Women’s Basketball earns NCAA Tournament berth, will play Virginia in NCAA First Four

Devils are dancing again

For the first time since 2019, the Sun Devil women's basketball team (24-10, 9-9 Big 12) is back in the NCAA Tournament. As part of the NCAA’s First Four, the Sun Devils will play Virginia (19-11, 11-7 ACC) on Thursday (8 p.m. CDT/6 p.m. MST) at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. The game will be televised by ESPN2.

The winner will claim the No. 10 seed in the Sacramento 4 regional and will face No. 7 seed Georgia (22-9, 8-8 SEC) in Saturday’s first round contest at the same venue. Game time is set for 12:30 p.m. CDT/10:30 a.m. MST. The game will be televised by ESPN2.

This will be the second all-time meeting between ASU and Virginia with the only prior meeting taking place in the 2004-05 season opener, a game won by ASU 60-50 on Nov. 11, 2004 at the Women's Sports Foundation Classic played in Baton Rouge, La.

Ticket information

A limited number of tickets will go on sale tomorrow (Monday, March 16) at 9 a.m. CT/7 a.m. MST at hawkeyesports.com/tickets for games in Iowa City on Thursday, March 19; Saturday, March 21; and Monday, March 23.

ASU NCAA Tournament notes

• The Arizona State women’s basketball program is making its 18th NCAA Tournament appearance (first since 2019 and the first under the direction of first-year head coach Molly Miller).
• ASU’s overall NCAA record is 21-17. It has advanced past the first two rounds five times since the NCAA Tournament format switched to 64 teams in 1993 (‘05, ‘07, ‘09, ‘15, ‘19).
• It has advanced as far as the Elite Eight on two occasions (2007 and 2009).
• ASU has won at least one game in 12 of its last 13 NCAA appearances (2002, ‘05, ‘06, ‘07, ‘08, ‘09, ‘14, ‘15, ‘16, ‘17, 18, ‘19). The only time they did not advance past the first round during that stretch was 2011 when the Sun Devils (as a No. 7 seed) lost to Temple (No. 10 seed) in Salt Lake City.
• ASU’s run of six consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances (2014-19) eclipsed the school record of five (2005-09).
• As the No. 3 seed in the Greensboro regional in 2007, ASU advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time in school history on its way to posting a school record 31 wins. ASU denied the upset bids of No. 14 UC Riverside and No. 6 Louisville, overcoming double-digit deficits in the final 10 minutes of both games before defeating Bowling Green (67-49) in the Sweet 16. ASU’s season ended with a 64-45 loss to Rutgers in the regional final.
• In 2009, ASU (a No. 6 seed in the Trenton regional) earned its second Elite Eight berth in three years. The Sun Devils defeated No. 11 Georgia and No. 3 Florida State in Duluth, Ga., before knocking off the No. 2 seed Texas A&M in the regional semifinal in Trenton, N.J. ASU was defeated by eventual national champion UConn in the Trenton Regional final.
• ASU’s No. 2 seed in 2016 represented its highest in program history. Prior to 2016 the highest seed it ever received was No. 3 (2007, 2015). In 2016, the Sun Devils defeated No. 15 New Mexico State at home before being upset by No. 7 Tennessee in the second round.
• In both 1982 and ‘83, ASU lost to the eventual national champion (Louisiana Tech in 1982 and USC in 1983).
• The highest seed ASU has ever defeated in NCAA Tournament play is #2 Texas A&M in 2009.
• Prior to 2026, the last time ASU qualified for the NCAA Tournament was as a No. 5 seed in the Portland regional in 2019. The Sun Devils traveled to Coral Gables, Fla., and came out of the subregional with wins over No. 12 seed UCF (60-45 in the first round) and No. 4 seed and host school Miami (57-55 in the second round). ASU’s run was ended by No. 1 seed Mississippi State 76-63 in the regional semifinal.
• Molly Miller is the fourth coach to lead Sun Devil Women’s Basketball to the NCAA Tournament. Juliene Simpson was the head coach when ASU made its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 1982. Simpson led ASU back NCAAs in 1983. Maura McHugh coached the Sun Devils to their only NCAA berth during the 90s (1992). ASU’s return to the NCAA Tournament in 2001 was the first of 14 appearances under Sun Devil Hall of Fame head coach Charli Turner Thorne. Included among those appearances was a run of five straight seasons between 2005-09 and a school record six consecutive seasons between 2014-19.

