, 2026, in Houston.

The big two had a tough night: The Sun Devils go as far as Moe Odum and Massamba Dio can take them. Both struggled mightily. Diop had only four points and five rebounds, going 1-for-5 from the field, while Odom went 2-for-10 from the field, although he did have six assists.

Defense: It marked the fifth time the Sun Devils have allowed a team to score more than 90, and the second time a team has surpassed the 100-point barrier. Houston shot 56.3% (40-for-71) and scored 44 points in the paint. The Cougars also shot 48% (12-for-25) from long distance.

What went right

Not much: The Sun Devils were able to cut the lead from 33 points to 13 after two free throws by Massamba Diop trimmed it to 79-66 with 7:31 left. The Cougars answered that with a 13-2 run, and the rout was on again.

Free-throw and 3-point shooting: The Sun Devils hit 20 of 24 attemptsat the line, with Diop going 4-for-4 and Santiago Trouet 5-for-6. This is an area in which the Sun Devils have been solid much of the season. They were 9-for-25 from deep.

Personnel notes

Hurley used his fifth different starting lineup of the season, with Noah Meuusen making just his second start. Meeusen, the sophomore from Belgium, was coming off a season-high 12 against Arizona and also gives ASU some size at the guard position.

Sophomore forward Marcus Adams was out for the fourth straight game with a lower leg injury. His absence was in addition to the two players who have yet to play this season, Vijay Wallace and Adante Holiman.

They said it

ASU coach Bobby Hurley on playing Arizona and Houston back-to-back: “Those two games in one week are the equivalent of playing in a Final Four, and I don’t think we’re a Final Four team right now. It was a lot to ask this week. I’m going to take part of the blame because that’s my job to get the guys ready to play, and maybe I didn’t practice them as hard as I needed to, to simulate just how hard Houston plays. We tried to communicate that to the team.”

Up next

The Sun Devils return home to host West Virginia at 7 p.m. on Jan. 21 at Desert Financial Arena. The Mountaineers (12-6, 3-2) are coming off a 72-61 win over Colorado behind the 22 points of senior guard Treysen Eaglestaff.

That game will air on Peacock.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: ASU men’s basketball team gets manhandled by No. 7 Houston