(Photo: Travis David V Whittaker/WCSN)
Few teams across the women’s college basketball landscape have challenged themselves as much as Charli Turner Thorne’s squad. Whether it be Baylor, Louisville, or a slew of Pac-12 opponents, No. 20 Arizona State (19-9, 10-7 Pac-12) has gone through a gauntlet of a schedule.
Yet despite having faced one of the toughest schedules in the country, the Sun Devils have almost nothing to show for it. Both of Arizona State’s Top 10 wins have come against the same team—Oregon State— as the Devils defeated the Beavers in double overtime in Corvallis and soundly in Tempe this past Friday.
Still for the most part, in each of the other six match-ups with Top 10 opponents, the recipe has been similar. Keep it close early. Fail to finish late.
As was the case on Sunday against Oregon, the Sun Devils were able to dictate the pace of the game, yet they were unable to pull out a win. Arizona State held Oregon to 66 points, 20 below the Ducks season average in Pac-12 play.
“We knew that we can hang with this team and they are very good scorers, but I would say that we’re very good defensively, so we kind of knew that it was going to be back-and-forth,” said senior forward Kianna Ibis after the Sun Devils 66-59 loss to the Ducks. “It always comes down to the little things… and they just out-rebounded us and we didn’t step up and take it.”
Five of ASU’s six losses to Top 10 opponents have been by seven points or less. Against Baylor, Louisville and Oregon, the Sun Devils held fourth quarter leads at one point, yet they were unable to finish off potential resumé solidifying wins.
By no means is Arizona State on the bubble. This Sun Devils squad has always been fighting for NCAA tournament seeding, with hopes of receiving a top 4 seed and hosting the opening weekend of the tournament. But that doesn’t mean that this season hasn’t had its fair share of disappointing moments during big games.
In the NCAA’s latest release of the Top 16 seeds Monday, the Sun Devils were not to be found, and a look at ESPN’s most recent bracketology seeded ASU as a 6 seed. As the Sun Devils get into the most important time of the season, Turner Thorne said Sunday was a step in the right direction toward successful postseason basketball.
“I think we got back to playing at the level that we can play,” Turner Thorne said after Sunday’s loss. “Especially defensively, I think if we’re going to make a great run at the Pac-12 tournament championship we’ve got to be better offensively.”
Wins over Colorado and UCLA on Thursday and Friday would set up another shot at Oregon, and another shot for the Sun Devils to prove that they are worthy of a top seed.
If Turner Thorne and ASU want to host during the first weekend of the NCAA tournament, a trip to the Pac-12 tournament final or a gauntlet run to win it in Las Vegas this week might be the only way that happens.
