Bobby Hurley complains about officiating, says ASU deserved to beat Arizona

ASU coach Bobby Hurley is never one to mince words, which early on in his tenure led to an ejection in a game against Arizona.

Over time he’s learned to rein it in, at least during the games. Afterward, however, is a different story, particularly when he feels his team was wronged by the refs.

Hurley used the bulk of a two-minute opening statement following Arizona’s 84-82 win at ASU to complain about the officiating, specifically what he said was a no-call on senior guard Remy Martin’s drive to the basket in the final seconds.

Martin’s shot attempt was blocked by UA freshman forward Azuolas Tubelis, who ended up scoring the game-winning basket as time expired when he caught James Akinjo’s airballed 3-point attempt and laid it in. That’s the official account of what happened, but Hurley believes otherwise.

Hear for yourself:

Hurley’s comments came after a game in which ASU attempted 29 free throws, 12 more than Arizona, and drew seven more fouls. Had the Sun Devils made more than 21 of those 29 attempts the lack of a foul called on Martin’s drive might not have mattered.

Criticizing officials is generally frowned upon, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see Hurley get fined—or at least reprimanded—by the Pac-12. That is, assuming the league office isn’t too busy privately celebrating commissioner Larry Scott’s impending departure in June.

If Hurley’s words don’t get him in trouble, maybe his tweet late Thursday will.

In case you didn’t see it live, here’s how that play looked in real time:

Monday’s rematch at McKale Center can’t come soon enough.