After a fantastic 24-win season that resulted in an NCAA Tournament bid that started with a 15-0 start, the women’s basketball program has its new squad on campus and is getting ready for the 2026-27 season.
Below are some notes and other things to get you ready, and we now have our Big 12 home/away opponents, which include six home games against 2026 NCAA Tournament teams.
What about the Big 12 schedule?
The Big 12 schedule will be set in September with dates, times and television selections, but until then, we don’t know what opponents the Sun Devils will face at home, on the road or at both spots.
Trio of wins vs. Arizona
ASU will face Arizona at home and on the road, but neither site mattered last year, and you can throw in a neutral site as well. Sparky won all three in 2025-26. ASU also faces Utah and Colorado twice. The Sun Devils swept Utah and beat Colorado at home in the only meeting.
Home games are awesome
In addition to Arizona, Utah and Colorado, ASU will host Iowa State, Texas Tech, Big 12 champion TCU, Baylor, Cincinnati and Big 12 Tournament champion West Virginia at home. ASU's nine home games include six teams that made the 2026 NCAA Tournament: Colorado, Iowa State, Texas Tech, TCU, Baylor and West Virginia.
On the road
In addition to Arizona (which it beat on the road in 2026), Utah and Colorado, ASU will travel to BYU, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Houston and UCF. ASU went 7-2 against this group in Tempe last year.
Got career-best in buckets … and she is back!
McKinna Brackens entered last year averaging 6.8 points and 4.5 rebounds in 58 career games. She jumped to 14.4 ppg./6.4 rpg last year as ASU went from 10 wins to 24 wins. That included career-highs in:
- points (31 at Utah on Dec. 31),
- rebounds (15 vs. McNeese State on Dec. 5),
- assists (6 vs. Utah on Dec. 31), and
- steals (5 vs. Kansas State on Feb. 1 and at Penn State on Dec. 9).
She is back as well!
Heloisa Carrera was one of the most improved players in the nation last year. After averaging 4.9 minutes, 1.7 points, making 10 shots and two free throws last year at Ole Miss in 22 games, the sophomore from Brazil averaged 26.6 minutes and shot 153-of-386 (.538) from the field and 57-of-73 (.781) from the free throw line while averaging 10.4 ppg.
Wasted no time
The Sun Devils started 15-0 in 2025-26 after going 10-22 in 2024-25. How impressive was that? Since 1999-2000, only Nebraska has bounced back from a losing record to post more season-opening wins, as Nebraska won its first 30 in 2009-10 after going 15-16 in 2008-09.
Amaya is back
Sophomore Amaya Williams was one of six Sun Devils who played in all 35 games, and she had 11 assists in the win at San Diego (Nov. 13), the most since graduate assistant Reili Richardson had 11 at Colorado State on Dec. 9, 2018. Williams also had a season-high in three-pointers (two) and steals (four) in the win at San Diego. She scored in double figures four times, including a season-high 18 points (8-of-10 FGs) vs. Little Rock (Nov. 28). She had a strong outing that included 12 points and tying a season-high four steals in ASU’s win at Penn State.
Largest win improvement
(2024-25 to 2025-26)
The Sun Devils went from 10 wins in 2024-25 to 24 wins in 2025-26. Only McNeese State (+19/10 to 29), LIU (+15/6 to 21), and South Dakota (+15/11 to 26) did better, as ASU topped all P4 schools, with conference mate BYU one of four teams at +13 (from 13 to 26 for BYU).
Big 12 top win improvement
(1999-2000 to 2025-26)
ASU is behind only 2009-10 Nebraska in terms of Big 12 improvement since the turn of the century. Nebraska won 15 games in 2008-09, then turned around and won 32 (+17) in 2009-10, the largest improvement by any Big 12 team. ASU’s +14 matches the Big 12’s best turnaround in the past 16 years, as Kansas went from seven wins (2020-21) to 21 wins (2021-22).
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