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Cross-desert rivals: The over 110-year history of Sun Devil-Wildcat men's basketball

The century-long history between these two schools has led to one of college basketball's oldest rivalries

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ASU sophomore Frankie Collins (10) outruns an Arizona defender at the ASU vs Arizona game in Las Vegas on March. 10, 2023. ASU lost 78-59


After guard Caleb Love's improbable halfcourt heave sent the University of Arizona to overtime against No. 3 ranked Iowa State, in an eventual 86-75 win, it would be difficult to find a bigger moment the entire year. But it would also be remiss to overlook one of college basketball's oldest rivalries when UA's men's basketball team sets foot in Tempe for the 249th matchup in this historic state rivalry competition between the Sun Devils and the Wildcats this Saturday. 

UA has historically proven to be better with a 161-87 all-time record against the Sun Devils. The first game between these two sides stretches all the way back to 1913 when ASU was known as the Tempe Normal School. UA took that initial game 41-17 and the next eight territorial matchups.

Over the 100+ year history between these teams, each side had its own runs of greatness. UA dominated in the early going with a 15-game win streak between 1931 and 1935 and a 17-game win streak between 1945 and 1952 under the helm of legendary head coach Fred A. Enke. Enke won 511 games in a career spanning 36 years and routinely dominated against ASU.

ASU responded by ripping off 15 straight victories after head coach Ned Wulk took over the Sun Devils in 1957. Wulk, the winningest head coach in ASU men's basketball history, was eventually inducted into the Sun Devil Hall of Fame in 1982 and was instrumental in this golden period of ASU basketball. 

Wulk implemented a fast-paced up-tempo style of basketball that captivated fans and produced results on the court but most importantly took down ASU's biggest rival year after year.

In the 1980s, UA grew into a national basketball powerhouse under Lute Olson, who guided the Wildcats to their only national championship title in 1997. Between 1996 and 2007, the Wildcats went 24-1 vs the Sun Devils in what became a seemingly lopsided rivalry, and that trend has continued even after head coach Bobby Hurley took the reins. 

ASU is 4-15 against UA since Hurley's first year in 2016, as the Sun Devils have suffered 11 double-digit losses during that span. Despite the record, the games have not been void of entertainment. 

In Hurley’s first matchup against the Wildcats, a 94-82 loss, he proceeded to get ejected with under a minute left after receiving his second technical foul in a 14-second span. As he left the court, he seemed to rile up the home fans. He later told Sports Illustrated that "there's got to be a pause button."

During the 2017-18 season, UA swept the Sun Devils behind double-doubles from future No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton but even more peculiarly in the second game, a UA cheerleader got ejected for using a megaphone to heckle a player while he shot a free throw.

In this decade, the tide hasn't turned around for the Sun Devils. ASU has won only two of the 11 matchups in the 2020s, both by a single point, while enduring seven double-digit losses, the worst a 45-point drubbing in Tucson last February to the No. 5 Wildcats. 

This year, UA has fallen outside the AP Top 25, but the huge win over Iowa State could be a turning point. On the other hand, ASU has been ravaged by injuries that forced Hurley to play a six-man rotation on the road against Colorado on Jan. 28.

With freshman center Jayden Quaintance nursing an ankle injury and senior forward BJ Freeman bruising his thigh in the early minutes against the Buffalos, Hurley will likely be running similarly tight lineups.

Even though neither team has had a particularly strong season up to this point, there will always be a moment when these two ball clubs face off.

Edited by Henry Smardo, Sophia Braccio and Natalia Jarrett.


Reach the reporter at pvallur2@asu.edu and follow @PrathamValluri on X.

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Pratham ValluriSports Reporter

Pratham is a sophomore studying sports journalism with a minor in business. This is his fourth semester with The State Press. 


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