Adia Barnes is always teaching.
It doesn’t matter if it’s a practice before the season starts, one during the regular season, on the sidelines of a game — or in Arizona’s final practice before the NCAA Tournament tips off in Tucson.
Barnes is always trying to make sure her Wildcats have every last bit of knowledge they need for what’s next.
During Friday’s open practice in McKale Center, Barnes called out the plays as her team scrimmaged five-on-five. She also dished the compliments and tips along the way.
“Bendu (Yeaney), good pass.”
“Koi (Love), wait a half-second and let her get in position.”
The fourth-seeded Wildcats have prepared for Saturday’s first-round game against No. 13 seed UNLV with the enthusiasm of a first-time team. Yet they’re veterans, having advanced to last year’s national championship game and then posting 20 wins this year.
The Lady Rebels are NCAA Tournament newbies, making their first appearance in two decades.
“I’ve just tried to encourage them that we’re not playing the occasion, we’re playing the game, and we’ve played the game all year,” UNLV coach Lindy La Rocque said. “It’s just about doing what we do and being true to who we are and staying committed and together and being really tough. It’s no different. Obviously, this is really cool — even this environment. We don’t do this for our regular-season games. There’s some different hoopla that’s kind of fun to be a part of. It’s about the game …(I’m) trying to keep them focused on that and staying really grounded.”
Arizona guard Shaina Pellington laughs during Friday's practice. UA hosts UNLV on Saturday night.
The Wildcats have been there and done that, advancing to their first-ever Final Four last season and finishing within a shot of winning a national title. Arizona missed out on hosting in 2020 and 2021. Two years ago, the NCAA Tournament was canceled because of COVID-19 and last year’s tournament was held in Texas.
“The first two rounds in Tucson, I think it’s extremely exciting,” Barnes said. “One of the best venues in the country and we’re playing a really good team, so I think it’s going to be great game for women’s basketball.”
Why is hosting so important?
Arizona’s record at home is 12-1 — the one loss coming to UCLA in the final week of the regular season. The Wildcats played that game without Cate Reese, who had dislocated her shoulder a few days earlier. Before that, UA hadn’t lost a game at home since Jan. 1, 2021, against Stanford.
“We know that we’re going to have 8,000 people (and) that is a tremendous amount of energy,” Barnes said. “When you’re pressing and getting a steal and you have 8,000 people going crazy, I think that’s worth points because you’re more motivated. I think that it’s extremely valuable. … It’s a very tough environment. It’s very hard to play here. And we know that’s an advantage for us.”
The Rebels prepared prepared for Saturday by blasting crowd noise in practices. They may not be ready for a Wildcat team that is healthy.
Barnes said Reese is “100% ready to go.” And with Reese back in the mix, Arizona may be hard to stop. Her passion, steady presence, as well as points — she averaged 17 points per game during Pac-12 play — may be too much.
“I feel like we’re built a little bit different this year,” Barnes said. “I feel like Shaina (Pellington) has to step up in the tournament. She’s got to be productive, like low assist-to-turnover ratio. Lauren (Ware) has to maintain her aggressiveness like she did when Cate was out. To me it’s by committee, how Helena (Pueyo) has to look to score and distribute the ball. Sam (Thomas) has to be aggressive like she was in February. I think everybody has to step a little bit to step up a little bit more.
“Cate has to come off the bench and be as aggressive as she has been in practice. And Bendu (Yeaney) has to play that great defense and look to score. Then we bring out shooters then they have to look for shots and be solid.
“I think that everybody has to step up a little more. I don’t think there’s one person that has to be any better. Koi (Love) is going to be very important because Koi is great (at) pressing. She’s good (on) defense and she can attack the rim. And then Ariyah (Copeland) has experience. Ariyah has played in the tournament before and she’s a bucket inside. I think that everybody has to do a little bit more, and there isn’t one particular X-factor. It’s going to be by committee and it’s just going to be a team effort.”
Arizona coach Adia Barnes speaks during a Friday's news conference ahead of their NCAA Tournament opener against UNLV.
Arizona’s biggest advantage might just be an intangible. After an early exit from the Pac-12 Tournament, the Wildcats had two weeks to rest, reset and get focused. Barnes said she has felt a different vibe the last few days in practice. It’s the same type of vibe she noticed last March before the Wildcats made a run to the title game.
“(It) was very beneficial for our team,” Barnes said. “We got a lot better in the two weeks and we needed it. … I think to reset and stuff like that and to practice and work on your weaknesses and have some days off I think is very helpful. last year at the same time we needed that. We kind of imploded around the Pac-12 Tournament we did not play well. Then we got hot, we worked on some things, took a mental break, reset and we’ve done the same thing this year. I think you’re going to see us play a lot better basketball. …
“I think there was a reality check that we have to pay better to beat teams. But I do see a difference. I see a difference in our chemistry. I see a difference in our togetherness and want to win. We’re going to play better.”
Rim shots
La Rocque knows McKale Center pretty well. Lute Olson was her godfather. Her dad, Al, played for Olson at Long Beach City College. She spent many summers in Tucson watching practice and eating Mexican food.
“In a lot of ways this feels like home, because I have been here so much,” La Rocque said. “(When I walked into McKale) they were like, ‘No, down this hallway.’ I was like, ‘No, I know where I am going.’ I’m comfortable here. I love the people here, the history, the tradition.”