The Sun Devils are dancing again because...

ASU’s WAB (42) was sixth-best among bubble teams via ESPN…  ASU finished 12-9 vs. top-100 teams, best among bubble teams... ASU was 7-8 in Q1/2 combined wins... ASU had five top-100 road wins (Utah, Gonzaga, Santa Clara, Oregon State, Penn State) as well as neutral site Quad 1 win over Iowa State… One of ASU’s Quad 3 wins was against McNeese State (finished 28-5)… A Quad 4 win is UNLV (21-11)… ASU did not have a chance for a Quad 1 win at home, as TCU, WVU, Baylor, Texas Tech and Iowa State all were on the road… ASU played five OOC road games, four of them against top-100 NET teams.

Here’s a summary of the many accomplishments of the 2025-26 team up to this point under first-year head coach Molly Miller, whose 24 wins this season established a new program record for a first-year head coach and are the most for ASU since the 2015-16 team claimed 26 victories.

For the first time since... the Sun Devils...

The 2017-18 season... won at least two games in a conference tournament... Swept regular season series vs. Arizona... defeated Arizona in Tucson.

The 2018-19 season: Are back in the NCAA Tournament... Advanced to the quarterfinals of a conference tournament... Swept regular season series vs. Utah... Did not have a losing record in road games and won its most road games (seven).

The 2019-20 season: Won more than 20 games... Won its most conference games (nine / won 10 in 2019-20).

Most improved teams in the nation

As of Mar. 13, ASU (+14) trailed only LIU (+15) and McNeese (+18) for the largest improvement in wins in the nation from last season. ASU’s current victory total of 24 more than doubles the 10 wins it had in 2024-25.

The 15s

• Best start in program history (15-0)
• 15-1 in non-conference games
• Tied school record for consecutive wins (15)
• Went 15-2 at home (tied program’s second-most wins at home)

Head coach Molly Miller

• Entered the 2025-26 campaign third in winning percentage among active coaches who have served at least five years as a Division I head coach. At the outset of the 2025-26 campaign, Miller (84.4 pct/297-55 career record) trailed only legendary coaches Geno Auriemma (88.3 percent) and Kim Mulkey (85.9 percent.
• In her first season at ASU: Most wins since the 2015-16 season (24), the best start in school history (15-0), tied the school record for consecutive wins (15), tied the program’s second-most wins at home (15)
• Has won 20 or more games 11 times in her 12 seasons as a head coach (including 23 this season with ASU, the most in program history by a first-year head coach).
• Including her 32-3 record at Grand Canyon last season and 24-10 record this season at ASU, Miller is 56-13 over the last two seasons.
• Has won her last 38 of her last 40 home games going back to the 2023-24 season at GCU.
• Won her 300th game as an NCAA head coach on Nov. 13, 2025.

Big 12 recognition

On March 3rd, the Big 12 Conference announced Sun Devil Women’s Basketball’s Gabby Elliott and McKinna Brackens were both named All-Big 12 Third Team as the league announced its 2025-26 Phillips 66 All-Big 12 Women’s Basketball Awards.

Elliott and Brackens both played integral roles in helping the Sun Devils win 20 or more games (currently 24-10) for the first time since the 2019-20 season. The duo worked seamlessly with their talented teammates to achieve the many accomplishments they have achieved as they prepare for postseason play. 

How good was that 15-0 start?

ASU started 15-0 this year after going 10-22 last year. How impressive was that? Since 1999-00 only Nebraska has bounced back from a losing record to post more season opening wins, winning its first 30 in 2009-10 after going 15-16 in 2008-09.

