(Photo: Tyler Rittenhouse/WCSN)
Over the course of the last decade, the Arizona Wildcats women’s basketball program has experienced more than its fair share of losses. Yet in year three of the Adia Barnes era, the Wildcats roster has seen an influx of talent after signing the highest ranked recruiting class in school history.
Headlined by five-star prospect Cate Reese, the first McDonald’s All-American in Arizona history, Barnes and her squad is 14-6 in the 2018-19 season.
In the gauntlet of Pac-12 conference play, the Wildcats are 4-5, a record that is indicative of the unusual nature of Pac-12 rivalries.
In-state rivals and conference foes like the Sun Devils and Wildcats wouldn’t normally be rooting for each other’s success. But, as travel partners in the Pac-12’s grouped scheduling arrangement, Arizona State head coach Charli Turner Thorne said the Wildcat’s improved play is a welcome sight.
Citing the challenge of facing two top-10 opponents in one weekend when facing Oregon and Oregon State, Turner Thorne said “in every way [the Wildcats’ improvement] is good for us,” during Wednesday afternoon’s media availability.
“We have 16 games where we don’t play against them and only two that we do, so it’s hugely advantageous for our travel partner to be as strong as possible,” Turner Thorne said. “Hopefully in another year or two we’re both top-ranked teams.”
On Friday night, the Sun Devils will open up the month of February and the second half of conference play with the second edition of the Territorial Cup. In the first edition, Barnes and the Wildcats gave Arizona State’s offense fits, holding the Sun Devils to 39 points on 23.2 percent shooting.
A key for the ASU defense will be in its ability to shut down Arizona redshirt sophomore Aari McDonald, who scored a game-high 24 points in the Wildcats Dec. 30 win in Tucson. The transfer from Washington is averaging a conference-leading 25.2 points per game for the Wildcats.
On the offensive end for the Devils, Turner Thorne’s squad will look to free up looks for redshirt senior Courtney Ekmark, who struggled in their first meeting. In the Sun Devils conference-opening loss, Ekmark shot 1-10 from the floor and 1-8 from three-point range.
“It was a little rough to watch [the film of the first game],” Turner Thorne said. “But you just have to own it and move forward. We’re not a young team. We’re a veteran team so I think we can handle it.”
Turner Thorne said she expects Friday night’s matchup to be an intense one. The Sun Devils and Wildcats will tip-off at 6 p.m.
“We were supposed to win [the first match-up], and we didn’t,” Turner Thorne said. “It doesn’t matter. It’s a rivalry game. Anything and everything happens.”
