It is now the month of March, and according to coach Joseph Anders, “It’s go time.”
The Sun Devils want to start off the most important month of the college basketball season on the right note when they take on the UA Wildcats.
Anders said the team has responded well to the pressures of the end of the season.
“(Wednesday) was one of the most spirited practices that we have had in a long time,” Anders said. “In regards to the team and their makeup, they are ready.”
The Wildcats have not had one of their best seasons this year, and are currently ranked last in the Pac-12.
Freshman forward Jada Blackwell said you should throw out the stat book when ASU faces UA.
“We know that they are going to come out hard,” Blackwell said. “We know that they want to beat us more than ever, since we basically played them really tough the first time we played. We know that we have to go down there and shut them down from the first play to the last play.”
The last time that the Sun Devils took on the Wildcats, ASU won in an impressive fashion.
UA Coach Niya Butts said the Sun Devils simply wanted the game more. ASU outworked the Wildcats on the boards and loose balls.
Senior guard Olivia Major said ASU will try and compete the same way.
“That’s the game plan for every game, to outwork them and outhustle teams,” Major said. “That’s not going to change. We’ve just got to get it done this week.”
The Sun Devils have many reasons to strive for a victory Saturday.
The team wants to win for Territorial Cup points and because UA is their longtime rival, but a victory would also help ASU finish the season with 19 wins and help its postseason hopes.
“We know that we need to win this game to have any chance at the NCAA tournament,” Blackwell said. “We need this no matter what. We are sacrificing everything for this game and for every game here on.”
UA is led primarily by their backcourt. In UA’s last meeting with ASU, the Wildcats were led by junior guard Davellyn Whyte with 19 points.
When the Wildcats visited Tempe in January, they were without sophomore guard Candice Warthen, one of the team’s top scorers.
Warthen seems to have recovered from her injury, as she had 17 points in her last game.
ASU will rely on their guards to defend the Wildcats’ offensive attack.
The ASU versus UA rivalry always brings excitement to the court. Major said she is looking forward to her last regular season rivalry game.
“There’s nothing about Tucson that I like,” Major said. “Whether we are playing to get into the NCAA tournament or just playing this game, it’s a big deal down here. I want to win it. It’s my last time playing them.”
Reach the reporter at ehubbard@asu.edu
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