SAN FRANCISCO β After finishing second on the highest stage in womenβs college basketball last season, with a one-point loss to Stanford in the national championship game, Arizona was picked to finish fifth this season.
In the Pac-12.
Itβs not hard to imagine how coach Adia Barnes might react. In fact, some social media posters quickly did just that: One expected to see a βdouble-bird from Coach Adia,β while another responded with a video clip of Barnesβ now-famous moment in the huddle of UAβs Final Four upset win over UConn.
But, after finishing a rooftop luncheon during the Pac-12βs womenβs basketball media day Tuesday, Barnes laughed when told of those social media reactions.
Thatβs not quite she was thinking, Barnes said.
First, as her Pac-12 coaching peers must have when filling out their ballots, Barnes noted that the Wildcats donβt happen to have star guard Aari McDonald darting all over the court anymore.
βItβs because weβve lost our All-American,β Barnes said of the drop in expectations. βI think thatβs kind of normal and if you look at the teams 1,2, 3 and 4, theyβre better teams than us. They have more talent. They have more stars returning.β
So, no need to get worked up.
βNo hard feelings,β Barnes said. βThat bird was unique. β¦ and honestly, I couldnβt care less where the coaches put us because for me, if I would have listened to people, I wouldnβt have taken this job or been successful. No one said we could make a Final Four. Now weβve done all these things. It doesnβt matter where you are at the beginning, it matters at the end.β
At the predictive phase of this Pac-12 race, the Wildcats are sitting fifth, behind first-place Stanford, Oregon, UCLA and Oregon State, at least according to the 12 head coaches who voted for the poll.
UA standouts Sam Thomas and Cate Reese, who were representing the Wildcats for interviews and promotions at the media day, said they were OK with that.
Reese said being picked fifth gives the Wildcats βa little bit of wiggle roomβ in the race, allowing them to finish ahead of expectations as they have in all but one of Barnesβ five seasons (they were picked second last season and finished there exactly).
Thomas agreed.
βI personally think itβs a good thing,β Thomas said. βThereβs not a target on our back, necessarily. Weβre still fifth and I feel like the one through eight spots are all interchangeable. Itβs just how good the Pac is.
βBut I think everyone just sees we lost Aari, so they think weβre not as good. Theyβre gonna underestimate us. Iβm excited.β
Former UA coach Joan Bonvicini, now a Pac-12 Networks analyst, can see why some people might because of the way McDonald impacted the Wildcats so significantly on both ends of the court, making them especially quick on the defensive end.
But, after attending a recent practice, Bonvicini said she also saw signs that UA will work to recover without McDonald this season.
βI think theyβre gonna be good,β Bonvicini said. βI was really impressed. And they seem like they have good chemistry. Thereβs a lot of different players who can score. Itβs just like theyβve got to figure out how β like is it going to be a collaborative with more people stepping up?β
Stanford doesnβt even have those sorts of worries. The Cardinal returns the vast majority of its national championship team, while Oregon, UCLA and Oregon State are also stacked, with the NCAAβs eligibility waiver for athletes who played last season allowing everyone to return.
βI mean, I just walk around today and everybody looks really good to me,β said Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer, when asked about how the league race could play out with Arizona picked fifth. βIβm just like, βWow, thatβs gonna be a tough game. Wow, thatβs gonna be a tough game. We just have a great league, we have great coaches, we have great players and the fact that so many players came back is a reflection on each of the teams.β
In other words, being picked fifth doesnβt mean you arenβt good. Nor does being picked sixth, where Washington State found itself despite coming off its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 30 years last season.
βWeβre in the best league in the country,β Washington State coach Kamie Ethridge said. βNo oneβs getting worse.β
Maybe not even Arizona, no matter how far the Wildcats are supposed to drop in the standings.
βItβs gonna look different, but Iβm telling you guys right now, weβre going to be a better team,β Barnes said. βWeβve got to get better but I think the challenge is exciting to me, and I think thatβs the fun part about coaching, proving people wrong.β