The college basketball season will tip off soon, and Molly Miller will enter Year 2 at Arizona State.

The Sun Devils made a big leap in Miller's first season, securing 24 wins and reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019. Now, the program has elevated expectations.

ASU was picked to finish sixth in the Big 12's preseason coaches' poll and received votes in the initial USA TODAY Sports women’s basketball coaches Top 25 poll and in the Associated Press Top 25 Preseason poll. Both rankings had the Sun Devils with the second-highest vote total for teams outside the Top 25.

Here are 10 things to know:

1. ASU brings in No. 4 transfer class

The Sun Devils feature eight newcomers for the upcoming season, including five transfers. The transfer class was ranked in the top five by USA TODAY and added significant guard depth with Tennessee guard Ruby Whitehorn, Michigan State guard Rashunda “Spider” Jones and Central Michigan guard Madi Morson.

Whitehorn was a top player for Tennessee in the 2024-25 season, while Jones has been an All-Big Ten defender. Morson led Central Michigan in scoring (20.1 points) her sophomore season.

2. ASU found shooters

ASU struggled from the 3-point range last season and needed an edge after finishing 12th in the conference with 4.5 3s per game.

The Sun Devils added Morson, sophomore Ella Ryan and true freshman Averie Lower to address the need, as all three are proven long-range shooters. Lower, a North Liberty, Iowa, native, was recruited for her long-range abilities.

3. Home is where nonconference play is

Including the season opener Monday, Nov. 2, against Jackson State, Miller and the Sun Devils scheduled 12 nonconference home games this season, as opposed to eight last year. ASU will travel only twice in nonconference play.

The Sun Devils will welcome Power Four opponents Penn State (Big Ten) on Nov. 15, and Wake Forest (Atlantic Coast Conference) on Nov. 29. Additionally, ASU will travel to former Pac-12 opponent Stanford (ACC) on Dec. 17, to conclude nonconference play.

4. Guard play will dominate

Morson, Whitehorn and Jones are all expected to play a big role in ASU's offense, and Miller anticipates all three of those guards together on one of her rotations.

There also will be plenty of other guards available, such as sophomore Amaya Williams, true freshman Quin'Nya Gray De Sanders, Lower and Ryan.

5. Five players return, including top contributors

ASU returns five players, including forward McKinna Brackens, who was second in scoring with 14.4 points and first in rebounding with 6.4 rebounds. Brackens had a big offseason, playing 3×3 basketball and winning gold with Team USA. The senior came back to ASU in the best shape that Miller has seen her in.

Forward Heloisa Carrera remains in the post after having an impressive season in Tempe. Carrera improved to finish second in rebounding (5.3) and averaged 10.4 points per game. The junior from Brazil logged 26.6 minutes and shot 153-of-386 (.538) from the field.

Sophomore guard Amaya Williams was one of six Sun Devils who played in all 35 games, and posted 11 assists at San Diego (Nov. 13), the most since Reili Richardson in 2018.

6. Madi Morson comes off a big season

Morson earned several accolades in her first two seasons at Central Michigan, including Mid-American Conference Player of the Year in 2026 after averaging 20.1 points, hitting 49 3-pointers and 135 free throws made. Morson also had 16 20-point games last year.

7. Time to crash the glass

ASU won't be the biggest team, but will have its two best rebounders returning and a good addition in Whitehorn. Whitehorn, who had 4.0 rebounds at Tennessee in 2024-25, is the best rebounding guard that Miller has coached in a while.

ASU finished ninth out of 16 teams in the Big 12 with 36.5 rebounds per game.

8. Conference play will be tough

The Sun Devils won't catch a break when going into Big 12 play, facing six NCAA Tournament teams.

ASU’s nine home conference games include six teams that made the tournament: Colorado, Iowa State, Texas Tech, No. 16 TCU, Baylor and No. 24 West Virginia.

ASU will also face last season's postseason bubble teams, Utah and BYU, three times with a home-and-home series against the Utes. The Cougars were the runner-up in the Women's Basketball Invitational Tournament (WBIT).

9. When does Big 12 play start?

ASU's Big 12 opener will be against Utah on Dec. 21 at Desert Financial Arena.

The games against rival Arizona will be on Saturday, Jan. 30, at 2 p.m. MST in Tempe, and Sunday, Feb. 28, at 2 p.m. MST in Tucson.

No. 19 Oklahoma State was selected as the top team in the Big 12 preseason coaches’ poll, and ASU will head to Stillwater on Sunday, Feb. 7. ASU will host three of the top five teams selected in the conference poll, including TCU (Jan. 15), West Virginia (Feb. 3) and Baylor (Feb. 16).

10. Where are they now?

Only five players transferred from the previous team, three of whom saw action in 2025-26.

Starting guard Marley Washenitz transferred to UNLV after she was given an extra year of eligibility, as she was one of the student-athletes granted an injunction in Glancey v. NCAA in the summer.

Washenitz played in all 35 games for ASU and led the Sun Devils in steals (1.9 per game) and was fourth in scoring (7.9 points per game). ASU will play at UNLV on Tuesday, Nov. 10.

Guard Jyah LoVett played 17.2 minutes per game and averaged 4.9 points per game and is now at Toledo. Forward Timya Grice went to Temple after appearing in eight games and averaging 1.1 points.

Guards Acacia Hayes and Jordan Jones missed last season due to injuries; Hayes is now at Utah State, and Jones is at Florida.

Reach the reporter or send tips for stories at jenna.ortiz@arizonarepublic.com, as well as @jennarortiz on X.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Ace transfer class tops 10 things to know about Molly Miller's ASU team

Source: Yahoo Sports