Sun Devils seeking their 1st win vs. one of Pac-12 top 4

There is a major hole in the Arizona State women's basketball resume.

The Sun Devils (18-10, 9-8 Pac-12) are winless in six games against the top four teams in the Pac-12 – No. 8 Stanford (two losses), No. 10 Oregon State (one), No. 11 Washington (two) and No. 15 UCLA (one). All but the first of those games, against Stanford on Dec. 30, were without senior forward Kelsey Moos, who missed six weeks with a plantar fascia injury.

ASU is 2-1 since Moos returned, including a 69-62 win over USC on Friday that likely eliminated doubt, if there was any, that the Sun Devils will return to the NCAA Tournament for a fourth consecutive year next month.

The seniors who have been the foundation of that run – Moos, Sophie Brunner and Quinn Dornstauder – will be honored after Sunday's home finale against UCLA (21-7, 12-5). Barring a championship run in the Pac-12 Tournament, the Sun Devils will not finish high enough to host in the NCAA first and second rounds as they did the previous two seasons, so winning is even more of a priority for not only the seniors but younger teammates on their behalf.

UCLA and ASU are locked into fourth and fifth place in the Pac-12 and could meet a third time in the Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinals, March 3 in Seattle. That scenario will play out if the Sun Devils beat the No. 12 seed, which will be Arizona if the Wildcats lose to USC on Sunday, on March 2. So the regular-season finale might be a prelude to what could be ahead next week.

Brunner, Moos and Dornstauder are 96-33 in their career, one of the best four-year runs in school history. ASU went 104-32 with two NCAA Elite Eight appearances from 2006-09.

The Sun Devils' losses to the top four Pac-12 teams have been by between seven and 13 points, including nine (6960) at UCLA on Jan. 27. ASU's underclassmen guards are playing better since then and Moos brings rebounding, defense and toughness that was missing during her absence. Against USC, freshmen guards Reili Richardson and Kiara Russell combined for 15 points and eight assists, showing off some flashy passing that helped the Sun Devils rack up 38 points in the paint and an 8-2 edge in fast-break points.

ASU coach Charli Turner Thorne said the last two games, wins over Arizona and USC, are a "gauge in terms of us getting more connected, playing harder. Having Kelsey back is one more player in the rotation that we've been lacking in terms of depth and that fatigue factor with young players not knowing how to dig in is huge.”