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What a difference a year makes: Looking back at the first season of the Molly Miller era

History corrected: Uncovering the first triple-double in Sun Devil Basketball History
What a difference a year makes: Looking back at the first season of the Molly Miller eraWhat a difference a year makes: Looking back at the first season of the Molly Miller era
Sun Devil Athletics

I'm really focused and proud of the body of work of this group and that started – I mean, I remember it. It's about 365 days almost that I had this vision for this program. Although I'm hurting now, I think I'll look back and say what a team. What an amazing first start. One loss doesn't define them, but this team defined a season that is going to be the trajectory of this program. That's what I'm so proud of and these seniors, they're going to be the reason we hang banners. They chose us, and they changed the narrative, and now we're going to make runs in this tournament moving forward. It's all because these seniors with one year left (Gabby Elliott, Makayla Moore, Last-Tear Poa, Marley Washenitz) decided to take a chance on us. – Molly Miller, March 19, 2026, following Sun Devil Women’s Basketball NCAA First Four contest.

In 2025-26, Sun Devil Women's Basketball qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2018-19 season. Along the way, the Sun Devils set the school record for the best start in school history (15-0), tied the school record for the longest winning streak (15 games) and tied the program’s second-highest total for home wins (15).

Miller has best season by a first-year ASU coach

When ASU announced on March 22. 2025 it hired Molly Miller to be its next head women’s basketball coach, it found a proven winner and extraordinary leader. Miller’s first season at ASU was an unequivocal success by any measure. Among Miller’s first-year successes...

  • Led ASU back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
  • In 2026, Miller was one of only two coaches in their first year as the head coach at the school in this year’s NCAA Tournament.
  • ASU’s plus-14 wins from the 2024-25 season placed it among the top five best turnarounds in the nation.
  • Win 24 games, the most games won by a Sun Devil team since the 2015-16 squad that won 26 games.
  • In the season’s second month, the Sun Devils eclipsed the 9-0 record set by the 1991-92 squad for the best start in program history. ASU went on to surpass that mark by six wins.
  • On Dec. 31, 2025, ASU tied the longest winning streak (15) in program history following its 69-68 win at Utah. On February 11, 2026, another significant milestone was set.

  • Following its 71-61 win over the Utes, Sun Devil Women’s Basketball moved back into the neighborhood of 20-win programs. The last time the Sun Devils occupied such real estate was in 2019-20 when Sun Devil Athletics Hall of Fame head coach Charli Turner Thorne guided ASU to its school record seventh consecutive 20-win season.
  • With ASU’s win at Arizona (Feb. 14), its 21st win of the season, Miller set the program record for most wins by a first-year head coach.

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).

2025-26 Honors

2026 WBCA NCAA DIVISION I COACHES’ HONORABLE MENTION ALL-AMERICAN

Gabby Elliott

ALL-BIG 12 THIRD TEAM

Gabby Elliott  

McKinna Brackens  

 

BIG 12 STARTING FIVE

Gabby Elliott – Dec. 23, 2025

Heloisa Carrera – Jan. 20, 2026

McKinna Brackens – Feb. 17, 2026

USBWA TEAM OF THE WEEK

Arizona State Dec. 16, 2025

Someone get a broom

ASU’s wins over Utah (Feb. 11) and at Arizona (Feb. 14) provided further evidence of how far ASU has come this season under Miller. 

The 71-61 win over Utah gave the Sun Devils their 20th win, the first time since 2019-20 it had won 20 games. It was also the first time since 2018-19 that ASU swept the regular season series over Utah.

The 75-69 overtime win at Arizona was ASU’s first over the Wildcats in Tucson since Feb. 18, 2018, and the first time since the 2017-18 season ASU swept Arizona. The win at Arizona also gave Miller win No. 21 of the season, establishing a program record for the most wins by a first-year coach. ASU went on to post a plus-one sweep over Arizona (including conference tournament win) for the third time in program history (2012, 2018, 2026).