ASU Basketball: Women Face Spartans in NCAA Tournament Opener

The ASU basketball women’s team faces Michigan State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Friday with a spot in the second round on the line.

The ASU basketball women’s team is ready to begin NCAA Tournament play Friday versus Michigan State.

Friday will be the first game for the Sun Devils in two weeks since they fell to UCLA in the Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinals.

Arizona State is looking to make a deep run in March after falling in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last year versus Tennessee.

This year, the Sun Devils come in to the tournament after facing a lot more adversity with the youthfulness of this team and the injuries.

Entering the NCAA Tournament, this is the healthiest the Sun Devils have been since November with Kelsey Moos playing the last six games after missing the majority of the conference season with a plantar fasciitis injury.

Freshman forward Jamie Ruden is also back after missing all of the conference season with a Jones fracture in her foot. While Ruden has been medically cleared, head coach Charli Turner Thorne said they are being cautious with her.

Arizona State, while falling earlier then they hoped in Seattle, still expect to make a deep run.

Forward Sophie Brunner has been Arizona State’s most consistent player all season averaging 13.5 points per game and 7.4 rebounds per game.

Center Quinn Dornstauder has also played every game this season averaging 10.3 PPG and 6.1 RPG.

The young backcourt has had a very successful season getting significant playing minutes due to the injuries.

Guards Reili Richardson and Robbi Ryan have taken the most from the added playing time with both providing valuable contributions.

Richardson led the Sun Devils in assists this season while Ryan averaged 23.5 minutes per game splitting time from coming off the bench and starting.

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Arizona State will have their hands full with Friday’s opponent Michigan State.

The Spartans are coming off a 21-11 (9-7) season and have some momentum entering the NCAA Tournament after reaching the Big Ten Tournament semifinals before falling to Maryland.

Michigan State is one of the better defensive teams in the country allowing only 66.7 PPG.

To go along with their good defense, Michigan State has an explosive offense led by guard Tori Jankoska.

Jankoska finished the season as the nation’s fourth leading scorer (21.2 PPG) while also leading the team in assists (4.9 assists per game).

Alongside Jankoska, the Spartans also have guard Branndais Agee and forward Taya Reimer.

Agee is the team’s second-leading scorer averaging 10.1 PPG to go along with 6.7 RPG.

Reimer, a transfer from Notre Dame, is also a very good player averaging 9.6 PPG and 5.7 RPG.

The key to this one is which defense plays better.

Turnovers and rebounds will be the deciding factors in this game, especially for the Sun Devils who will look to limit Jankoska.

Arizona State will also look to break down this Spartans defense. ASU will need to have good ball movement to help create open shots.

Brunner and Dornstauder will have to play well in the paint and on the glass in order for the Sun Devils to come out victorious.

Next: ASU Basketball: Women Draw No. 8 Seed in Stockton Region

Friday’s meeting between Arizona State and Michigan State is the first meeting ever as the winner will meet the winner of South Carolina-UNC Asheville in the second round. Tip-off is set for 4:30 PST and can be seen on ESPN2 and streamed on WatchESPN.