(Photo: Brooke Faber/WCSN)
After getting off to a perfect start in Pac-12 play, No. 10 Arizona State will face off against Colorado at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe on Friday.
ASU (13-3, 4-0 Pac-12) will return home for this game after sweeping the Washington road trip last weekend. In last Sunday’s game against Washington State, the Sun Devils used a dominating second half performance to propel themselves to a 63-45 win against the Cougars, marking their tenth straight win. Freshman guard Sabrina Haines fueled ASU’s victory by scoring a career high 19-points.
The Sun Devils moved into the top 10 of the AP Poll this week on the heels of their aforementioned win streak and will look to stay hot against the bottom team in the Pac-12 in Colorado.
The Colorado Buffalo (6-10, 0-4 Pac-12) have been struggling this season. They are still looking for their first win in Pac-12 play and are on a five game losing streak with their last win coming against NAU on December 9th. They will look to end their losing against the Sun Devils.
Keys to the Game:
Take advantage of experience
ASU’s squad is led by Senior guard Katie Hempen and Junior forward Sophie Brunner, as well as losing only one player to graduation last season. Colorado, however, lost three key seniors last season and has four freshmen and three sophomores that play significant minutes. An ASU team with a multitude of key contributors from the team that made the Sweet 16 a season ago should be able to take advantage of a young Colorado squad.
Offensive rebounds
Colorado has eight players above 6 feet on their roster; this will allow them to have a better opportunity for second chance baskets. If ASU’s leading rebounders Quinn Dornstauder and Sophie Brunner can clean up on the boards and limit those extra points, it will dramatically alter Colorado’s ability to score baskets.
Winning the 50-50 balls
While on paper ASU would appear to be the clear favorite in the match up, nothing is guaranteed. Colorado is averaging 67 points per game, which is not low by any means. If Arizona State wants to make sure that Colorado’s upset bid will go unanswered, they will need to fight for lose balls and be willing to sacrifice their bodies for the team.
X-factor
My X-factor for this game is Sophie Brunner. She is coming off being named ESPN’s women’s basketball player of the week. She is leading ASU in rebounds and scoring, and the Sun Devils will need her size to matchup with a bigger Colorado team. Her scrappy play will be the difference in the game, and as one of the team’s leaders she will not let ASU take their foot off the gas pedal in this match up. She will be the spark ASU needs in this game.
Prediction
While Colorado may put up a tough fight in the first half, I believe that ASU’s experience and leadership will allow them to pull away in the second half. ASU has just too much talent to let this one slip through their fingers.
