Suggested reading: Every year, the NCAA publishes and updates a 300-page  (It's also online). It includes every detail, big and small, on the Big Dance. If you are a UA basketball fan, it's a can't-miss publication.
One of the most common names in the book is that of Bobby Hurley. He remains No. 1 in career assists (145) in NCAA Tournament games. He is fifth with 20 NCAA Tournament games played while at Duke. He is pictured with Duke's 1991 and 1992 championship teams.
What's strange about the former Blue Devil point guard is that his coaching chops merit almost no mention in the NCAA record book. Over 13 seasons (11 at ASU and two at Buffalo), Hurley went 2-4 in the NCAA Tournament. That most closely compares to former Arizona assistant coach Kevin O'Neill, who was Lute Olson’s fill-in during the 2007-08 season. O'Neill went 2-4 as a head coach in NCAA Tournament games, including a 2008 UA first-round loss to West Virginia. O'Neill also coached at Marquette, Northwestern and Tennessee.
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Arizona State head coach Bobby Hurley in the second half of a first-round game in the men's NCAA Tournament, March 17, 2023, in Denver.
Hurley's two victories came in 2019 against St. John's and in 2023 against Nevada. Both came in play-in games in Dayton, Ohio. O'Neill's only two NCAA victories came against Louisiana-Lafayette and Kentucky.
Hurley completed his ASU career with just a 43.9% winning percentage in conference games (90-115). When ASU president Michael Crow hired Hurley in 2015, he said that a successful coach must win "about 65%" of his conference games. Oops.
