Adia Barnes had a very long week.
She flew to the East Coast β twice. Then she snuck in a trip to California on Saturday to watch the high school girls state championships in Sacramento.
While Barnes was logging miles, she also gained plenty of travel headaches along the way.
On the final trip east, she was stuck on the tarmac for hours before the plane headed back to the gate. Barnes had to stay overnight in Atlanta and try again the next morning β barely making it back to Tucson in time for practice.
Saturdayβs trip was supposed to be a quick one β there and back in one day. Instead, her plane also had mechanical issues, forcing her to stay overnight and miss a planned breakfast with her team.
Barnes had plenty of time to worry about the one thing thatβs been on her mind all week long: Whether the Wildcats would be selected to host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
Barnes thought the Wildcats had done enough over the season to earn a spot among the top 16 teams, and knew the UA could sell out McKale Center.
Yet you never quite know for sure. The Wildcats were 19th in the latest NET ratings, and ranked 20th in both major polls.
Barnesβ rough week led to a celebratory Sunday. The UA indeed earned a No. 4 seed, and will host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament starting Saturday. Arizona (20-7) will play No. 13 UNLV (26-6), the reigning Mountain West Conference Tournament champions, in the first round. The winner will play either No. 5 North Carolina or No. 12 Stephen F. Austin in the second round.
βWe are one of 64 teams β I think with play-ins now itβs 68 β β¦ to have the opportunity to host the home is a huge, huge advantage in the NCAA Tournament,β she said.
UNLV guard Essence Booker, left, had 25 points in the Mountain West Tournament championship game.
The first round will pit Arizona senior Sam Thomas against her sister Jade, who plays for UNLV.
That element will be βreally fun,β Barnes said. βI think they were tweeting at each other and super excited. Itβs really good for the family, too. They donβt have to travel to different places. I thinkβs it just a great story.β
This year marks the second time Arizona has hosted the NCAA Tournament. The last time was in 1998, when Barnes β then the Wildcatsβ top player β led her team to the Sweet 16. She scored 30 points in the second round 94-77 win over Virginia.
βItβs funny, I donβt remember hosting. Itβs so long ago,β Barnes said. βI think itβs awesome because everything is full circle on all the storylines.β
Arizona was on track to host in 2020 when COVID-19 shut down sports and led to the cancellation of the NCAA Tournament. Last year, the Wildcats would have hosted as a No. 3 seed, but the tournament was held in one site β San Antonio β because of pandemic protocols.
The Wildcats advanced to their first-ever Final Four before falling to Stanford in the national championship game. This yearβs team has a chance to make another deep run.
βIβm proud of our team,β Barnes said. βThe first year we could have gone to the tournament, there was COVID. There was no tournament. Second year, we went to the Final Four, so now Iβm just hoping we get hot again at the right time.β
Should Arizona emerge from the first two rounds, it could face top-seeded No. 1 South Carolina (29-2) in the Sweet 16, scheduled for March 25. The Wildcats are part of the Greensboro, North Carolina, Region.
Five other Pac-12 teams made the field, including defending champion and No. 1 seed Stanford, Oregon (No. 5), Colorado (No. 7), Utah (No. 7) and Washington State (No. 8). The Big Ten and Big 12 also have six teams, while the SEC and the ACC both have eight.
The Wildcats were ranked among the nationβs top teams for much of the season before hitting a skid following star forward Cate Reeseβs shoulder injury. The UAβs NCAA Tournament chances were never in doubt.
βI think the other great thing is knowing we were going to be in the tournament,β Barnes said. βI think thatβs a really good feeling. And then a great step (to host) because itβs one game at a time.
βYou just gotta win one game. And thatβs what we did last year. We had some success. Itβs just exciting.β
