The 3 Players Who Will Decide Arizona State’s March Madness Tournament Run
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TEMPE -- The Arizona State women's basketball program is officially set to participate in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2019 after being selected on Sunday night. The 24-10 record and single-year overhaul has much to do with head coach Molly Miller, but the roster ultimately did enough along the way to garner a selection.
Arizona State guard Gabby Elliott and forward McKinna Brackens have been the two go-to scorers on the team throughout the course of the season - with the offense typically being in dire need of timely buckets to squeeze out victories in Big 12 play.
The team will need contributions from the typical rotation as a whole beyond the two stars, but these three players have the ability to dictate what happens in the days to come for ASU.
Marley Washenitz
Washenitz has played in and started every game this season (34) in the midst of what is going to be the final games of her collegiate career.
The senior guard shot 6-9 from three-point range over the final two games of the Sun Devils' run in the Big 12 tournament - proving to be a major catalyst to an offense that had an exceptional showing against Iowa State.
Beyond the ceiling raising that Washenitz has the ability to provide on offense is the relentless on-ball defensive pressure that has served as a springboard for the borderline elite play that the Sun Devils have displayed for a majority of the season.
Washenitz paces the team with 2.0 steals per game and will continue to be one of the major x-factors in determining how far the team goes in March.
Last-Tear Poa
The 5'11" guard out of Australia is the proverbial "glue" that holds the team together.
Poa doesn't shoot the ball at a high volume and doesn't accrue defensive stats to a high degree, but she does impact the game in a myriad of ways - typically serving as the table-setter for the offense, while also shooting the ball from three-point range at a greater efficiency compared to earlier in the season.
Heloisa Carrera
Carrera's four 20-point showings this season, as well as 16 and 17 point performances in the Big 12 tournament are a testament to how forceful the sophomore can be down low.
The 6'2" transfer from Ole Miss has displayed marked growth as a play finisher, screen-setter, defensive help, and in several other areas this season - becoming a true compliment to Brackens on the block during the course of the year. There's no doubt that the Brazil native will have an opportunity to catapult the Sun Devils over the top in the physicality department during the tournament, as well as in gifting the team an advantage in paint scoring.
Kevin Hicks is an Arizona State alumni and now serves as the Arizona State Beat Writer On SI.