The last time USC and UCLA played the ASU women's basketball team, both teams beat the Sun Devils (18-8, 9-6 Pac-12) in Tempe. ASU will try to return the favor this weekend in Los Angeles.
All three teams have gone through a lot of changes since the early January meetings.
“We are a mature team now,” senior forward Kimberly Brandon said. “We know what other people in our team like to do. We are all on the same page right now.”
Coach Joseph Anders said the team has come to realize its strengths.
“We know who we are, and we know how we have to be successful,” Anders said. “Although we talked about being a great defensive team early, I feel like we have become one now.”
USC (14-11, 8-6 Pac-12) and UCLA (12-13, 7-7 Pac-12) have also improved since their contests with ASU.
UCLA is ranked No. 5 in the Pac-12 and USC is ranked No. 4, just below ASU.
Brandon said the team knows the other two schools have also improved, and the Sun Devils have to step up their game as the season winds down.
USC and UCLA are very similar offensively. Unlike some teams ASU has faced in the Pac-12, the Trojans and Bruins do not rely heavily on one player for offensive production.
Brandon said they are very similar to ASU in that on any given night, any player can get hot. The Bruins and Trojans have three different players who average over 10 points per game.
“That’s a mark of a good team,” Anders said. “When you don’t have to count on one person to basically shoulder all of the load, it makes for a very balanced, but a very competitive team. That’s what every coach is seeking, and that’s what they have.”
Junior guard Micaela Pickens the Sun Devils need to play great defensively.
“Team defense is going to be important,” Pickens said. “We are going to have to talk more. We are going to have to help more. We are really going to have be focused on that fundamental defense that we have been trying to play since day one.”
Two more wins would put the Sun Devils at 20, which would put the team in a good position for a high seed in the conference tournament.
Twenty wins would also help the Sun Devils’ chances of getting into the NCAA tournament.
Anders said he would like to reach the 20-win plateau, but 20 is not a magic number for the team right now.
“What you want to do is to be playing great basketball as the calendar turns from February to March,” Anders said. “As a coach, that is what I am seeking as opposed to a particular number.”
Reach the reporter at ehubbard@asu.edu
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