With Wildcats in Pac-12 semifinals, UA officials turn their attention to hosting NCAA Tournament

LAS VEGAS — Arizona’s women’s basketball team has spent the last two days focusing intently on the Pac-12 Tournament.

In McKale Center, however, others are thinking ahead.

Thursday’s Pac-12 quarterfinal win over Cal appears to have all-but-assured that Arizona host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament in two weeks. The official announcement comes March 16, but athletic director Dave Heeke and others are proceeding as if it’s happening. Heeke said last week that Arizona was “bullish” on hosting and going full speed ahead.

Hosting is more complicated than opening up McKale, like the Wildcats would for a home game. Suzy Mason, Arizona’s senior associate athletic director in charge of events management and facilities, carries around a very thick three-ring binder wherever she goes just to keep on top of the preparations.

The binder contains detailed requirements for every aspect of hosting.

“Obviously, ESPN coming in and doing all the games now for women’s basketball is huge,” Mason said from Las Vegas, where she has been attending Pac-12 Tournament games over the weekend. “That also ramps it up a little bit. We’re ready for (hosting) in McKale because the availability, but you know, a designate an entrance for meeting a designated entrance or official does an entrance routine designated entrance for band and cheerleaders, all of those things forced us to operate slightly differently in McKale, which also has an impact on those fans coming to the game, but we’re going to try to make it as seamless process as possible.”

Season ticket holders received emails earlier in the week, giving them an opportunity to request tickets. Pre-orders are due by Wednesday, giving staff just a few days to determine which seats are available for the public to buy.

Some season ticket holders will be moved from their regular seats so the UA can accommodate the other three teams — and their pep bands, fans and media.

Just allocating the tickets is a chore: Each school gets 100 tickets, ESPN gets 75 and Turner sports and CBS each get 50. The NCAA gets 30, and game officials get 14. Then there are the bands: Each school’s pep band gets at least 30 seats, plus five “buffer rows” behind them.

The NCAA regulates all of it.

Erika Barnes, the UA’s executive senior AD, explained: “For institution ticket blocks, Game No. 1, (the) higher seed team block will be located behind the team bench. The lower (team) will be across from the team bench — it’s kind of broken out like that.”

Prices have already set by the NCAA: $35 per session, $20 for single games and $8 for UA students and groups.

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McKale Center will be technically a neutral site, meaning there will be no Wildcats hype videos or promotions.

The jury is still out as to whether Arizona’s drum, which is banged on the court following each win, will be allowed.

“I think that I’ll be happy if we’re hosting – let’s stick with hosting, that’s the first thing,” Mason said. “Attack that first and then whatever comes next will happen.”

Added Barnes: “If we are having a drum decision, that’s a good day.”

Coronavirius fears keep

ex-Cat Adefeso from returning to New York

Former UA standout Danielle Adefeso, in Las Vegas to watch the Wildcats in the Pac-12 Tournament, learned Saturday from CNN that she will not be able to fly home to New York for a while.

A New York Uber driver was found to have contracted the coronavirus.

“I heard that the Governor (Andrew Cuomo) said it’s a state of lockdown — that’s all I know,” said Adefeso, who played at the UA from 2001-05 under coach Joan Bonvicini. “I was actually going to L.A. to see my mom next.”

Adefeso, who has been watching Arizona all season, is attending the tournament with former teammate Dee Dee Wheeler. She said before Saturday’s semifinal game that she expected the Wildcats to “leave it all on the court against Oregon.”

“What (UA coach) Adia (Barnes) is building now is what ‘Coach B’ (Bonvicini) calls culture,” she said. “The program is back where it was. As Adia said, it’s about leaving a legacy.”