Bobby Hurley on Sunday will attempt something that Arizona State's past three coaches failed to do: Beat rival Arizona in his first year.
In 1990, Bill Frieder lost his first rivalry game by nine. In 1999, Rob Evans lost by one. In 2007, Herb Sendek lost by 24.
Now, Hurley gets his chance.
He knows the history. Even though ASU has won nine of 17 over the Wildcats, including the last two in Tempe, Arizona has firm roots as the state's dominant program. Hurley's trying to grow something similar, and winning the noon tip-off at Wells Fargo Arena would be a significant step.