Arizona State squandered a 15-point lead in the second half, leading to a Wednesday night defeat against UCLA. Sun Devils head coach Bobby Hurley, visibly enraged after the game, briefly channeled Tony Montana.
UCLA secured a 68-66 victory at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe, Ariz., with frustration playing a significant role in the outcome. Arizona State received four technical fouls in the second half, two of which were attributed to Sun Devils forward Shawn Phillips Jr., resulting in his ejection during a second-half scuffle.
Hurley, seething with anger, approached the podium post-loss and expressed his feelings by stating, “I wish I could say how I feel.” He particularly voiced displeasure over the free-throw disparity, which favored UCLA 23-14. While acknowledging his players’ responsibility in losing their composure, Hurley asserted that someone had to play the role of “the bad guys.”
“In a heated game where I’m sure there’s a lot of communication … and we’re the bad guys,” Hurley commented. “Say hello to the bad guys. You may never see a bad guy like us again. That’s what we were tonight. We were the bad guys. I’m sure no one else said anything except us all night.”
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Observers familiar with the 1983 film “Scarface” noticed similarities in Hurley’s “bad guy” rhetoric, drawing parallels to a memorable scene from the movie.
Following the loss, Arizona State’s record dropped to 10-7. Despite winning their first four Pac-12 games, they’ve now suffered two consecutive losses after relinquishing a substantial lead to UCLA. The Bruins, on the other hand, improved to 8-10 with a 3-4 record in conference play.