On Dec. 6, Miller’s first ASU squad surpassed the 1991-92 team (9-0) for the best start in school history. With its win at Utah (Dec. 31), ASU tied the 2008-09 and 2015-16 teams for the longest winning streak (15) in school history.

Out-of-conference notes (All NCAA Net/ team records as of March 13)

• Arizona State’s perfect 5-0 road record in out-of-conference play was matched only by Kentucky and Austin Peay. The only other schools in the SEC, Big Ten, ACC, Big 12 and Big East to play at least five true road out-of-conference games were Clemson (3-2), Tennessee (3-2), Georgia Tech (0-5) and Seton Hall (3-3).
• ASU’s out-of-conference road wins include top-100 NET teams Gonzaga (62), Santa Clara (80), Oregon State (81) and Penn State (93). It also won at Utah (59).
• ASU went 15-1 outside of Big 12 conference games in 2025-26. UNLV is 21-11 (NET-96) and finished tied for second (15-5) in the Mountain West Conference… McNeese is 28-5 (NET-88) and won the regular season Southland conference championship (lost in Southland Tournament final). ASU won at WCC schools Gonzaga (24-9, 14-4, won WCC Tournament), at Oregon State (23-11, 13-5), at Santa Clara (24-9, 12-5) and topped San Francisco (8-14, 9-9) at home... The Zags, Beavers and Broncos finished a combined 36-7 in home games outside of the combined three losses to ASU.
• In neutral site contests, ASU captured a win over Iowa State (NCAA NET - 33) in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament.

It’s no coincidence...

When she assumed the reins at ASU, Miller emphasized defense as one of the pillars of success of her past teams and it would be no different at ASU. Miller’s last two GCU teams were among the best in the nation in scoring defense: 19th in 23-24 (56.4 ppg), 31st in 24-25 (57.2 ppg). It should come as no surprise those teams won 83.6 percent of their games (56-11).

While not yet ranked as high as her last two GCU teams, ASU would not have won 24 games without several remarkable defensive performances this season.

• As of March 13, ASU was among the Big 12’s leaders in turnovers forced per game (3rd/19.4), scoring defense (5th/60.6 ppg), 3-point FG percentage defense (5th/29.5 percent) and field goal percentage defense (5th/38.3).
• ASU’s opponent 3FG shooting over its last 11 games of the season was a paltry 25.2 percent/62-246: vs. Oklahoma St. (29th in NCAA), at Baylor, vs. Utah, at Arizona, at Iowa State (13th in NCAA), vs. Houston, vs. BYU, at Texas Tech (52nd in NCAA), vs Arizona, vs Iowa State (13th in NCAA), vs. West Virginia (38th in NCAA).
• In its 67-44 win vs. San Francisco (Dec. 6), ASU held the Dons more than 30 points below their scoring average... ASU’s 56-53 win over UNLV (Nov. 22) represented the first time the Lady Rebels were held to 53 or fewer points in 148 games... In its 53-43 loss at West Virginia (Jan. 21), ASU held West Virginia to its second-lowest point total of the season (53), 25.6 points below its scoring average, and 11.1 points below its usual 34.2 percent efficiency from beyond the arc.
• On Dec. 14, Oregon State (15 points) became the first ASU opponent in six games to reach a double-digit point total in the second quarter. ASU’s previous five opponents scored a combined 28 points in the second quarter (5.6 ppg): Little Rock - 5, SEMO - 5, McNeese - 7 San Francisco - 7, Penn State - 4.
• ASU has forced 20 or more turnovers 16 times, including a trio of 30+ TO games: 33 vs. Coppin St. (Nov. 3), 31 vs. San Francisco (Dec. 6) and a season-high 36 at Penn St. (Dec. 9).
• As of Mar. 13, Gabby Elliott has the two highest single-game steal totals in the Big 12: 8 vs. San Francisco, 7 vs. Coppin St.
• In its win over Colorado (Dec. 21), ASU’s defense stepped up when it mattered most. After CU made its first three shots of the fourth quarter to pull within two points, 58-56, ASU forced CU into missing seven of its last nine shots and outscored CU 21-7 over the last 7:57 of the game.
• In their eventual 68-61 win over Arizona on Jan. 28, the Sun Devils did not allow Arizona to go ahead or tie the score after taking a 54-53 lead with seven minutes remaining. In fact, ASU scored the game’s last six points while holding Arizona scoreless over the last 2:13 of the game.
• ASU had a similar defensive stand in its 74-69 win over Oklahoma State on Feb. 4. After leading by as many as 10 points in the third quarter, the Cowgirls came back to get within a point, 57-56 with 6:40 remaining. Just like against Arizona, the Sun Devils guarded their advantage the rest of the way as the Cowgirls could not tie the game or take the lead.
• Against Utah, the Sun Devils led for 38:31 of the game’s 40 minutes. The Utes were up 7-6 and 9-8 in the first quarter. Utah trailed 15-11 at the end of 10 minutes, got within two points in the second quarter, went to the half trailing ASU 33-30, tied the game at 39-39 and were within one point, 42-41, in the third quarter. After ASU took a 54-43 lead, the Utes pulled within 74-67 win at ASU (Feb. 1) the Wildcats made 60 percent (12-20) of their attempts from long range.
• In its 54-51 win over Arizona in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament (Mar. 4), ASU held the Wildcats to four points over the last four-plus minutes.
• In its 77-68 win over Iowa State (Mar. 5) in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament, ASU held the Cyclones 14.2 points below their scoring average, 12.2 percentage points below their field goal percentage and cut their usual 3-point field goal percentage nearly in half (19.4 percent).
• FUN FACT: Going back to her first season at Grand Canyon (2020-21), Molly Miller’s teams are 73-1 when holding the opposition to 55 or fewer points.

