Brad Brownell reacts to G League players playing in college basketball
G League players are eligible to play college basketball. Clemson coach Brad Brownell reacted to the NCAA’s decision and weighed the pros and cons.
The Arizona State Sun Devils rode a huge performance from guard Moe Odum to take down the Texas Longhorns in their first game of the 2025 Maui Invitational late Monday night, Nov. 24, in Lahaina, 87-86.
With the Sun Devils down 86-84, Odum hit a contested 3-pointer — the last of his 36 points on the night — with 10.6 seconds remaining in the second half to give ASU the lead.
On the Longhorns’ final possession, guard Tramon Mark slipped at the top of the key and ASU center Massamba Diop stole the ball to secure the victory.
After building a 39-34 halftime advantage, the Sun Devils struggled to begin the second half. Texas put together a 14-4 run to take a 50-46 lead with just more than 16 minutes to play in regulation.
A layup by Texas big man Matas Vokietaitis with 7:08 remaining pushed the Longhorns’ lead to 10, 76-66, but ASU wasn’t done. Odum hit four free throws and a pair of 3-pointers, the second of which capped a 13-2 Sun Devils run to put ASU in front 79-78.
Dailyn Swain converted two layups, the second one giving Texas an 84-82 lead with just more than three minutes to play. Neither team scored for the next two minutes.
Diop hit a 10-foot bank shot to tie the game at 84, but Swain answered with a short runner. Odum missed a 3-point try and ASU had to foul Swain with 22 seconds left.
Swain, an 84% free-throw shooter, missed both attempts to set up Odum’s dramatic 3.
Odum, who hit only 7 of 21 field goal attempts, made 16 of 18 from the line.
Swain led the way for Texas with 24 points, while Vokietaitis finished with 15.
Odum scored 16 points in the first half to pace the Sun Devils (5-1) to their five-point lead at the break. He was perfect on his seven free throw attempts and hit a pair of 3-pointers.
Anthony Johnson also had a strong first half for ASU, scoring 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting in just nine minutes off the bench, adding two steals and a block, and Andrija Grbovic collected eight points in the first 20 minutes.
Johnson finished with 17 points. Grbovic was scoreless in the second half.
Texas (4-2), under first-year coach Sean Miller, the former longtime University of Arizona coach, was favored by seven points.
The Longhorns were led by Mark’s eight first-half points, while leading scorer Vokietaitis (16 points per game) had only two points at the break.
ASU plays Washington State, which beat Chaminade, at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 25, on ESPN.
(This story has been updated to clarify Moe Odum’s point total.)
