Pac-12 preview: Arizona State University

This is the fourth in an annual 12-part series previewing the Pac-12 teams for the upcoming season.

To say Arizona State had an excellent 2014-2015 season is an understatement.

After one pre-conference loss, they didn't drop another game until Jan. 25, when they played eventual Pac-12 champs Oregon State. The Sun Devils finished 29-6, second in the conference and ended the season ranked ninth in the country. They made it to the third round of the NCAA Tournament before bowing out to Florida State.

ASU walks into this year having lost only one starter and two bench players, while returning a strong core of upperclassmen who have played together for a long time. Coaches picked them to finish third in the Pac-12 regular season, and many others are predicting an even better showing. But 19-year coach Charli Turner Thorne is quick to point out that it is too early to make assumptions.

“On paper people look at it and say, ‘Oh they lose only one starter. They will be even better,'" Turner Thorne said. "I never take anything for granted."

"You see it all the time in different sports where teams are coming off great seasons and they have a lot of people back and then they do not do as well as expected. For me, it is a new season and we are starting over. Again, we have a lot of things we can be better at and we know it and our team is aware of it, which I think is great.”

Senior guard Katie Hempen (12 ppg), junior forward Sophie Brunner (11.9 ppg, 7.6 rpg), senior point guard Elisha Davis (7.5 ppg, 4.5 apg) and junior forward Kelsey Moos (6.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg) return to the starting line up. Junior center Quinn Dornstauder (7.2 ppg, 4.9 rpg) is also back, as are reserve guards Arnecia Hawkins and Eliza Normen.

Joining the Sun Devils are four true freshmen.

Sabrina Haines and Armani Hawkins are both Phonenix-area products who were ranked in the top 25 at the guard position. Kianna Ibis comes from Nebraska, where she was the 19th-ranked forward. She has recovered from an ACL injury she sustained last January. Center Charnea Johnson-Chapman hails from Southern California, where she averaged a double-double in her senior season.

Unsurprisingly, the exacting Turner Thorne has precisely identified the flaws in ASU's game, and has a plan for how to deal with their smaller stature.

“We need to stay where we are at in terms of taking care of the ball, but we need to be a better rebounding team," she said. "Plus-five on the boards is not going to help you take that final step that we want to take."

"When you look at all the top teams, you see that they are at least plus-10. We are small and so I think if we could be at least plus 10 that will be huge for us. The other big area where we have to improve is in the area of offensive efficiency. Again, when you look at the top teams and you see how hard they cut and their efficiency and what they do offensively, we are not there. And that is where we have to grow."

Turner Thorne has never been one to shy away from a challenge, and this year that starts with the Sun Devils' first game, against Kentucky. They will also face South Carolina, Syracuse and Florida State before conference play, which they begin at home Jan. 2 against Cal.