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ASU Basketball: Sun Devils begin their NCAA Tournament against Nebraska

By Alex Weiner

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 07: Arizona State Sun Devils mascot Sparky the Sun Devil stands on the court during the team's first-round game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament against the Colorado Buffaloes at T-Mobile Arena on March 7, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Buffaloes won 97-85. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 07: Arizona State Sun Devils mascot Sparky the Sun Devil stands on the court during the team's first-round game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament against the Colorado Buffaloes at T-Mobile Arena on March 7, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Buffaloes won 97-85. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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ASU women’s basketball travel to Austin, Texas to face the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Arizona State begins their NCAA Tournament on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. PT against Nebraska in Austin, Texas.

This is the fifth straight season where ASU has earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament. They enter Saturday as a seven-seed, one better than last year.

A year ago, the Sun Devils coasted past Michigan State in the first-round before losing a late lead and falling to the eventual champions, South Carolina, in the Round of 32.

The Sun Devils struggled at the end of the regular season. They lost four of their final six games and finished 10-8 in the conference, but ASU performed well in the Pac-12 Tournament. They advanced to the semifinals following a comeback victory against 10th-ranked Oregon State.

The Devils have had a couple of weeks to rest and prepare for the tournament, much to the delight of head coach Charli Turner Thorne.

“I felt like we did get better this week. We always take advantage of this little window, Turner Thorne said. “A little extra rest. A little extra get sharp time.”

The Devils have been preparing to face an unfamiliar foe as ASU hasn’t played against Nebraska since 2008.

The two teams have three common opponents. Nebraska defeated Arkansas by 11 points and fell to Buffalo by 10 and Washington State by 12. ASU beat all three of those teams by sizable margins.

The Cornhuskers enter the tournament at 21-10 and 11-5 in the Big Ten. Head Coach Amy Williams won the Big Ten Coach of the Year award as Nebraska won 14 more games this year than last season to get into the NCAA Tournament.

Nebraska is a capable offensive team, averaging 69 points per game on 42.1 percent shooting. They are a solid three-point shooting team at 35 percent. However, their downfall could be what many teams’ downfalls have been against ASU, which is turnovers.

Nebraska turns the ball over 15 times per game. ASU, on average, forces 15 turnovers per game. If the Devils continue to create extra possessions through turnovers Saturday, then they could simply score a lot more than Nebraska because they’ll shoot a lot more.

Next: ASU Basketball: Breaking down the Austin Region

Arizona State will look to win in the first round of the NCAA Tournament for a fifth straight year. Tip off of ASU-Nebraska is set for 12:30 p.m. PT and it can be seen on ESPN2 and WatchESPN.