TEMPE- Head coach Molly Miller and junior forward McKinna Brackens spoke about how the Arizona State Sun Devils (4-0) will face the UNLV Lady Rebels (2-2) at home on Saturday in Tempe.
Brackens previously played for the Lady Rebels in her first two years of her collegiate career before transferring over to the Sun Devils this past summer. In the last game, she had a double-double in Arizona State's win on the road over Santa Clara.
She will face her former team for the first time and is also pretty familiar with what type of play style UNLV brings onto the court.
"They have a lot of good players," Brackens said Wednesday. "I'm expecting them to drive, try to get to the rim, play fast, play in transition. They're going to defend, and they have some really good players coming back, and new players that they recruited out of the portal and freshmen. So I expect them to play hard and play fast as well."
The Lady Rebels advanced to the NCAA Tournament in the last three of the four seasons and have proven to be a formidable squad.
Miller mentioned that UNLV will be the team that will give Arizona State the biggest test possible early into the season, as they will continue to build on growth in team chemistry.
"We're very defensive-minded, and UNLV has typically been very offensive-minded, so it might be a battle of opposites," Miller said. "They're very athletic and get downhill. Their transition offense is probably one of the best that they will face. They average 15 offensive rebounds a game, so they play this style of toughness, and we play this style of toughness on the defensive end. So toughest team. I guess we'll see."
Senior guard Marley Washenitz mentioned that the Sun Devils will expect the Lady Rebels to come into this game hungry for a victory, having lost their last two games.
All three of Brackens, Miller, and Washenitz agreed that UNLV will give Arizona State a challenge on the court in the team's first game of a six-game homestand on Saturday.
"I mean, UNLV is a great team," Washenitz said. "Up until now, they're probably gonna be our best test, that's what the coaches said, at least. And they have lost their past two games, so they're gonna be coming in not wanting to lose a third. I mean, they're a great team. This is probably the first time they've lost two games back-to-back in five years, they mentioned. So I mean, they're coming in ready to win.
"They're probably tired of losing, and we understand that. ... The last thing we want her [McKinna Brackens] to do is get beaten by her own team, because that's the last thing I would want. So we're gonna definitely play for her, for sure. But no, you know, there's a great team, and excited to play them."