TEMPE, Ariz. -- In his most honest moments, Bobby Hurley saw this coming. The Sun Devil men's basketball team he inherited this season was forecast to finish an optimistic eighth in the preseason Pac-12 media poll, and Hurley admitted when the season started that he had work to do on the recruiting trail to bring in his type of players.
A 10-3 non-conference record against a tough slate of competition, coupled with Hurley's unrelenting expectations for himself and his teams may have temporarily clouded that perspective, but as the Arizona State coach addressed the media after a season-ending first-round exit in the Pac-12 Tournament last week in Las Vegas, he offered both candor and his unique brand of resolve.