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TUCSON, Ariz. — Alston Mason watched from the perimeter as the basketball swung to the left side. The Arizona State guard saw a teammate drive baseline and sprinted to the opposite corner.

Freshman Joson Sanon delivered a perfect pass. Mason set his feet and swished a 3-pointer right in front of the Arizona State bench. The shot pulled the under-manned, out-gunned Sun Devils to within 3 late Tuesday night against No. 24 Arizona.

Had you told coach Bobby Hurley that Arizona State would be in this position early in the contest, given his team’s personnel issues, he might have been surprised. His leading scorer was dismissed two weeks ago for conduct detrimental to the team. His most promising player was sidelined with a knee injury. His senior leader aggravated an injury on the game’s first play and did not return.

That Arizona State battled, ultimately falling 113-100 to the Wildcats, says something about how Hurley has kept this team competing amid difficult, frustrating circumstances. As the season nears its final stretch, however, it’s reasonable to wonder whether that might be enough for the head coach to keep his job.

In his 10th season, Hurley knows how this works. This year’s team started strong then fizzled, buried in an avalanche of injuries and discipline issues. To reach the NCAA Tournament, the Sun Devils (13-17 and 4-15 in their first Big 12 season) have to win the conference tournament. While Tuesday’s loss showed they have heart, the game film will show they lack the muscle.

Before he left McKale Center, Hurley was asked if job security weighs on his mind. He deflected the question and focused on his players. He specifically pointed out how close he thought the Sun Devils were earlier this season, when the Sun Devils beat Saint Mary’s and challenged Gonzaga on the road.

“Because it’s one thing to be really bad through most of the year and not win games, but it’s another thing, where it’s the tale of two seasons almost,” Hurley said. “To where you’re really good and you have all kinds of promise and then it just gets taken from you because of a lot of exterior factors that are, like, beyond your control. As far as I’m concerned, I’m not worried about myself. It’s hard because I want it bad for this team. We worked really hard. That’s where more of my disappointment is.”

This is a different time at Arizona State. Football coach Kenny Dillingham is the talk of his sport. A miracle worker in the desert. In his second season, the energetic 34-year-old led the Sun Devils to a Big 12 title and into the College Football Playoff, taking powerful Texas into overtime. He showed what is possible for a school that has often wilted under expectations. Dillingham raised the bar.

But basketball at this school is a different beast. All one has to do is walk through aging Desert Financial Arena, a facility years past its prime, to understand the program’s failure to launch. It’s been an afterthought for far too long. Hurley has survived longer than most.

With 168 wins, he’s the second-winningest coach in program history, trailing only Ned Wulk’s 406. He has made three NCAA Tournaments, although the Sun Devils likely would’ve made a fourth had COVID-19 not shut down the 2020 tournament. The biggest issues: Hurley never has taken the Sun Devils beyond the tournament’s first weekend. And barring a late hot streak, he’s about to post his fourth losing season in five years.

The Big 12 will not get easier. Arizona State must get better. In some ways it has. NIL support has improved, which could allow the staff to upgrade the roster over the offseason. And at long last, Desert Financial Arena may soon get a facelift. Athletic director Graham Rossini recently said on a local radio show that the school is considering a multi-year renovation. These are important steps.

Hurley is under contract through the 2025-26 season. If he stays, he is due an extension. On Tuesday night, he was the most hated person in McKale, which is not unusual on the road against the Sun Devils’ rival.

Hurley did himself no favors during the rivalry’s first matchup in February. In the final minute, shortly after guard BJ Freeman head-butted Arizona’s Caleb Love, both players earning ejections, Hurley ordered his reserves and coaching staff to the locker room. After the final buzzer, he didn’t shake hands with Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd. In his postgame news conference that afternoon, Hurley suggested he would not vote for Love for all-conference awards.

The Arizona students didn’t forget. They made signs for Tuesday’s rematch.

PLZ STAY BOBBY

EXTEND BOBBY

BYE BYE BOBBY

The Sun Devils didn’t seem to have much of a chance. They played without talented freshman Jayden Quaintance because of the knee issue. They lost senior guard Adam Miller on the game’s opening possession. Hurley started with a seven-man rotation. Because of the Miller injury and foul trouble, that eventually decreased to five, a lineup that included Hurley’s son, Bobby.

Yet, after Mason swished the corner 3, setting off a mini-celebration on the bench, Arizona State had a legit chance to win. Lloyd called timeout. Hurley raced onto the court, fists clinched. He implored his team to get stops. Arizona (20-10 and 14-5 in the Big 12) responded with eight consecutive points, finally pulling away. Students returned to their favorite chant.

BOB-BY! BOB-BY!

The Sun Devils dropped their ninth game in 10 tries. They close out the regular season Saturday at home against No. 9 Texas Tech. From there, the Big 12 Tournament awaits. And perhaps a difficult decision.

“I feel bad for the kids,” Hurley said after he finished his postgame press conference. “I’ve done a lot in the game. And I appreciate every moment I get to do what I do. But this is like their moment, and I feel like this season has been robbed from us to a degree just with unfortunate injuries spread (throughout the season.) And maybe all those injuries collectively have added to why we lost maybe another four or five games we could’ve won.”

(Top photo of Bobby Hurley during Tuesday’s loss to Arizona: Christian Petersen / Getty Images)