Sam Thomas came back to Arizona for one more year for a lot of reasons. Playing in the postseason was a big one.
Arizona’s senior standout wants to make another magical run to the national championship game and, hopefully this time, win it all.
But first things first. The Wildcats are playing in the Pac-12 Tournament this week. Fourth-seeded Arizona will take on fifth-seeded Colorado in Thursday’s conference quarterfinal game in Las Vegas. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Michelob Ultra Arena.
Arizona and CU played just once this season, with Arizona winning 75-56 in what was expected to be a battle of defenses. Shaina Pellington scored 28 points and Cate Reese chipped in 23. The Buffaloes only shot 34%.
Both teams look different now. Colorado has won five straight, including Wednesday’s 64-52 victory over No. 12 Washington in the Pac-12 Tournament’s first round.
Arizona, meanwhile, has gone just 3-3 over its last six games while being hit by injuries. Forward Ariyah Copeland missed five games with migraine headaches, leading scorer Cate Reese dislocated her shoulder — she’s questionable to play in Las Vegas — and guard Taylor Chavez missed one game for undisclosed reasons.
The Wildcats rallied Saturday to beat USC 68-59, showing they could win without Reese, their lone All-Pac-12 team member as voted on by the coaches.
Now the calendar flips to March, a time the Wildcats know well. Over the last three seasons, they have gone a combined 13-4 in March and April.
“We actually had this talk yesterday in practice how this is what’s fun,” Thomas said. “This is what everyone waits for. I mean, the whole season’s fun and everything but this is what matters. This is what everyone plays for, what we work for. Just knowing that we’re going to practice really hard now because it’s basically one and done from here on out. We’re just ready to hopefully win a Pac-12 championship win the NCAA championship so that’s what we’re here for.”
Seeking a seed
While Arizona is a lock to play in the NCAA Tournament, there is something else at stake this week: the Wildcats’ actual seed. Arizona was ranked No. 11 nationally — a No. 3 seed — in the NCAA Selection Committee’s third reveal of the Top 16 teams on Monday. The Wildcats are in line to host the first or second rounds in McKale Center, regardless of seed.
So what’s at stake? Arizona could possibly move up to a No. 2 seed if it can play in the conference title game. Lose Thursday, and the Wildcats could possibly slip to a No. 4. Even a “good” loss to Stanford in the semifinals — the teams will play Friday if both can win — would help the Wildcats’ NET rating.
It’s change from three years ago, when the Wildcats narrowly missed the NCAA Tournament and instead played in the WNIT. And two years ago, when COVID-19 cancelled the NCAA Tournament with the Wildcats poised to play.
Last year’s NCAA Tournament was entirely in San Antonio, meaning the UA didn’t host.
“I think it means just that much more especially … that the pandemic really shut it down for us a lot,” Thomas said. “(We are) hoping that we can be able to host — (we’re) not expecting anything because you know after the last two years, you can never expect anything. So just hoping that we get to do it, finish off the season strong at home in front of our fans again. So that’s the goal, but we’ll take anything that happens as long as we’re playing in March.”
Arizona guard Helena Pueyo, left, and forward Lauren Ware defend UCLA guard Charisma Osborne in the first half of their game last week.
Nice ring to it
The Wildcats won’t have to look far for a little extra motivation. At Saturday’s Senior Day dinner, the eight players who took part in last year’s tournament — Thomas, Reese, Pellington, Lauren Ware, Helena Pueyo, Derin Erdogan, Madi Conner and Semaj Smith — received their Final Four rings.
“I wanted to give them something special,” coach Adia Barnes said. ““That was an amazing memory and (the rings are) something they can keep forever … It was special for me to give them something for all their hard work and the amazing run that we had last year.”
The oversized silver rings are a visual reminder about what happens when teams get hot. For the new players, it’s a look at what could be. Thomas says she’s talked with the first-year Wildcats about what it takes this time of year to make a run.
“Just letting them know that when it’s March, it’s anyone’s game,” Thomas said. “You could be the best team or the worst team and everyone has a fair shot. I feel like I think last year no one really expected us to go that far. So just knowing that if you stick to what you do, you stick to what you know. You have to stay together — that’s a big, key thing. Then you can make it as far as you want. Just not looking ahead. Taking one opponent at a time. I think that’s what we’re preaching to the younger ones. And then for me, especially I want to get back to that feeling. I want to go back to the national championship. It was an unreal experience — one of my top memories in life ,I should say.”
Rim shots
Thomas is playing in her hometown this week. She said she’s excited that her entire family will come out to see her — even her younger sister, Jade, who plays for UNLV.
“She plays on Wednesday,” Sam Thomas said. “I think her coach is letting her or changing the practice a little bit for her to be able to come. (I am) very happy to play in front of her and my whole family again because they were just here for senior weekend.”
Reese and Thomas made All-Pac-12 team, as voted on the by the media, and Thomas made all-defensive team. Stanford’s Cameron Brink was named Player of the Year and All-Defensive Player of the Year, Cal’s Jayda Curry was Freshman of the Year and WSU’s Kamie Ethridge was named Coach of the Year.
Maya Nnaji was named to Naismith’s second-team Girls High School All-Americans. Kailyn Gilbert was named honorable mention. Both are members of Arizona’s class of 2022.
