The First Four has been kind to those associated with the Duke basketball program.
It has been a good start to the NCAA Tournament for those associated with the Duke basketball program.
Former associate head coach, and player, Jeff Capel led the Pittsburgh Panthers for a thrilling last second victory over Mississippi State in the First Four on Tuesday night while the exact opposite of a thriller was in store for Bobby Hurley and Arizona State on Wednesday.
The two-time National Champion as a player for Duke saw his team cruise to a 98-73 victory over Nevada.
The Wolfpack opened the game with a 3-pointer for its only lead of the game as the Sun Devils responded with a 13-0 run after the opening bucket.
ALSO READ: Kyle Filipowski sets sights on NCAA Tournament title
Arizona State led by 27 points at halftime, 53-26, and shot 63.6-percent from the floor and 52.4-percent from 3-point range.
Former Duke basketball champ could be moving elsewhere
Bobby Hurley, at various points of the season, was labeled to be on the hot seat in Tempe and still could be pending how the rest of the tournament unfolds for Arizona State.
While it seems unlikely that the Jersey City, New Jersey native gets fired after winning another NCAA Tournament game, college basketball analyst Seth Davis suggested that St. John’s could target the former Blue Devil if its pursuit of Iona head coach, and Hall of Famer, Rick Pitino falls through.
Bobby Hurley currently making an increasingly strong case as St Johns' fallback in case the Pitino hire doesn't happen. (Narrator: It will.)
— Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) March 16, 2023
St. John’s fired head coach Mike Anderson last week and Hurley was rumored to be in the picture for the Red Storm after it parted ways with head coach Chris Mullin four years ago.
Arizona State advanced to the Round of 64 and will face No. 6 seed TCU on Friday night (10:05p.m. ET, TruTV).
Duke, a No. 5 seed, will begin its NCAA Tournament run on Thursday night (7:10p.m. ET, CBS) against No. 12 seed Oral Roberts.