Sun Devils prepare to open Pac-12 play against Arizona

(Photo via Alyssa Buruato/WCSN)

For the last time in 2023, the Territorial Cup is set to take place on Sunday as Arizona State women’s basketball (7-3, 0-0) hosts the Arizona Wildcats (7-3, 0-0) at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe. Sunday’s game will be the last time The Sun Devils host the Wildcats as Pac-12 Conference opponents, with both schools scheduled to move to the Big 12 Conference next year. This is also the final Pac-12 opener for both schools.

Arizona has won seven of the last 10 contests between these rival schools, including an 80-67 victory in January. Despite their recent success, the Wildcats trail significantly in the all-time series, 39-66.

The Sun Devils are coming off a 66-59 home loss to Grand Canyon on Dec. 8. Nearly all of ASU’s points came from three players in that loss, with senior guard Jaddan Simmons, sophomore guard Trayanna Crisp and junior guard Jalyn Brown combining for 55 points on the night. This has become a common theme for the Sun Devils this season, as the trio has led the team in scoring nine times so far.

Arizona also enters play on Sunday after recording a loss in their last contest, as they fell to No. 5 Texas 75-88. The Wildcats are led by sophomore guard Kailyn Gilbert, who had 26 points, five rebounds and two assists in the loss. Gilbert is averaging 14.3 points on 40.0%/44.8%/85.7% shooting splits, and she will look to continue her dominant play against the Sun Devils.

As a team, the Wildcats are strong offensively, averaging 71.1 points per game with good ball movement to boot, as they also average 15.2 assists per game. This is aided by an aggressive defense that averages 13 steals per game and forces 21.3 turnovers per game, which rank fifth and 18th in the nation, respectively. This will be especially key against a Sun Devil team that already has 148 turnovers this season.

The Sun Devils have been outrebounded this year by 1.5 boards per game. This has been detrimental on multiple occasions, especially in their last game against Grand Canyon, when they allowed 32 rebounds to just 26 of their own. Arizona is only averaging 35.8 rebounds per game, slightly less than Arizona State’s 36.4, so look for this matchup to be won on the glass.

The other key in this contest will be 3-point shooting. While Arizona is only shooting 28% from deep this year, it is coming off of a spectacular showing against Texas, where it shot 7-of-8 (85.7%). The Wildcats will look to continue their strong shooting on Sunday, but they must contend with a Sun Devil squad that is only allowing opponents to shoot 28.5% from range and has held opponents to under 25% from three six times so far.

While Arizona State does heavily rely on its guards to handle most of the offensive work, those players have proved themselves capable of the responsibility. Simmons leads the Sun Devils in points per game with 13.6, including her career 26-point night against Pacific back on Dec. 1. She is also just 19 points shy of reaching 1000 for her career, a milestone Simmons could very well reach on Sunday.

Brown is currently on a four-game stretch in which she is averaging 17.5 ppg and shooting 51% from the field. Brown has scored double figures in the six games she has started this year as well. In her eight appearances total, Brown is averaging 13.1 ppg, which is second on the team.

Finally, Crisp is coming off a career-high 18-point performance against Grand Canyon. Crisp is third on the team in scoring with 12.3 ppg, and she is the best 3-point shooter on the Sun Devils’ roster, connecting on 37.8% of her deep shots. She has been able to create shots for her teammates as well, leading the team with 3.2 assists per game.

ASU’s guards will look to stay hot against a tough rival, but Arizona’s stingy defense may prove to be quite the challenge. Sunday’s edition of the Territorial Cup looks to be tightly contested, as the Wildcats and Sun Devils open Pac-12 play at 5 p.m. MST in Tempe.