ASU Women’s Basketball Roundtable: Sun Devils’ non-conference play in review

(Photo via Janaé Bradford/WCSN)

The Natasha Adair era for ASU Women’s Basketball is off to a decent start. Following an 82-67 win over Prairie View A&M on Dec. 17, the Sun Devils concluded non-conference play with a 7-4 record. Often touted by Adair, the first part of the Sun Devils’ schedule was challenging, featuring matchups against multiple 2022 NCAA Tournament and WNIT qualifiers and a top-10 team in the nation.

However, the next phase of ASU’s schedule will likely be far more difficult. The Pac-12 Conference has already established itself as one of the premier conferences in the nation, with five teams residing inside the Associated Press Top 25 Women’s Basketball Poll, the highest being No. 2 Stanford. As the Sun Devils prepare to open Pac-12 play against their rival No. 18 Arizona Wildcats (10-1) and former Sun Devil fifth-year guard Jade Loville on Thursday, WCSN’s ASU Women’s Basketball reporters broke down the most important takeaways from the Sun Devils’ non-conference play and looked ahead to their daunting Pac-12 schedule.

During the Sun Devils’ 7-4 non-conference campaign, what were their most significant strengths and weaknesses?

Dylan: One clear strength ASU has relied upon is its free throw shooting. The Sun Devils not only get to the line just over 24 times a game – good for 10th in the nation – but they also make their free throws at a high clip, shooting 74.3% collectively from the charity stripe. Even when their offense isn’t clicking, the Sun Devils have proven that free throws are a weapon they can consistently fall back on. However, the solid free throw shooting has not translated to the Sun Devils’ shooting beyond the arc. ASU shoots a lackluster 26.4% from three-point range, with only two players on the team – junior guard Tyi Skinner and junior guard Jaddan Simmons – shooting above 30%. At times, this makes the offense rely too heavily on drawing fouls, which can ultimately develop into an inconsistent flow and rhythm.

Tia: Junior guard Tyi Skinner has been one of the Sun Devils’ strongest components offensively since following Adair from Delaware. The Pac-12 newcomer averages a conference second-best 20.6 points per game. She also extended her single-game career-high point total to 29 points in a road game against Grand Canyon. Four days later, she reached the benchmark again. But while Skinner has put up solid numbers, she hasn’t been efficient enough to consistently push ASU to the next level. Her 37.5% field goal percentage is fourth-worst on the team. Skinner’s inefficiency speaks to the Sun Devils’ larger issues with poor shot selection and substandard ball movement, illustrated by their Pac-12 worst 10.9 assists per game.

Ronan: The Adair era is in full swing, and it is clear that her coaching is a major component of the Sun Devils’ success. In the first five games of the season, ASU continued to improve after each outing, jumping out to a perfect 5-0. However, despite their early success, the Sun Devils went 2-4 to round out non-conference play. Facing down their conference slate, the Devils will need to address overall offensive inefficiency, specifically in their half-court sets.

Abby: Part of the Sun Devils’ success this season can be attributed to Adair’s coaching. Making the jump to a Power 5 program with many new faces and expectations can be daunting for any coach. However, Adair has been able to rally her squad to a decent record thus far. Her leadership has been evident in both her passionate coaching on the sidelines and her continued support and faith in her team. However, ASU still has problems to remedy on the court. Most notably, the Sun Devils have struggled heavily with defense this year. They currently rank dead last in the Pac-12 in points and rebounds allowed per game and defensive field goal percentage. While their opponents are shooting 42.1% from the field, the Sun Devils, again, come in last in the Pac-12, shooting just 38% from the field.

Tyi Skinner continues to be a dynamic scorer that carries the way offensively. What other player(s) has shown potential during non-conference play and will need to step up as a role player to support the offensive load?

Dylan: One player fans will surely hear the name of more in Pac-12 play is sophomore forward Meg Newman. She missed her entire freshman season due to a knee injury and now has gradually found her footing in the rotation. Newman had a breakout game in her last outing against Prairie View A&M, scoring 11 points and tallying 18 rebounds off the bench. Her rebounding and mid-range shooting, mixed with energy and hustle, may prove to be invaluable to ASU’s success.

