Editor's note: This story appears in the Star's NCAA Tournament preview section, which you can read in its entirety by clicking here.
The Arizona Wildcats are back in the NCAA Tournament under coach Adia Barnes, one year after making an improbable run to the national championship game.
This year’s Wildcats had plenty of highs in their 20-7 season, including several historical program achievements.
But there were also a fair share of roadblocks, too.
Here are the 10 most noteworthy moments of Arizona’s season — so far:
Wildcats take down No. 6 Louisville in OT: Arizona started the season ranked No. 22 in the country. It didn’t take long for the Wildcats to show they deserved better. UA needed overtime to take down the Cardinals 61-59 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Lauren Ware blocked a potential game-tying shot in the final seconds and Cate Reese scored 21 points to lift the Cats to a thrilling victory. The Wildcats vaulted to No. 11 in the AP Poll following the win, and cracked the Top 10 a week later.
Arizona guard Shaina Pellington posted some big performance this season, putting up 30 points against Arizona State in Tempe and hitting game-winning shots to sink both Vanderbilt and Oregon State.
Pellington for 2 — twice: Guard Shaina Pellington’s hit two game-winning shots this season, both of which deserve recognition.
The Oklahoma transfer hit a layup at the buzzer on Thanksgiving Day, giving the ninth-ranked Cats a 48-46 win over Vanderbilt at the Paradise Jam.
Pellington found herself in a similar situation two months later against Oregon State. With the score tied at 53 and the clock ticking down, Pellington pulled up for a foul-line jumper instead of attacking the rim. Her shot fell with 0.5 seconds left, and the Wildcats prevailed 55-53. Pellington scored all 12 of her points in the second half, helping the Wildcats get back in the win column after losing to USC the previous game.
Cats make AP poll history: The Wildcats started the season 9-0, jumping to No. 4 in the AP Top 25 Women’s Poll — the highest ranking in program history. The Cats stayed at No. 4 for four consecutive weeks before their first loss dropped them to No. 7.
COVID-19 pause disrupts undefeated start: The Wildcats were 11-0 when they were hit with multiple COVID-19 postponements. The team didn’t play a game between Dec. 20 and Jan. 6, a nearly three-week pause that hindered the Wildcats’ early-season momentum.
Arizona won its first game back from the pause at home against Washington State, but fell on the road to USC on Jan. 9 in a game that was initially scheduled for New Year’s Eve.
Postgame incidents overshadow loss to Ducks: The Wildcats’ Jan. 15 overtime loss to Oregon came with its share of fireworks. Adia Barnes called out Pac-12 officials in her postgame comments, saying the Cats “got homered” with foul calls that went against them. Barnes was later reprimanded by the Pac-12 league office for her comment.
Barnes was also emotional on Twitter following the loss, implying that she was involved in a verbal exchange with Oregon coach Kelly Graves in which expletives were used. “If you would choose to sit and get cussed at by a man that’s on you and what you are willing to tolerate. But I’m not that woman!,” Barnes wrote on Twitter.
Barnes later said the incident was overblown and that there were “no hard feelings” between the rival coaches.
Cats come up short in title rematch: The most anticipated regular-season matchup of the season lived up to the hype as Arizona and Stanford — last year’s national championship contestants — produced a highly competitive game on Jan. 30 in Palo Alto.
The Cardinal got the better of the Cats once again. Arizona held a three-point lead in the second quarter before Stanford closed the half strong, taking a 41-33 lead into the break. Arizona spent the second half trying to claw back into the game, eventually cutting it to a four-point game late in the fourth quarter. Stanford went on to prevail, 75-69.
How sweep it is: Arizona swept the Oregon schools on Feb. 4 and Feb. 6, bringing in record crowds to McKale in the process. The rematch against the Ducks drew 10,413 fans to McKale — the largest regular-season crowd in school history. The Wildcats delivered, winning 63-48.
Two days later, Arizona completed the weekend sweep with a 12-point victory over Oregon State. Forwards Cate Reese and Koi Love combined to score 35 points.
Reese’s scoring streak proves big vs. ASU: Reese stepped up as Arizona’s go-to scorer, posting double-digit scoring games in the team’s first 12 conference matchups — including three performances of more than 20 points.
The UA senior got the streak to 12 games with a 17-point, five-rebound performance at home against ASU on Feb. 13. The Wildcats’ 62-58 victory avenged the team’s loss to the Sun Devils just two days earlier.
Dislocated shoulder sidelines Reese: Late in the fourth quarter of Arizona’s Feb. 20 matchup against Washington State in Pullman, Reese dislocated her right shoulder after falling underneath the basket. Arizona’s leading scorer (14.6 ppg) has been out since then, missing the last three games.
Season-low shooting performance sends Wildcats home early: Arizona struggled from the field — and missed a game-winner at the buzzer — in a March 3 loss to Colorado in the Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinals. The Wildcats had two chances to tie or win in the final 15 seconds before falling short, 45-43. The loss marked Arizona’s season-low in points and its worst shooting performance of the year. The UA shot just 12-for-48 from the field and 2-for-24 from 3-point range.
The Wildcats dropped to No. 20 in the AP poll and out of the top 16 in NET Rankings, jeopardizing their chances of hosting the NCAA Tournament — something once viewed as a certainty.
