Arizona Wildcats (14-10, 5-6) vs. Arizona State Sun Devils (8-15, 2-9) | 2 p.m. Saturday | McKale Center | ESPN+ | 1400-AM
She said it
Arizona coach Adia Barnes on ASU: "They have really good players. They play a lot of one-on-ones. We have to be able guard our yard. We have to win 50-50 balls. I think we have to pound the ball inside. We've got to pressure them and guard them. I think that the freshmen don't understand what a rival game is, and there's a lot of like cross relationships here, like knowing each other from AAU, different stuff like that. ...
"I'm curious to see how we're going to respond after two tough losses; how we're going to come back home and step up. We've done it in the past. We did that against West Virginia. We did a great job. I'm hoping that we can replicate that tomorrow, but it's going to be a hard game. They're good. They have a lot of new players that we're not familiar with, and they're hungry. They have some players that are capable of going off, and they score a lot of points. They average more points than we do. We have to be able to we have to go guard them, and we have to be able to be tough and fight and play how we were capable of playing. We're going to see who steps up."
On the sidelines
3 questions: Here are three questions with ASU’s Tyi Skinner, who missed the final Pac-12 season with a knee injury and is now playing in her last college season.
Q: When you were injured and going through physical therapy to get back for this year, how did you keep your spirits up?
A: “I would say just my plan is not his plan. And by him, I am referring to God. I just always have faith that my journey is going to work out how it's supposed to work out. I try not to stress too much over things that I can't control. It was my first injury. I’ve had tweaks and things like that, obviously, sprained ankles but nothing that sent me out for the whole season. At the beginning I was (a little stressed) because I was in shock, as in, I was like, ‘Oh, I thought it was going to miss …’ I didn’t think I could get hurt. Because I just never been hurt.
"But once it happens, you sit back and self-reflect and think about what can I do now? How can I get better? Because the goal has always been the goal and that’s for me to play in the WNBA. Hopefully, that’s in God’s plan and I can do that in the future. But it’s always going to work out how it’s supposed to. I think that saying it is one thing, but actually going through obstacles, trials and tribulations in life and really living by it is another. I just try to stay strong and have faith.”
Arizona State guard Tyi Skinner (3) against Baylor on Jan. 11, 2025, in Tempe.
How do you think you’ve improved this year?
A: “I think every year I get more patient, and I try to find new ways to lead my team and motivate different people. With the transfer portal, it’s definitely a new team every year with people leaving and coming in. Just trying to motivate the girls and figure out how we can all play and work well together. I think that I'm a little bit more efficient this year. I’m trying to improve my free throw percentages, my shooting percentage and (be) more efficient with shot selection.”
You have so many new teammates this season, what was that like for you?
A: “It wasn't really a big deal for me. I've been adapting my whole life. I'm always excited for new things in life. If you track me back to high school, I've always jumped from school to school, or I've just always been moving around my whole life. I've always gone to new places and adapted just that's just how life went for me. Even staying in Delaware for two years then coming here. Meeting new people and adapting to new environments doesn’t faze me. It was easy for me to get to know (my new teammates). Plus, we spent every day in the summer together and we hang out a lot.”
Behind the scenes: Paulina Paris went into the games against the Mountain schools — Utah and Colorado — this past week, averaging 12.3 points per game, collecting seven steals (five against West Virginia) and dishing eight assists (again, five against West Virginia).
Then, it all came to a screeching halt, as Paris only scored three points and had one assist against Utah. Against Colorado, the stat sheet was empty except for one block and one rebound.
Arizona guard Paulina Paris (23) bursts between guard Sydney Shaw (5), left, and West Virginia guard Sydney Woodley (2) to swipe the ball and trigger a Wildcat fast break in the second quarter of their Big 12 game in Tucson on Jan. 25, 2025.
For Paris, it was what was going on off the court — a family matter — that was behind her performance.
“It's not easy, so I'm giving her a lot of grace with that,” Barnes said. “There’s life stuff that happens that is bigger than basketball. I think that’s really affected her mentally right now. In fact, she missed a practice last week. I let her go home for a day for a family emergency. I think that's the situation. It's not an excuse, but it's a fact. And they're kids. We all have stuff, and I'm 40-something years old. I give grace with that, but I believe in her. I continue to believe in her.”
Shooter’s touch: It seems like every time Lauryn Swann gets going, she has a little setback. First, she fell on her shoulder awkwardly and missed a game. Then, when she came back, she was a little rusty.
Most recently, she suffered a concussion at the end of the first half of the Cincinnati game. She sat out of the West Virginia game and was back for Utah. Over the last two games, she’s gone 1 for 11. Her one make was a 3 in Boulder.
Arizona guard Lauryn Swann finds the seam between Baylor guard Sarah Andrews (24), left, and Baylor guard Darianna Littlepage-Buggs (5) in the third quarter of their Big 12 game at McKale Center, Jan. 8, 2025.
Her teammate, Skylar Jones, said it’s just a matter of time for Swann’s touch to come back.
“I remember when I came back from having two concussions (last season),” Jones said. “It was awful. It was very bad. It's hard for freshmen to come back from being out for a few games.”
Black History Month: February is Black History Month, and to start the celebration at Utah, the Wildcats wore black shooting T-shirts with a quote from Maya Angelou: “If you’re going to live, leave a legacy, make a mark on the world that can’t be erased.”
Red out: Arizona is asking fans to wear red to Saturday’s game.
By the numbers
1: ASU has one freshman in Timya Grice. The Sun Devils brought in seven transfers this year — all upperclassmen from juniors to grad students.
6: Over the last six games, Arizona’s defense has kept its opponent's points per game well under its average.
61: Arizona’s NET ranking was 61 after losing to Colorado on Wednesday.
