Ja’Tavia Tapley had her best collegiate season as a graduate transfer with Arizona State. | Photo by Sam Wasson/Getty Images
The Arizona State Sun Devils were a tough, defensive team that could have finished higher in the Pac-12 than they did. Big wins over Oregon and Oregon State highlighted ASU’s season.
The NCAA isn’t releasing a bracket this year but at Swish Appeal we’ve decided to make one anyway, based on this formula created by our Zack Ward. Here’s a recap of one of the 64 teams who made the cut according to the Swish Appeal bracket:
No. 26 Arizona State Sun Devils
The Arizona State Sun Devils finished sixth in the Pac-12 with a record of 20-11 (10-8 Pac-12), recording their seventh straight 20-win season. The Sun Devils’ most memorable moments of the season were their wins over Oregon and Oregon State, both of which occurred in the same weekend.
DOWN GOES NO. 2‼️
Arizona State upsets No. 2 Oregon pic.twitter.com/HEE8DAttBq
— Sun Devil WBB (@SunDevilWBB) January 11, 2020
DOWN GOES NO. 3‼️@SunDevilWBB upsets No. 3 Oregon State!
It is the first time since 2010 that an @ncaawbb team has beaten AP Top 5 teams in consecutive regular season games! pic.twitter.com/JyB9iWYZHd
— Sun Devil WBB (@SunDevilWBB) January 12, 2020
Arizona State was on its way to extending its six-year streak of qualifying for the NCAA Tournament prior to the tournament’s cancellation. Arizona State’s season ended with an upset loss to the California Golden Bears in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament.
The Sun Devils were better than their record suggests, as six of their eight conference losses were by 10 points or fewer. This refusal to get blown out could have made them a dangerous team in the Big Dance.
Graduate transfer Ja’Tavia Tapley was named All-Pac-12, as voted on by the media, after her best collegiate season. Tapley lead the Sun Devils with 11.6 points and 6.2 rebounds, scoring in double figures in 20 games.
Senior guard Robbi Ryan was named All-Pac-12, as voted on by the conference’s coaches. Ryan averaged 10.6 points, her second double-digit scoring season in four years at Arizona State.
With five seniors departing, Arizona State will be losing four of its top scorers. The Sun Devils have a lot to replace if they want to compete for a spot in next year’s NCAA Tournament.