ASU basketball beats Baylor, advances in Big 12 Tournament

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It’s desperate times for the Arizona State University men’s basketball team. That’s how the Sun Devils play.

On March 10, in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, “Piggy” Anthony Johnson scored 19 points and 6 rebounds to lead Arizona State University to an 83-79 victory over Baylor University.

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The Sun Devils (16-15) also took the field, which was perhaps a bit of a distraction because on the eve of their tournament opener, there were several national reports that coach Bobby Hurley would not return — something ASU officials called “premature.”

If this is a distraction, it won’t show. The Sun Devils led by double digits for most of the game, but Baylor scored to cut the deficit to three points, 67-64. With 6:01 left in the game, Santiago Trouet drove for a layup and Arizona State tied the score to 5 points.

After Noah Meeusen hit a 3-pointer to put ASU up 72-64, Johnson called a Baylor charge and gave the ball back to the Sun Devils. They took a 74-64 lead on Moe Odum’s run in the lane and ASU restored order.

At the end of the first half, Arizona State led 44-35. Twenty minutes into the first half, the Sun Devils led for 17 minutes and 38 seconds. After Johnson hit a three-pointer, they led 27-13. Although Mo Odum didn’t score, Masamba Diop didn’t get a rebound, and they took zero free throws, they shot 61% in the first half and led by nine points.

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Baylor, which defeated Arizona State 73-68 two weeks ago in Waco, ends the season with a 16-16 record and will miss the postseason for the first time since 2018. Obi Agbim, who scored 16 points and four three-pointers in the first meeting between the two teams, scored just three points on 1-for-9 shooting.

Arizona State advances to face Iowa State (25-6), which received a first-round bye. On March 7, Arizona State ended the regular season with an 86-65 victory over Iowa State by 23 turnovers.

This article originally appeared in The Arizona Republic: Arizona State, Bobby Hurley keep basketball season alive