- Arizona keeps chugging along.
In their second game of the season, the Wildcats beat No. 9 UCLA. Next, they bagged wins at Colorado and Utah — the program’s first road sweep of the mountain schools.
Along the way, there have been three come-from-behind victories and a few blowouts. All-American Aari McDonald picked up a Pac-12 Player of the Week award, and sixth-ranked Arizona was named the NCAA’s team of the week following a 54-point win over Idaho.
The Wildcats’ next big test comes Friday, and it’s one of the most anticipated regular-season matchups of the year.
Sixth-ranked Arizona (7-0, 5-0 Pac-12) will host top-ranked Stanford (7-0, 4-0 Pac-12) at 5 p.m. in McKale Center.
Storylines are everywhere. Which point guard will play better, Stanford’s Kiana Williams or Arizona’s McDonald? Can Arizona’s Adia Barnes topple the legendary Tara VanDerveer? Which freshman will reign supreme, Stanford’s Cameron Brink or UA’s Lauren Ware? And will Stanford’s sophomore Fran Belibi dunk again?
“I would tell (people) to watch for just an exciting style of play,” Barnes said. “… It’s a great game for women’s basketball. To see those kind of matchups — with two All-Americans (McDonald and Williams) going at it — I think it’s exciting. I only have like 1,000 less wins than Tara, but that’s OK. We won’t count that … I think there are so many reasons to watch this game.”
Stanford forward Fran Belibi, left, dunks against UCLA during the second half of their Dec. 21 game.
It seems like a made-for-ESPN event, but Friday’s matchup will be shown on Pac-12 Networks because of the Rose and Sugar bowls.
The Wildcats know what they have to do this week to win. “Rebound, play great team defense and to take care of the ball,” McDonald said. “We have to value possession because Stanford is a great transition team.”
While Arizona’s rebounding has improved this season, thanks in part to the addition of Trinity Baptiste, it’s still not consistent enough. In five Pac-12 games, Arizona has outrebounded its opponents twice, gotten the same number of rebounds twice and lost the rebounding battle once.
It only gets harder Friday. Stanford averages 48.9 rebounds per game compared UA’s 42. Part of this is Stanford’s height, strength inside and athleticism. Barnes said the Cardinal do a “really good job of congesting the paint and playing percentages. So, they’re in rebounding position.”
To neutralize them, Arizona has worked on asserting themselves better and boxing out in practice this week.
“It’s going to be a chess match how they adjust,” said Pac-12 Networks analyst Joan Bonvicini, a former UA coach. “Tara is one of the best preparation coaches ever, yet her real strength is her ability to make adjustments in game. Adia has grown significantly as a coach and her ability to make adjustments. … It will come down to 50/50 or loose balls. For Arizona, as the momentum changes — say Belibi goes for a steal and a dunk — just stay in the moment and play it out.”
In February, the Wildcats proved they could beat Stanford, outlasting the Pac-12 powerhouse by a point in overtime. Bonvicini called it a “confidence win.” And with each game this season, UA gains more and more confidence.
“When you win a game like that, it’s the new bar because you realize you can beat them,” Bonvicini said. “(And now) what happens is you expect to win every game. The team feels they are a dominant team.”
A win Friday would mark Arizona’s first-ever win over a No. 1-ranked team, the Wildcats’ first-ever 6-0 start in Pac-12 play and the first time in 20 years Arizona has beaten Stanford in back-to-back contests.
Things have turned around quickly for Arizona. In Barnes’ first few years as coach, her Wildcats were expected to battle it out for the bottom of the Pac-12. Now they are fighting for the top spot in the league — and the nation.
“I think they are way ahead of schedule, and it’s still mind-boggling to think of where they were when Adia came to Arizona (to coach) and where they are now,” Bonvicini said. “What Adia has done, starting with the culture – the players are superb students, role models in the community and they embrace it. They are winning and a top-10 team. … People in Tucson better jump on the train. It’s moving and it’s moving fast.
Rim shots
- Arizona’s Jan. 14 game against No. 8 Oregon will air on ESPN or ESPN2. And according to an ESPN spokesperson, Arizona’s Feb. 22 game at Stanford will be part of “Big Monday” and air on ESPN2. At this time, it is not known if any other games will be on ESPN; the network is releasing the schedule one week at a time.
- Barnes started Wednesday news conference by welcoming new football coach Jedd Fisch to Arizona. Barnes learned in their first conversation that Fisch’s daughters love women’s basketball. “He’s followed women’s basketball here,” Barnes said. “He told me (that) they’re going to be coming to the camps and involved — (they) really love what we’re doing. It was important to me to know that he was following what we’re doing, and excited about everything here. His enthusiasm is just obvious. I think he’s going to do some great things here.”
- Barnes has made a New Year’s resolution for her team. “Just live in the moment and just celebrate. Don’t look ahead. Take one day at a time one second time, you’re in the moment. What are you doing to get better every single day? I think that would be the thing. We talk about getting 1% better every day and we talk about one more. … I think that would be my thing — the challenge,” she said.