Team notes

• Also posted a plus-one sweep over Arizona (including conference tournament win) for the third time in program history (2012, 2018, 2026).
• Fifteen days removed from giving up its most points in a 90-64 loss at Iowa State, ASU was able to flip the script in its 77-68 upset of the No. 7 seed Cyclones, giving ASU two wins in conference tournament since 2018. 
• ASU has the top two rebounding games by a Big 12 team this season: vs. Utah Tech (62) and vs. Santa Clara (59). Its rebounding effort vs. Utah Tech represented the third time in the last 25 years it had at least 60 rebounds in a game. 
• ASU has scored 20 or more points in a quarter 32 times. The 27 points ASU scored in the third quarter vs. Iowa State (Mar. 5) matched its second-highest total of the season, while its 44 points scored in the second half were the second most scored in a second half this season and matched its fourth most points in a half this season (first or second).
• In its win at San Diego (Nov. 13), ASU tied the single-game program record for 3-pointers (14).
• As of Mar. 13, ASU’s 63.6 percentage (14-22) from beyond the arc in that game is the second-highest 3-point shooting percentage by a Big 12 team this season.
• ASU’s 59.1 shooting percentage (26-44) in its 79-63 win over Colorado (Dec. 21) tied the second-highest shooting percentage in a Big 12 conference game this season.

Sun Devil Athletics counts down to NCAA Women’s Final Four

This past August, ASU head coach Molly Miller joined several key community members at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport to unveil the official Countdown Clock to the NCAA 2026 NCAA Women’s Final Four taking place at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix. The national semifinals are scheduled for Friday, April 3 and the national championship game on Sunday, April 5.

Unveiled alongside Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallaego, 2026 Women’s Final Four Committee Jay Parry, and NCAA Vice President for Women’s Basketball Lynn Holzman, the clock is located at the busiest terminal in the airport, Terminal 4, on the west end of the baggage claim. The placement means it will see significant foot traffic to build maximum excitement.

Arizona State University had a significant presence at the event. ASU Athletic Director Graham Rossini, Sparky, and Senior Associate Athletics Director Christina Wombacher were on hand to help underscore the University’s role as a proud stakeholder in bringing the Women’s Final Four to the Valley for the first time.

For more information, visit the NCAA or the website of the Phoenix Local Organizing Committee.