Tia: Despite experiencing an early change in pace from her first two seasons as a Sun Devil, junior guard Jaddan Simmons’ production has since tapered off. While the numbers have remained somewhat consistent throughout this season, Simmons’ impact has diminished. She has yet to surpass her 22 points and six rebounds scored against Northern Arizona on opening night. With Simmons having transitioned from a facilitator to a scorer, Adair has expressed a want to see Simmons routinely score 20 or more points, saying she has a “neon green light” to shoot. She’s shown flashes of must-win intensity in close wins over Northern Arizona, New Mexico and GCU, proving she can be a reliable go-to player when needed. With Pac-12 play on the horizon, the Sun Devils will need Simmons to tap into that intensity and high level of play that comes with it, with her firing on all cylinders with points, rebounds, assists and defense.

Ronan: ASU will need to get junior guard Jaddan Simmons more involved during conference play. Simmons tied her career-high in points on opening night against NAU but has since taken a back seat in the offense. Simmons often capitalizes on opportunities off of steals and in transition, allowing her to still average 13.7 points per game, good for second-best on the team. However, she has not been as much of a key offensive player as expected from the team’s second option. While ASU’s offense has been painfully inefficient at times, Simmons sits well above the team averages, shooting 41% from the field and 31% from beyond the arc. Adair will have to find a way to get Simmons more involved in the latter part of the schedule if ASU hopes to be competitive in Pac-12 play.

Abby: A player that seems ready to bear more of the offensive load is junior guard Treasure Hunt. A transfer from Kentucky, Hunt is already taking on a more substantial role than she had with the Wildcats. She has started all 10 of the games she has played for the Sun Devils, and she currently averages 10.6 points per game and leads the team in rebounds at 7.5 per game. While Hunt may appear to be taking a backseat to the likes of Skinner and Simmons, look for Hunt to step up for the Sun Devils when needed. Her ability to create shots off the dribble and her feistiness on the boards could be just what the Sun Devils need in Pac-12 play.

Facing an upcoming Pac-12 field that includes five ranked programs and multiple postseason contenders, what will ASU have to improve upon to stay relevant in the conference?

Dylan: ASU has shown it can compete with just about anyone, but it hasn’t shown that it can do it for sustained stretches. This season the Sun Devils have outscored opponents 625-557 in every quarter but the third, where they’ve been outscored 220-149. Head coach Natasha Adair highlighted this as a point of emphasis after the team’s win over Prairie View A&M, saying, “We wanted to put together 40 full minutes. We’ve been playing 20. We’ve been playing 30 … as long as we are prepared, and we play hard for 40, we will put ourselves in a position to win against anyone.”

Tia: On more than one occasion Adair has stated that her team may have lacked intensity or effort in losing affairs. This can be attributed to the injury and sickness bugs that plagued the Sun Devils for several games during non-conference play. Sustaining aggressive defensive stands and prolonging productive offensive runs will be key down the stretch for ASU. Pac-12 teams like No. 11 Utah, No. 2 Stanford and No. 17 Oregon have shown they are more than capable of running up the score against talented teams. As mentioned previously, the Sun Devils will also have to improve their offensive output with better shot selection and ball movement intentionally designed to set up teammates. These factors can make or break the Sun Devils’ chances to compete within the conference.

Ronan: The conference of champions is going to be extremely competitive this year. Currently, ASU is tied for the worst overall record in the Pac-12. The first few games of the new year will be make-or-break for the Sun Devils. In order to compete in the Pac-12, ASU will need to become more efficient from the field. The Sun Devils will not be able to rely on their exceptional free throw shooting, as they will continue to play more and more disciplined teams. Elite Pac-12 defenses like Utah and Stanford have the tools to limit Skinner’s scoring. Look for ASU to diversify its scoring by involving Simmons and Hunt more heavily on the offensive side. ASU will also need to take advantage of turnovers. While ASU forces 14.5 turnovers with 7.1 steals per game, they only average 14.6 points off of turnovers. Turning defense to offense at a higher rate will allow ASU to effectively improve its shooting efficiency.

Abby: Adair has constantly mentioned strong defense as one of the defining traits she wants her team to have. ASU’s defense can be a deciding factor in their success in conference play. Against ranked conference opponents with no shortage of dynamic scorers and shot creators, the Sun Devils will not be able to squeeze by with the current state of their defense. Employing a more aggressive defensive strategy that forces opponents to take bad shots starts with more disciplined defensive rotations. So far, ASU’s perimeter defense has been decent. The Sun Devils are fourth in the Pac-12 for opponent three-point percentage at just 29.3%. While the Sun Devils have prevented most deep shots from seeing the back of the net, ASU negates its strong defense on the outside by letting opposing teams have their way in the paint far too often.