(Photo: Travis David V Whittaker/WCSN)
Entering Friday night’s contest having only played twice in the last two weeks, No. 19 Arizona State is well-rested and well-prepared for the mountain schools as the Colorado Buffaloes and Utah Utes visit Tempe.
After stretching its longest winning streak in Pac-12 play this season to three games, head coach Charli Turner Thorne said the Sun Devils received a “mixed blessing” with the cancellation of their match-up with a Washington Huskies squad that is 8-16.
“You want to be playing games to stay sharp, so the lack of games is not great,” Turner Thorne said during Wednesday’s media availability. “At the same time, we did get extra rest and we got a little bit of extra practice too, so I think in that sense our team did a good job with it.
“Really we should be the freshest. We’re already the deepest, so I think it will serve us well.”
Having missed out on a game with one of the conference’s weakest teams in Washington, the Sun Devils will take on two teams that have each experienced significant struggles in recent weeks. Here is a preview of what’s to come as the Sun Devils take on the mountain schools.
Colorado Buffaloes: (11-12, 1-11 Pac-12)
The Buffaloes star senior guard Kennedy Leonard has been out with a foot injury since a 20-point performance in Colorado’s 76-70 loss to the Sun Devils on Jan. 6. With Leonard listed as day-to-day, Turner Thorne said the Sun Devils prepared throughout the week as if the senior guard from Southlake, Texas, will be available to play for the Buffs.
“They are playing better,” Turner Thorne said of the Buffaloes, who picked up their first win in conference play in an 81-76 win over USC last Sunday. “We’re preparing as if [Leonard] will play, and we played them with her the first time, so I think we know [what to do].”
Arizona State takes on Colorado at 6 p.m. Friday night. The game can be seen on Pac-12 Plus.
Utah Utes: 18-5 (7-5 Pac-12)
While Arizona State enters the weekend on a three-game winning streak, the Utes, who open their road trip in Tucson on Friday night, visit the Arizona schools having lost four consecutive games. In the Devils and Utes previous matchup, junior guard Reili Richardson proved to be the difference, as she delivered a game-winning jumpshot to hand Utah its first loss of the season.
The Utes have three scorers who average double-figures, but Megan Huff, a 6-foot-3 senior forward leads the way for Lynne Roberts squad. Huff, who scored 17 points in the Jan. 4 matchup is averaging 20.2 points per game to go along with 9.9 rebounds per game.
With Huff matching up with Arizona State senior forward Kianna Ibis, a battle on the inside could determine who wins the game. Ibis has scored 20 or more points in four of her last seven contests and is averaging a team-leading 14.9 points per game for ASU.
Tip-off between the Utes and Sun Devils is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday afternoon at Wells Fargo Arena. The game can be seen on the Pac-12 Networks.
