ASU basketball will face South Carolina in the second round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament.
The ASU basketball women’s team is coming off an impressive 73-61 win against Michigan State. On the other side of the court, South Carolina is coming off an even better 90-40 win against UNCA.
ASU finished off their regular season with a 20-12 overall record.
The Gamecocks are, however, one of the best teams in the nation. They led the SEC Conference and were given a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Women’s Basketball tournament.
The Sun Devils struggled all season to close out games versus ranked opponents, often not starting-off well-enough or getting tired toward the end.
Not only does South Carolina have an outstanding women’s basketball program to give them edge against Arizona State, but they also will be the home court in this match-up. This is a huge advantage to the team who has a 14-1 record at home and the highest game attendance of any team.
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To win this game ASU will have to play as hard as possible both physically and mentally.
The Gamecocks are a very tough match-up and play very physically, but to overcome the crowd, the Sun Devils need to be able to block out what is happening off the court.
South Carolina is led by junior A’ja Wilson who averaged 17.6 points per game on 58.9 percent shooting. Wilson is one of four finalists for the Naismith Trophy.
Arizona State is led by senior Sophie Brunner who averaged 13.4 points on 52.1 percent shooting.
Last season, the two teams also faced each other in the NCAA Tournament. The physicality of the game resulted in stitches, a concussion and an ankle injury that cost the Sun Devils three of their most valuable players.
Despite the injuries, Arizona State still managed to hold the Gamecocks close. The winning points were two free-throws by Wilson with less than a second remaining to give South Carolina the 60-58 win.
Though the team has almost an entirely new backcourt this season, Arizona State should channel their energy and toughness from last season in order to make the attempt to secure the win from this rematch.
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Tip-off between ASU and South Carolina will be at 4 p.m. PST and can be seen on ESPN.