(Photo: Brooke Faber/WCSN)
After another dominating victory over Utah at home, the No. 8 Arizona State Sun Devils will get set to take on the University of Arizona Wildcats on Friday at 7 p.m. in Tempe.
The Sun Devils (15-3, 6-0 Pac-12) are winners of their last 12 games including the blowout win over Utah last Sunday, and have reached their highest ranking it school history at No. 8 in the country.
Senior forward Quinn Dornstauder had another dominating performance on both ends of the court, suffocating Utah’s star center Emily Potter on defense and leading ASU with 14 points.
ASU has been playing great as a collective unit as of late, with everyone stepping on the court at Wells Fargo Arena on Sunday scoring. The Sun Devils are on a roll, and will look to remain the only undefeated team in conference play on Friday.
As for the Wildcats (11-7, 2-4 Pac-12), they will be looking to get a key upset on the road behind junior forward LaBrittney Jones. Jones is averaging just over 12 points per game along with six boards. Because this game is a rivalry, the Wildcats will be coming to Tempe with an extreme will to win.
Keys to the Game:
Interior Defense-
While ASU is going to have to make sure they take care of Arizona’s three-point specialist Taryn Griffey, they will need to center their defensive focus in the paint. The Wildcats have a big team and score majority of their points in the paint. If ASU can limit those with strong interior defense, they will force the Wildcats to play to their weakness.
Scrappy Play-
When it comes to rivalry games truly anything can happen. While it would appear to be clear on paper that ASU should have this one in the bag, the rivalry aspect could change their play. ASU is going to have to continue to sacrifice their bodies, for their team. And make a strong effort to come out on top when it comes to 50/50 plays.
Limiting Turnovers-
If the Sun Devils have a high number of turnovers, this will give Arizona a chance to exploit their strength. Having a backcourt as experienced as Katie Hempen and Elisha Davis should mean that this shouldn’t be too hard, but the Sun Devils will be relying on them.
X-Factor:
The X-factor for Friday’s game is Katie Hempen. Because it’s her last time playing in this rivalry matchup at home, Hempen is going to want to leave everything out on the court. Through her senior leadership and experience, she will lead her team by taking good care of the ball and taking smart shots.
Prediction:
This team is as talented a team as head coach Charli Turner Thorne has seen during her time at ASU, and with so many seniors on the roster, they won’t let this final opportunity to claim a few Territorial Cup victories slip away. I think that with their depth and experience, the Sun Devils will get their third straight blowout win at home to remain perfect in conference play.
