Arizona State WBB Looks to Rebound From Lopsided Defeat

The Sun Devils sit at 16-2 despite coming off of a major loss on Sunday.

ASU Sun Devils forward Heloisa Carrera (14) fights for a rebound with Coppin State Bald Eagles forward Shanaii Gamble (25) at Desert Financial Arena on Nov. 3, 2025. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

TEMPE -- The Arizona State Sun Devils (16-2, 3-2 Big 12) suffered their second defeat in the last three games in what was a lopsided 77-46 letdown against the now-10th ranked TCU Horned Frogs on Sunday.

Head coach Molly Miller continues to work tireless hours to revitalize the lady Sun Devil program after they won just 53 games over the first five seasons of the decade - this has been displayed during one of the best starts in the history of the program.

Arizona State on SI explores what went wrong in the loss, how they are being viewed around the nation, and what is coming up on the schedule below.

Arizona State Head Coach Molly Miller yells to her players during a game against the Eastern Washington Eagles at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe, on Nov. 8, 2025. | Diannie Chavez/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

What Went Wrong in Loss?

The most obvious aspect of what went wrong is quite upfront - the offense simply struggled to generate quality looks against the Horned Frogs' extremely stringent pressure defense.

TCU forced 17 turnovers, blocked five shots, and largely prevented the Arizona State offense from getting into a rhythm, save for Gabby Elliott, who scored 19 points.

The Sun Devil defense held up relatively well all things considered, but they shot 29% from the field, 25% from three-point range, and 9-16 on free throws.

How are Sun Devils Being Viewed?

Arizona State moved down a seed line as of Friday morning according to ESPN bracket expert Charlie Creme - they were previously a nine seed.

This places the Sun Devils in the "last four byes" - one of the final teams that won't have to take part in the play-in to get into the 64-team bracket. This placement currently pits them against a former Pac-12 foe in the Oregon Ducks.

Arizona State also comes in at number 45 in the NCAA NET rankings as of Monday morning, which should place them firmly into the field at the moment. This is apparently shaping up for the Sun Devils to be considered a "safe" bet to reach the tournament with 20+ victories.

What Lies Ahead for ASU?

The Sun Devils are looking to rebound from the loss to TCU with a home battle against the 11-6 Kansas Jayhawks on Saturday afternoon. They then hit the road for a two-game slate against West Virginia (January 21) and Cincinnati (January 24), before returning home once again to take on rival Arizona on January 28.

The team has three more opportunities to pick up ranked wins at the moment - Baylor, Iowa State, and Texas Tech - all of which are on the road.

ASU Sun Devils guard Marley Washenitz (11) celebrates her made 3-point shot against the Coppin State Bald Eagles at Desert Financial Arena on Nov. 3, 2025. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Read more on why the Arizona State men's basketball team will exceed expectations in the 2025-26 season here, and on why the bright future of the football program isn’t dimmed by the loss to Arizona here.

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