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Who? The Sun Devils of Arizona State.
What? Sparky's official rank is imp (but you have to admit, Sun Imp isn't exactly intimidating).
Where? Tempe, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix.
When? March 22nd, in Toledo, Ohio.
Why? I think it's the wins and the conference record. I wasn't sure about them.
How? They were an at-large selection.
Surprise? Predicted to finish tenth in the conference, they finished fourth.
RPI: 38
SOS: 69
Record: 22-9 (11-7 Pac-12)
Good wins: North Carolina in Cancun.
Bad losses: I'm torn between at Oregon and at San Diego. At Arizona is at least a rivalry game.
Who's running this show? Charli Turner Thorne, since 1996. She's back from a one-year sabbatical in 2011-2012.
Extra, Extra! The Arizona Republic.
Senior guard Deja Mann leads the charge for the Sun Devils with 11.0 points per game. Arizona State has long played a style with a lot of player substitutions, though, almost shying away from having any one player put up big numbers. Shot distribution, except for Mann and sophomore Katie Hempen, is remarkably even, as are the minute counts. When Charli Turner-Thorne's system works, the opposing defense is dazed and confused, unable to adjust to the changes.