Arizona State aims to prove it belongs

DAYTON, Ohio — Bobby Hurley isn’t intimidated by the NCAA Tournament, of course, but the former Duke star usually doesn’t have to prove he belongs here.

Hurley, the explosive point guard who led the Blue Devils to back-to-back national championships in 1991-92, is the thirdyear coach of Arizona State, which plays Syracuse tonight in a First Four play-in game. Both teams got at-large bids, so naturally there are some fans grumbling about their worthiness.

“It was a very emotional couple of days,” Hurley said Tuesday. “Just a roller coaster leading into Selection Sunday.”

The Sun Devils had a win over No. 2 Kansas early, but limped to an 8-10 record in the Pac-12 and lost in the first round of the conference tournament.