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Five must-watch games in the Pac-12

By Kim Doss

PORTLAND, OR - MARCH 31: Oregon Ducks guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) cuts the net after the NCAA Division I Women's Championship Elite Eight round basketball game between the Oregon Ducks and Mississippi State Bulldogs on March 31, 2019 at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Joseph Weiser/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OR - MARCH 31: Oregon Ducks guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) cuts the net after the NCAA Division I Women's Championship Elite Eight round basketball game between the Oregon Ducks and Mississippi State Bulldogs on March 31, 2019 at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Joseph Weiser/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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PALO ALTO, CA – FEBRUARY 22: Arizona guard Aari McDonald (2) goes up for a layup chased down by Stanford guard Dijonai Carrington (21) during the women’s basketball game between the Arizona Wildcats and the Stanford Cardinal at Maples Pavilion on February 22, 2019 in Palo Alto, CA. (Photo by Cody Glenn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
PALO ALTO, CA – FEBRUARY 22: Arizona guard Aari McDonald (2) goes up for a layup chased down by Stanford guard Dijonai Carrington (21) during the women’s basketball game between the Arizona Wildcats and the Stanford Cardinal at Maples Pavilion on February 22, 2019 in Palo Alto, CA. (Photo by Cody Glenn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Arizona State at Arizona

Friday, Jan. 24, 2020 at 6 p.m. MT/8 p.m. ET

Airing on Pac-12 Network (scheduled for national and Arizona feeds)

The Pac-12 has a lot of power at the top of the league, but that’s not what makes it such a tough conference. The depth is as important as the Final Four contenders. This match-up should give viewers an idea of that depth.

The Sun Devils have been a top 25 team for years under Charli Turner-Thorne. They will always be a strong defensive team that’s a tough out, even for the best teams in the country. They lost their top two scorers and top rebounder from last year, but they still feature a strong backcourt in Reili Richardson and Robbi Ryan.

The Wildcats are a program on the rise, winning the post-season WNIT last year on the back of the nation’s top returning scorer, Aari McDonald. While Arizona hopes McDonald doesn’t have to score 24.1 points per game this year, it’s not a bad thing to know that she can if necessary. It’s also nice to know that all five starters from last season are back.

The teams split the Duel in the Desert installments last season, each winning at home. Arizona’s win over ASU at the start of conference play was the announcement that the Wildcats were on their way back up. Can they prove that it wasn’t a fluke?

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