(Photo: Dominic Cotroneo/WCSN)
In a battle for the top spot in the conference, Arizona State will take on the Oregon State Beavers this Sunday in Tempe.
The Sun Devils seem to have hit their stride, starting off the Pac-12 play with a perfect 7-0 record, and outscoring their opponents by a total of 122 points over the course of that span.
If ASU is going to stay in this groove and maintain that spotless record they’ll have to get through Ruth Hamblin and the ninth ranked Oregon State Beavers.
OSU has surrendered just one loss on the year to a top five Tennessee team, but since then have gone on an absolute tear, matching ASU’s seven game win streak on their way to grabbing the top spot in the Pac-12.
But no matter what the scoreboard reads after the final buzzer in this one, the winner will undoubtedly claim the conference throne and solidify themselves as one of the top 10 teams in the country.
If ASU is to walk off their home floor with a win, they will need to succeed in these three keys to the game:
Keys To The Game
Get Hamblin Out of the Paint
Now this is a tough one. It’s no small task to keep the Pac-12’s leading shot blocker away from the rim, but the Sun Devils have the stretch forwards to do it. Both Kelsey Moos and Sophie Brunner have the ability to knock down outside jump shots and force their defenders to respect their ability to score outside of the paint. Whether Hamblin is matched up against Moos or Brunner, she will be forced to come out from in front of the rim, allowing Arizona State’s bevy of athletic guards to drive to the rim and make plays.
Win the Turnover Game
ASU and Oregon State are arguably the top two defensive teams in the Pac-12. They are tops in scoring defense, defensive rebounds, and scoring margin. There shouldn’t be a lot of easy buckets for either team in the half court game, so scoring off of turnovers will be big in this matchup. Unfortunately for ASU, Oregon State has the lowest assist/turnover margin in the conference and doesn’t generally make silly mistakes with the ball in their hands.
Stop OSU from Behind the Arc
What happens when the Pac-12’s number two three-point shooting team matches up against the top three point defending team? We’ll have to wait and see. But if the Sun Devil’s victory over Stanford tells us anything, it’s that ASU knows how to guard the deep ball. The Cardinal are the only team in the conference with a higher three point shooting percentage than Oregon State, but they shot just 23% from behind the line against ASU, well below their 40% season average.
Arizona State looks like the slight underdog in this one, but playing on their home floor and riding the momentum of their first ever win at Stanford gives them the edge on Friday.
While it wouldn’t be shocking to see the Beavers walk into Tempe and retain their top spot in the conference with a win, it seems like ASU has a team that is ready to compete on a national level. And after their big win against Stanford, the Arizona State has shown signs that this just might be their year.
