Arizona State made an incredible effort this year to reach the NCAA Tournament. Molly Miller took the Sun Devils women’s basketball team to their first Big Dance appearance since 2019. Sadly, she might not be able to coach the school, at least for the first round of the tournament.
As the Sun Devils traveled to Iowa for their First Four game against Virginia, Miller had to stay behind with an undisclosed illness. There’s no confirmation that she’s not coaching the game, as school officials told the media that they’re hopeful that she might be able to join the team on time. However, it’s looking unlikely.
In her absence, associate head coach Stephanie Norman, who coached the Louisville Cardinals for 18 years, will be in charge of preparations in the meantime.
Arizona State’s Entire Focus Is On The Women’s Participation In March Madness
Another important issue on the plate for the Arizona State athletic department is the hiring of a new head coach for its men’s program. That comes after they decided to part ways with long-time coach Bobby Hurley following the Big 12 Tournament.
However, recent reports point to the school being entirely focused on the women’s participation in March Madness before taking any decision on the men’s side. According to 247Sports’ Chris Karpman, the school won’t hire a new men’s coach until the women’s participation in the Big Dance is done.
He wrote so on X this Thursday:
“ASU won’t hire a new basketball coach until at least early next week. Molly Miller’s NCAA Tournament team warrants focused attention, and some potential candidates whose teams are in the men’s NCAA bracket will not speak with another school until they are eliminated.”
Arizona State vs. Virginia Odds
The Sun Devils play the Cavaliers at 9 pm ET on Thursday at the Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. The Cavaliers come in as slight favorites for the bookies, with DraftKings making them 2.5-point favorites. The ESPN game predictor is even more confident in a victory by Virginia, giving them a 73.4% chance of winning the encounter.
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