Arizona women's basketball hosts ASU: Scouting report, tenacious defense, injuries trending up

ASU (10-11, 2-7) at Arizona (11-10, 3-6) | McKale Center | Noon Sunday| TV: Pac-12 Arizona | Radio: 1290-AM

She said it

Arizona coach Adia Barnes on ASU: “I think that they're good, and they're playing a lot better and it's going to be a hard game. But I think we're playing better than we were.

They're not a team we can take lightly. They've had some good wins. They're confident and they need these wins, too. We're both in very similar situations. We are hungry for wins and we both know we hit the road to L.A. next week, so we both want this one. I think they're better than the record. I said that the first time we played them. Because they have so many new players, you didn't really know what to expect because a lot of those players (we) weren't familiar with. I think it's going to be a hard game.”

On the sidelines

The 3: In honor of the last go-round of the Pac-12, here are three questions with a league coach. This week: ASU’s Natasha Adair.

Q: Did you know that Jalyn (Brown) would be as dominant as she is when you recruited her last spring out of the portal? (She averages 17.5 points on 42.6% shooting)

A: “Jalyn — 'Ice,' as we call her — is an exceptional talent, highly talented recruit coming out of high school. (She) played on a national stage on a high school championship team (Baltimore’s St. Frances Academy), so Jalyn knows how to win. Her skill set is unmatched. She's a three-level scorer. She's a hard guard, hard matchup, super explosive with the ball in her hands …

“Did I know she was going to make this big of an impact this soon? I didn't know but I knew that she was going to make an impact in our program. I'm grateful that it happened as quick as it did. And that everyone in the country, if they didn't know about Jalyn 'Ice' Brown, they do now.”

Q: What are you seeing in Arizona this season?

A: “I've known Adia and I have the utmost respect for her and what she's done with this program — when she took it over to where it is now, a national brand. What I see is just a group that's going to compete. They have versatility, they have athleticism, they have speed. Their defense is tenacious. They're looking to turn you over. (They are) top in the country in forcing turnovers. Every time you face her team, you know that they're going to be ready to work and ready to compete and it's going to be 40 minutes of disruptive, intense pressure.”

Q: What is it like for you knowing that this is the last go round for Pac-12 women’s basketball?

A: “It's obviously sad. For me, just coming into the Pac-12 and when I got the opportunity to be the head coach here at ASU, part of the draw, I can't lie, is being a member of the Pac-12. It is the best conference in the country.

Every night coaching in the Pac, you're coaching a nationally ranked team, you're coaching against a team that could potentially win the national championship.

“Our motto this year is to make it the best year ever in the Pac. You can see the impact of that. You can see the parity in the league from top to bottom. It's going to shape up for phenomenal Pac-12 Championship because right now it is. All teams are firing on all cylinders.”

Injuries trending up: If this year’s season-ending injuries to Arizona players like freshman Montaya Dew and Erin Tack (ACLs) and Sali Kourouma (shoulder) seem like a lot, you’re not alone in your thinking.

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Barnes has not seen anything like this over the last eight years at Arizona or as an assistant at Washington.

ASU’s Tyi Skinner lost her entire season to a knee injury. This week’s list of Sun Devil season-ending casualties includes Maggie Besselink and Morasha Wiggins, as both have knee injuries.

It’s not just something in the water in Arizona. This is happening across the country. UConn, Notre Dame, WSU, Utah, TCU many more programs are facing this situation.

According to WBBBlog.com, a site that tracks transfers, recruits and now injuries, more than 80 players from major conferences are out — 50 with knee injuries. And the number is probably higher, as some schools don't disclose that type of information.

Barnes said, “I've never seen teams have multiple injuries like that, like a lot of teams have 1, 2, 3, 4 players (injured).”

Barnes doesn’t know if this is happening because they are “playing more,” part of only playing basketball year-round or if it’s something else.

Recently, UConn coach Geno Auriemma said that he thought this might be a result of COVID-19 — being sequestered and not having access to the training tools or the right type of training.

Steals Watch: UA is ranked seventh in the nation, averaging 12 steals per game, according to Her Hoop Stats. Helena Pueyo is eighth among all active DI players in career steals with 263. She needs two more to pass Sam Thomas for third place in UA history and four to claim second place (Davellyn Whyte, 266). Dee Dee Wheeler still holds the record with 304.

By the numbers

6.8: The point differential between Arizona’s average points per game (71.0) and Arizona State’s (64.2).

13.8: Over the last five games (Oregon, Washington, Washington State, Cal, and Stanford), Jada Williams is averaging 13.8 points per game. She has also gone 17 of 20 from the free-throw line (85%).

103: Courtney Blakely surpassed 100 career steals after collecting four against Stanford last Sunday. She now has 103.

Photos: No. 6 Stanford hands Arizona a loss at home in women's basketball, 96-64

Photos: Arizona Wildcats homestand opens with win over Cal, Pac-12 women's basketball