Watch the Arizona Wildcats warm up, and you’ll notice Amari Carter’s pre-game routine.
Wearing a bulky knee brace, Carter — a Penn State transfer — takes shots with her teammates, listens to music and jumps up to touch the net.
Carter says the music helps her stay relaxed. Plus, she figures, if she looks loose, others might follow her lead.
As for the jump? Carter is just making sure her knees are ready to go following two surgeries.
“I have a lot of miles on my body,” Carter said.
The No. 21-ranked Wildcats (14-3, 3-3) are hoping Carter — and her knees — are ready for another challenge on Sunday, when they take on Washington (10-6, 2-3) in Seattle. A win would give the UA a weekend sweep; it ended a three-game losing streak with Friday night’s 74-67 win at Washington State.
Arizona coach Adia Barnes said Carter’s experience has shown up in big moments during Pac-12 play.
Cater “had a couple of big baskets — pull up jumpers when we need it, right in the flow,” Barnes said by phone Saturday. “She’s extremely valuable for us. She is playing better and better and better in the Pac-12.”
The senior guard has stepped up on offense, scoring 30 points over the last four games after having just 45 in the Wildcats’ first 13 games.
Carter knocked down a mid-range jumper to give Arizona a 60-59 lead over No. 3 Oregon State last weekend, giving the Wildcats their first lead of the second half against one of the nation’s top teams. The Wildcats played the Beavers close before falling late. Carter finished with 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting.
“I think in those moments you can’t think too much — if that makes any sense. You just have to play,” she said. “I knew we needed a shot. I knew where our offense was kind of stagnant — I knew the lane, the key was open, a lot. And that was an area I can get to. I had a taller guard around me. A runner was definitely better than a pull-up (jumper) in that moment. Your instincts just kick in and you start doing things.”
Carter is shooting just 32.6 percent from the field this season, but has come through at opportune times.
“Multiple times just in the conference play, she hit shots at the end of the shot clock, which definitely puts the other team down,” UA forward Cate Reese said. “You don’t feel as good when you’re the defense playing for 30, 25 seconds and they hit a shot at the last second. She’s definitely helped us with the momentum of the game.”
Carter’s mid-range jumpshot — a lost art in modern college basketball — is especially hard to defend. That’s instinctual, too.
“I think the 15-foot range is an untapped area. I think we don’t use it a lot in the game. …I think it’s a difficult shot, but that’s where I’m coming from,” she said. “I try to get to those areas and shoot.”
Carter’s offensive contributions pair up nicely with her defense, which has been stout since the beginning.
She guarded Oregon State’s Mikayla Pivec and Sabrina Ionescu of No. 2 Oregon last weekend. She held Ionescu to two points in the first 20 minutes of the game and only six points after three quarters.
Wildcats guard Amari Carter, right, is shooting only 32.6 percent for the season, but has hit several big buckets at the end of the shot clock.
“She’s a great one-on-one defender,” Barnes said. “She is really athletic. Think about it: Amari had two torn ACLs and she’s athletic. Imagine where she was before.
“She’s a really good compliment to Sam (Thomas) and Aari (McDonald) on defense. … I am not afraid to have Amari go up against those players — she can guard anyone in the country.”
Carter has 23 of the Wildcats’ 181 steals, and is among the team’s best when it comes to deflecting passes.
“When the ball is in the air, I’m like, ‘Oh, I want that,’” Carter said. “As a defender, I want to make the ball handler uncomfortable. If I can just tip the ball while they are dribbling. If I don’t get the steal — I don’t even need the steal — they are in their head (thinking) ‘I have to be a little more guarded. I have to protect the ball a little more.’ If I can just get my hand on the ball, now you’re thinking about that and not thinking about what you have to do.
“So being a defender, being a pesky defender, I think I got a lot of that from Aari — just being super, super active on the ball. And that helps me a lot, just getting all those deflections. They make sure a team thinks about their passing more. They’ll take an extra half-second to get around the pass to get a better angle.”
Rim shots
- It’s never easy getting in or out of Pullman, Washington. It’s the longest road trip the Wildcats take all year. The Wildcats needed eight hours to get from Tucson to The Palouse on Thursday. “Next year,” Barnes said, “we’re taking a charter.”
- Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson took in Friday’s game. Thompson, who is in town to get his jersey retired, took a photo with the Wildcats after the game.
- Arizona’s first three Pac-12 wins have come on the road — a program first.
- Reese cored a career-high 26 points and grabbed four steals against the Cougars. Sam Thomas had eight points and four blocks.
- Over its last five games, Arizona has hit 60 of 64 free throws (93.8%).
