Arizona State women’s basketball is starting to draw real attention, and not just inside Tempe.
ESPN slotted the Sun Devils into its preseason top 25 on Tuesday, a sign that Molly Miller’s first-year bounce has carried some weight nationally. Charlie Creme summed up the optimism this way: "The Sun Devils made the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2019 and might be ready to contend for a Big 12 title."
That vote of confidence came after ASU’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2019, and ESPN also pointed to the transfer group as a major reason for the buzz. Ruby Whitehorn, Rashunda Jones and Madison Morson were all highlighted as part of the rebuild.
Arizona State was one of four Big 12 teams in the poll, joining No. 19 TCU, No.
21 Oklahoma State and No. 25 West Virginia.
The national spotlight doesn’t stop there. ASU’s television schedule has been released too, and it brings some major broadcasts to Tempe. CBS Sports Network and ESPNU are set to visit, while the Sun Devils will also appear on Fox Sports 1.
The biggest game on the current slate is Feb. 7 at Oklahoma State, where two preseason ranked Big 12 teams will meet on ESPN.
The league’s women’s basketball television package is also getting a major bump. The Big 12 announced 29 league-controlled games for the 2026-27 season, the most in the conference’s TV agreement in eight years and a 45% increase.
For Miller, the expectations are built on a pattern that’s followed her from stop to stop. At Grand Canyon, she followed an 18-7 debut season with a 22-10 mark in year two, then earned a WNIT bid after no postseason trip in year one. Before that at Drury, she jumped from 26-4 in her first season to a Division II Sweet Sixteen run in year two.
That’s why the current Sun Devils are getting viewed through a bigger lens. Miller has usually turned a solid first step into something better.
The one area that stands out most is conference play. Before arriving at ASU, Miller posted dominant league records at both of her previous stops, going 105-5 at Drury and 66-18 at Grand Canyon.
In Tempe, though, her first Big 12 season ended at 9-9.
That’s the number Arizona State has to push past if it wants to match the preseason hype. ESPN sees a team with Big 12 title potential, but the next leap will have to come when league games start to stack up.
The Sun Devils open the season against Jackson State on Nov. 2.
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Arizona State Faces A Huge Test After Kenny Dillingham's Bold Confidence
Arizona State heads into one of its biggest early-season measuring sticks on the road at No. 10 Texas Tech, where the Red Raiders are undefeated and have not lost at home in 11 straight games. The Sun Devils are coming off a win over Hawaii, but the trip to Lubbock arrives with a tougher backdrop after earlier losses to Baylor and Texas A&M, making this matchup a sharper read on where the program stands right now.
Kenny Dillingham has sounded confident about his teams chances, even with the challenge of facing a ranked opponent in a difficult environment. Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire also has plenty of reason to pay attention, still thinking back to last years loss to Arizona State, which only adds another layer to a game that already feels important for both sides. [Read more 🡒]
Kenny Dillingham May Need Freshmen Faster Than Arizona State Expected
Kenny Dillingham has never seemed interested in waiting around for a depth chart to sort itself out, and Arizona States win over Hawaii offered another reminder of that approach. The Sun Devils coach has said he wants the best players on the field, and that philosophy put freshmen Cordae Mack and Julian Hugo in prominent spots when the opportunity came along. Mack delivered his first two career touchdowns and added meaningful rushing yards, while Hugo logged his first career sacks in a game that gave the staff a fresh look at what this class can bring.
For Arizona State, the bigger question is whether those early flashes are a one-game boost or a sign that this freshman group may have to shoulder more responsibility sooner than expected. Dillingham has a history of trusting young players in important roles, and that willingness can reshape a season when injuries, inconsistency or simple performance gaps open the door. If this class keeps making the kind of impact it did against Hawaii, the Sun Devils may not have the luxury of easing them in much longer. [Read more 🡒]
Arizona State Faces A Much Tougher Texas Tech Test This Time
Arizona State and Texas Tech look like very different teams now than they did when they met in October. The Red Raiders surged through the finish of the 2025 season and earned their first College Football Playoff trip, while the Sun Devils spent the offseason dealing with major roster turnover after losing key contributors to the NFL and the transfer market.
The quarterback situations alone make this rematch feel more complicated than the first one. Both programs have had to navigate transfer additions and injury concerns, and those changes have altered the personnel and the rhythm on both sidelines, setting up a much tougher test for Arizona State the next time these teams line up. [Read more 🡒]