(Photo: Scotty Bara/WCSN)
Arizona State is aiming to continue their incredible 2014-15 campaign as they return to their home court to face Oregon on Friday morning.
The Sun Devils (17-1) are flying high after a nail-biter over Stanford that gave Coach Charli Turner Thorne her first ever victory against her alma mater and ASU’s first in Palo Alto since 1984. The win improved Arizona State’s win-streak to 13 games, including a 6-0 record in the Pac-12.
Oregon (8-9) has had a bit of a tougher time so far this season. The Ducks went 7-4 in non-conference play, but have hit a wall since Pac-12 play commenced. With their only win coming against a mediocre UCLA team, the Ducks are 1-5 in conference play including a four-game losing streak, putting them near the bottom in the conference standings.
Keys to the Game:
-Shut Down Jillian Alleyne
Jillian Alleyne has been the star player for Oregon this season, leading the team with 16.8 points per game, 15.1 rebounds per game, and 1.5 blocks per game. The 6-foot-3 junior forward was voted to the preseason Wooden Award watch list, the award given to the nation’s most outstanding player. Post players like Sophie Brunner and Quinn Dornstauder will need to apply pressure down low to avoid any easy looks. If Alleyne doesn’t produce, the Ducks don’t have many other options to turn to.
-Win the Rebounding Battle
Against Stanford, the Arizona State bigs were absolutely dominant on the glass, doubling up one of the conference’s best rebounding teams 44-22. If ASU can outrebound a team like Stanford by that kind of margin, there’s no reason that they shouldn’t dominate the boards once more against an Oregon team with a rebounding margin of -0.9 per game.
-Shoot, Shoot, Shoot
With the exception of a less than stellar second half against Stanford, the ASU offense has been looking better and better with each game. Oregon’s scoring defense hasn’t been great either; the Ducks allow an average of 67.5 points per game so far this season, 10th in the conference. If the Arizona State offense can execute like they did in the first half of the Stanford game, this game could get ugly quickly.
X-Factor:
The X-factor in this game is Arizona State’s star forward Sophie Brunner. Brunner’s sophomore season has been one to remember thus far as she leads the team with 12.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. She will be matched up with Oregon’s star forward Alleyne for much of the game and will need to bring her A-game if the Sun Devils are to perform up to expectations.
Prediction:
Oregon and Arizona State have played each other close in recent years, but all signs point to a blowout in this one. The Sun Devils should roll over the Ducks by at least 15 points, extending their undefeated home record this season.
Tip-off is at 11:00 a.m. at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe.
