TEMPE- After returning home to Tempe from a two-game road trip, the Arizona State Sun Devils prepare for their first of two matchups of the season against their longtime rivals, the Arizona Wildcats.
Additionally, it is also the first time head coach Molly Miller gets to be a part of the longtime tradition, the Sun Devils taking on the Wildcats as rivals across the state.
"The buzz all week is fun," Miller said Monday. "Rivalry week is the best, no matter where you're at. But when you're talking about Arizona State and Arizona and the battles with every sport back and forth, that's a pride win, and you don't lose that game. Whatever game is up next, we want to win. But this means a little bit more. "
With the growth and attention the game of women's basketball has been receiving over the last few years, the 'Molly Miller effect' has a positive effect on the season ticket holders for Arizona State.
Miller has won 34 consecutive games at home dating back to the 2023-24 season when she was head coach of the GCU Lopes women's basketball program.
"I just got a text from Lisa Young, and she said, 'This is the most tickets that have been claimed so far in the Arizona vs. Arizona State Women's Basketball rivalry game.' That's exciting for me, because women's basketball is going like this," Miller said. "That's why rivalry games are so good. It generates interest. If we can have a rowdy environment, that's good for the game, teams, our community, and our fans."
"I'm excited because I saw how it was for the football game, and I was very excited by how excited the fans got for that game," Arizona State junior forward McKinna Brackens told Devils in Detail. "And I'm just excited to see how it is. And we want to bring this one home."
According to The Sun Devils, Arizona State has won 30 of 45 meetings over its rivals, but Arizona has won 11 of the last 14 contests, including seven straight games.
It was also the first time the Sun Devils lost consecutive games on the road this season, as they went 0-2 in the recent two-game road trip in the east coast.
"Just making sure we don't make those mistakes again," graduate guard Gabby Elliott said. "We never want to get beaten the same way twice. That's the biggest thing, but it's a learning curve. We haven't lost many this year, and that's something I'm happy to say. But we got to make sure this just doesn't happen (again)."
Arizona State will begin its three-game homestand on Wednesday, starting with Arizona, followed by Kansas State on Sunday, and wrapping it up on Feb. 4 with Oklahoma State.