Molly Miller has yet to lose in the non-conference portion of her ASU regular-season schedule, going 15-0 to start last season.

Move that total up to 17.

ASU sits at 2-0 to start the year, taking decisive victories over Jackson State and Northern Arizona. Now in the second week of the season, the Sun Devils will travel to Sin City for their first true test of the season.

Best in the West

While ASU looked promising in their first two matchups, a date with the Rebels will be their first litmus test of 2026.

UNLV was voted the top team in the Mountain West, according to their preseason poll. Under HC Lindy La Rocque, who has taken the Rebs' to the NCAA Tournament three times since taking the job in 2021, UNLV is looking to get back to the dance in March.

So, what makes UNLV special. La Rocque and Co. priortize energy and defense, much like ASU HC Molly Miller preaches, meaning Tuesday night may be a true standoff of similar styles.

What UNLV has trademarked "The Battle of the Desert", ASU will need to stop G Jasmyn Lott and F Meadow Roland, who lead the Rebs in multiple categories.

In terms of storylines, former ASU G and fan favorite Marley Washenitz will suit up for the Rebels tonight, potentially in line for a "revenge game" vs. her former school.

What's Going Well For ASU

ASU went to the portal this offseason to improve their guard depth. Thursday night in Tempe displayed that desire.

New Sun Devil guard Ruby Whitehorn led the way with 25 points vs. Northern Arizona, currently leading ASU in scoring with 16.5 points per game. Fellow transfer Rashunda Jones is also holding up her end of the bargain, sporting a 10.5 points per game average.

However, the production from the guard position would not be worthwhile with ASU's established dominance in the paint. Forwards Heloisa Carrera and McKinna Brackens have done that, both averaging 11 points per game and six rebounds or more a contest.

The energy and hustle is still there for Molly Miller's team, but the talent has found an uptick. Miller talked about the balance in her postgame press conference after the season opener:

"I think there was kind of the antithesis of last year was we had to work really, really, really, really hard. And I'm not sure we were the most talented team. This year, we're pretty talented, but we can't let our edge suffer because of that. So I want to see hard work day in and day out, a competitive edge, a relentlessness in this team. We can't always rely on our talent. So that's kind of a tale of two teams, a little bit. You can win both ways."

How Far Can They Go?

An undefeated mark in non-conference play is quite the feat, but it means little if your play isn't backed up in conference action.

That's what the Devils found out last season, going 15-0 before finishing 9-9 in the Big 12.

So, 15-0 or 0-15, will ASU rise above the call when it comes to conference action?

Molly Miller's system was able to tread water based off their physicality and tenacious energy last season, but their bandwidth did not stretch much further.

Now in 2026, with a swiss army knife of new talent at her disposal, Miller might have the tools to rise about just surviving the league.

"We wanted to be the aggressor," Miller said after opening night. "I think that's where we had some lapses here in the preseason, where we were hoping the rebound would come to us. I want them to be aggressive rebounding. I want them to rebound out of their area. I want to scrap and fight and claw. I always say every 50-50 ball is 100% ours. So if there's a ball bouncing on the ground, we're gonna go get it. We're gonna come up with it. So I think that aggressiveness showed up tonight."

If ASU can be the aggressor against a good UNLV team, watch out world.

ASU vs. UNLV is set for a 7:30 p.m. MST start in Las Vegas, Nevada, streamed on MW+.