Moving to a 22-game schedule wasn’t a light decision for Pac-12 coaches.
Strictly from the basketball side of things, they knew what it meant. There would be no days off and no easy games.
It also meant that come NCAA Tournament time, the Pac-12 would be ready to take on anyone.
Sunday proved it: Colorado upset No. 1 Stanford in overtime and Washington State took UCLA to overtime before the Bruins pulled away for the win.
That’s one of the reasons why Arizona’s weekend sweep of then-No. 10 Oregon and Oregon State was significant.
It’s not just that the Wildcats won; it was how they won, taking total control and winning both games by 16 points.
UA’s swarming defense held Oregon to 41 points. Aari McDonald, Sam Thomas and Trinity Baptiste brought their best. McDonald, who is in the conversation as the top player in the country, went on a 7-0 run by herself at the end of the first half, capping it off with a layup in traffic.
Thomas altered and tipped shots, grabbed steals and even caught a pass like she was a wide receiver.
Baptiste, who usually brings the muscle inside, showed her versatility and touch, knocking down mid-range and turnaround jumpers.
It was Arizona’s signature win of the season. And days later, the Wildcats won again.
UA took control of the game after spotting OSU an 8-0 lead, going on an 18-6 run and never letting up. Helena Pueyo was a spark off the bench, hitting three 3-pointers in the first quarter and four in the first half.
The wins were important given how tough the Pac-12 can be. Last February, Arizona upset Stanford for another statement win. Two days later, the Wildcats lost to Cal on Senior Day.
The difference between then and now?
“I think that that’s a maturity thing,” coach Adia Barnes said.
“And I think when you get experience with certain situations you learn from them, and you grow. We learned last year, and we grew. I think that we also learned some tough lessons this year, we’ve gotten better through the adversity. We got our butts kicked by Stanford (earlier this season). And then we lost the game in overtime against a good Washington State team. Then we came back and to be able to beat Oregon the way we did, then Oregon State at home, it’s really good, because they’re both really good teams.”
Moving up
Arizona moved up in this week’s AP poll, landing at No. 10.
Barnes also received recognition this week as ESPN’s coach of the week.
ESPN said the Wildcats’ “non-stop pressure defense” was key to the Oregon win.
The defense was the difference in both games. Arizona held Oregon to 32.6% shooting and forced 23 turnovers. OSU shot 36.7% and committed 19 turnovers.
Arizona’s defense is allowing opponents to score 56.7 points per game.
In ESPN’s latest bracketology, Charlie Creme has UA as a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats moved up two seeds since Creme’s last 64-team bracket prediction.
Pueyo’s green light
Pueyo tied her season high with four three-pointers against Oregon.
“She has the green light. She’s earned that,” Barnes said. “I’ve talked in front of the team about her having the green light and how she can’t pass up shots, because we run action for her to get shots.
“But tonight, she was actually taking them. What they say is always true: ‘You got to take them to make them. You can’t make them if you don’t take them.’ I want her to take them. She’s a great shooter.”
Ware making moves
Freshman Lauren Ware continues to improve.
Sunday against Oregon State, she showed better footwork and made power moves inside. She has 13 blocks in Pac-12 play.
“She had this move that we work on every day in practice, and she actually did the game. That’s why she was cheering and all excited,” Barnes said.
“She’s learning to be more patient; she’s learning to be more on balance. She still is not on balance a lot, but she’s getting better. … She’s playing a lot better, more poise. I think the timing is something you can’t teach. That’s just something she has and that’s from volleyball. She’s long, and she has great timing. She had some great blocks today that saved a lot of buckets. I’m proud of (her) offense (that) she’s more patient. She’s finishing stronger than before, but she’s continuing to improve.”
Rim shots
- Barnes and her staff wear a different T-shirt, polo shirt or jacket each game. Sunday, they wore full-zip windbreakers featuring Arizona’s throwback cactus logo. “This is from back in the day when I played — the old-school logo,” Barnes said. “I love this logo — it’s one of my favorites. … (Athletic director) Dave (Heeke) actually let us use it, so thank you Dave.”
- Thomas shot 38% from the 3-point line last season, and she’s taken shots from well past the NBA 3-point line during her career. While warming up Sunday, Thomas did her best Steph Curry imitation by nailing one from behind the visiting bench.
