Adia Barnes is now 1-0 in NCAA Tournament games as a head coach. The Arizona Wildcats have won their first tournament game in 16 years.
But Monday’s 79-44 win over Stony Brook at The Alamodome was, in many ways, just another game.
Barnes’ pregame message doesn’t change too much from game to game; the coach believes that consistency keeps her them in the right frame of mind.
Here’s what she told the Wildcats before they took the floor against Stony Brook: “We’re going to have fun. We’re going to be aggressive. We’re going to go hard. We’re going to go up strong. We’re not going to second-guess our shots, because when you shoot, you don’t shoot to shoot, you shoot to score. Have confidence in what you do. We’ve been working all year for this. Have fun and do it together.”
They did. The Wildcats won by 35 points, their largest margin of victory in postseason history.
Still, Barnes admitted the game was still stressful. It always is.
Barnes relaxed a bit in the second quarter, relieved that her team was executing the game plan. That said, Barnes knew that Stony Brook was a good third-quarter team and that the Wildcats had to keep pressuring and playing at a fast pace.
“We knew we’re gonna take some runs, but just happy with the way we put them away,” Barnes said. “I felt like we were firing on all cylinders. We were playing solid defense. I was happy, but then I knew it’s 0-0 (at) half. You can’t take it easy at halftime, of course, because it’s a whole ’nother game.”
Arizona held Stony Brook to only one field goal in the first 5 minutes 25 seconds of the third quarter. The Seawolves went on a 10-7 run, but it wasn’t enough to cut into Arizona’s lead.
Quick turnaround
A quick turnaround — Arizona won Monday afternoon and must play Wednesday at 4 p.m. — is nothing new for the Wildcats, who experience a similar schedule every weekend in Pac-12 play. Barnes said it’s an advantage because other conferences don’t follow the same Friday-Sunday turnaround.
Barnes and her coaches watched BYU film Monday night while players rested and recovered. The team ate, took COVID-19 tests and turned their focus toward the Cougars.
“We don’t get too high or too low at this time of the year,” Barnes said. “It’s one and done. We’re undefeated right now. We’re going for one more, there’s nothing to look ahead. It is all BYU. … They are a good team. Everybody this time of year is very good. It only takes one game to advance, so we’re trying to do that.”
What it takes to win
This year’s NCAA Tournament is like no other. It’s all taking place in one location, San Antonio. There are extra protocols in place. A few days ago, the teams were given permission to take a walk. It’s less of a bubble and more of a lockdown.
Barnes’ message all season long has prepared them for this moment.
“I always told the team it is a different year. It’s COVID,” Barnes said. “It feels different in the tournament. One season, it’s a new season. You don’t feel all the excitement around the tournament like you normally do, because you are on lock down a little more. I think the teams that handle the adversity here the best, being in your room a little bit more, having less access to things … are going to be the teams that win. We were focused, excited to be here, didn’t take anything for granted. And I think we showed that on the court. I’m just I’m proud of the way we responded with all the extra stuff going on.”
Arizona connections
Four NCAA Tournament participants in the tourney have Arizona ties: Maryland head coach Brenda Frese, Mercer player Kiana Barkhoff, UConn graduate assistant Tee Tee Starks and Belmont assistant coach Christine Clark.
Frese played at Arizona from 1989-93. She won the 2006 National Championship at Maryland.
Barkhoff played the 2017-18 season at Arizona before transferring. South Carolina beat Mercer Sunday; Barkhoff played 11 minutes, grabbing four rebounds.
Starks, a former UA player, is in his first season at UConn. Starks was considered the heart of the team during her time at the UA — even last season, when she sat out with an injury.
Clark is a Tucson High grad and former Arizona graduate assistant. Belmont picked up its first tourney win in six tries on Monday, upsetting Gonzaga. The team has won 11 games in a row.
Rim shots
- Arizona’s cheering section Monday included UA President Robert C. Robbins, athletic director Dave Heeke and players’ family members. Arizona’s Aari McDonald, Trinity Baptiste and Sam Thomas all had fans in the stands. After the win, they sang “Bear Down” to the team.
- In Monday’s game, Arizona picked 17 steals — six were from Thomas. This ties Shawntinice Polk (2005) for the most steals in an NCAA Tournament game.
“We were trying to play aggressive defense to get in the passing lanes,” Thomas said. “I felt like my teammates were ball pressuring more, so they were able to get Stony Brook to throw some high lob cross-court passes, that I was just in the right spot at the right time. I was able to pick them off.”
