The ASU women’s basketball team looks to prove itself when it takes on No. 4 Tennessee on Sunday in Knoxville.
The Lady Vols (3-0) are an early test for the Sun Devils (2-0), who got off to a great start but know that they still have a long road to make it back to the NCAA tournament. A win on Sunday would be a huge step toward that goal, said senior guard Dymond Simon.
“There’s definitely a lot of people who doubt us right now,” Simon said. “But if we can go down to Tennessee and get the win on their home floor, that could definitely put us on the map, especially when the NCAAs come around.”
But ASU has to find a way to win first, and coach Charli Turner Thorne said UT has a whole laundry list of strengths.
“It may be shorter to say what their weaknesses are,” Turner Thorne said. “In their first game against Louisville they turned the ball over, but I think that’s everyone right now, being a little bit sloppy. But hopefully we can expose them.”
Because the Lady Vols look strong across the floor, the key for the Sun Devils will be grabbing rebounds and only allowing one shot per possession, Thorne said.
Senior forward Becca Tobin said the rebounding is going to take a lot of effort.
“They’re bigger, and probably a little stronger,” Tobin said. “We need to control the boards if we want to have a chance to win. We’ve been working hard all summer and preparing for games like this. We just need to go there, stick to our game plan, and do what we know how to do.”
Although ASU had a comfortable win over UC Riverside, they also gave up 22 turnovers. Keeping control of the ball will be crucial, Simon said.
“We definitely need to keep the turnovers down,” Simon said. “That’s going to probably be the biggest thing for us. If we turn the ball over, they’re down the court before you can blink.”
UT won the national championship in back-to-back years in 2007 and 2008, fell in the first round in 2009 and made it to the Sweet 16 last season before falling to Baylor. Coach Pat Summitt has won an incredible .84 winning percentage in 36 seasons coaching of the Lady Vols, and will certainly be looking for the team to make it to the NCAA tournament for the 30th consecutive year.
But that doesn’t mean UT can overlook the Sun Devils, Summitt said in a teleconference Wednesday.
“It is a touch matchup and especially if we don't pick up early and do a good job on the defensive end and have some level of control on the boards," Summitt said. “We have tremendous respect for their team and their program and how they play.”
Despite having a perfect record like ASU, the Lady Vols have achieved the mark in a very different way. After a tough win away at Louisville, UT absolutely demolished Chattanooga on Monday, 103-43 and topped Virginia 85-73 on Thursday.
Breakout freshman Meighan Simmons led UT in scoring both games, and already has a starting spot. Senior guard Angie Bjorklund led the team in scoring last season and has averaged 17.3 points per game through three games this year.
Although the Sun Devils will be playing away from home, they had all week to recover from a tough opening weekend that saw them play home on Friday and away two days later.
“It’s been nice to have time to really prepare our team,” Thorne said. “I do think we can match up with them.”
Reach the reporter at egrasser@asu.edu
