Spring Break
Showdown with Cinderella
Huskies face No. 6 ASU Sun Devils in Elite Eight
Mike Northup
Issue date: 3/31/09 Section: Sports
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While the Huskies have had a relatively smooth tournament run so far - their closest game was a 24-point victory over California in the Sweet 16 on Sunday - UConn forward Maya Moore said that every team the Huskies face from here on out will be filled with talent and pose a challenge.
"They're solid and they wouldn't be where they are as a six seed having to face the harder teams in our region if they weren't," Moore said. "We're just trying not to make the mistake of underestimating or taking for granted our opponent because they're obviously there for a reason and they've got some good leadership."
This year's path to the Elite Eight has been an uphill battle for Arizona State, a team just two years removed from its last Elite Eight appearance. As the Trenton Regional's No. 6 seed this year, the Sun Devils have had to defeat No. 11 seed Georgia, No. 3 seed Florida State and No. 2 seed Texas A&M to get to where they are.
Making their run more impressive is the fact that the Sun Devils have gotten to this point in the tournament without the help of this year's leading scorer, Dymond Simon (13.8 points per game), who was lost for the season when she retore her ACL March 7 against Stanford.
"If they had any luck this year and didn't lose their starting point guard [Dymond Simon], we wouldn't be playing them right now," Auriemma said. "They'd be higher-seeded and maybe we'd be playing them, they'd be the No. 2 seed, I don't know. I'm not at all surprised with what she's done out there."
In Simon's place, senior point guard Briann January has stepped up her role as a team leader, averaging 14.3 points and 6.7 assists in the three NCAA Tournament games. January scored a team-high 22 points and dished out five assists in the Sun Devils' runaway 84-69 win over Texas A&M on Sunday.
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