The Arizona Wildcats can punch their ticket to the Sweet 16 today, when they take on BYU in an NCAA Tournament second-round game played in San Antonio.
Here's everything you need to know about today's game:
The basics
β’ What: NCAA Tournament, second round: No. 3 seed Arizona vs. No. 11 seed BYUΒ
β’ When: 4 p.m.
β’ TV: ESPNU
β’ Radio: 1400-AM
How they got here
β’ Arizona: Dismantled Stony Brook in Monday's NCAA Tournament opener after making the Big Dance as an at-large team.
β’ BYU: Stunned Rutgers in Monday's first round, notching the first upset of the 2021 tournament.
Who to watch
β’ Arizona is led by All-American guard Aari McDonald, the reigning Pac-12 player of the year and a finalist for multiple national awards. But, as the Star's PJ Brown explains, forward Cate Reese might be the key for the Wildcats in the tournament. Put simply, the UA wins when she plays well and struggles when she doesn't.
β’ BYU is led by Phoenix native Shaylee Gonzales, who averages 18.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game and was recently named WCC Player of the Year.
Coach's corner
UA women's basketball head coach Adia Barnes believes Arizona's second round opponent in the NCAA Tournament has one of the best defenses in the country.
Scouting BYU
Former Star reporter Norma Gonzalez, who now covers BYU for the Salt Lake Tribune had this to say about the Cougars:
"Paisley Harding is tough and athletic, mix her in with Shaylee Gonzales, whoβs the teamβs leading scorer, and the Cougars have a great 1-2 punch. Then thereβs Lauren Gustin, a sophomore transfer, who was averaging a double-double throughout the season, but her specialty is getting boards," she said.
βThe biggest defensive presence is Sara Hamson.β
Coach Jeff Judkins told Gonzalez before the West Coast Conference tournament that this squad was the βmost balanced team Iβve had.β
βWhat I mean by that is, not so much scoring, itβs balance of lineups. I can play big, I can play small, I can play average. Iβve got shooters, Iβve got bigs that are good inside, bigs that can shoot,β he said.
Read up on the Wildcats
β’ Here's a look at Wednesday's game preview, focusing on Cate Reese.
β’ Listen to our podcast recapping Monday's win and looking ahead to Wednesday.
β’ Adia Barnes believes consistency is key as Arizona prepares for its biggest game of the season.
β’ Greg Hansen argues that, given how Arizona played in Monday's opener, the Wildcats have what it takes for a deep run.
β’ Here's a look back at Arizona's throttling of Stony Brook. These numbers help explain how the Wildcats did it.
β’ Meet the Arizona Wildcats' roster here.
β’ See what makes McDonald the "perfect leader."
β’ Arizona's return to the tournament fulfills a vision shared by Trinity Baptiste.
β’ Former UA coach Joan Bonvicini says the Wildcats will be judged by how they play in March.
β’ Barnes' NCAA Tournament experience as a player and Washington assistant could help the Cats.
β’ Greg Hansen says equity is more important than ever as the Wildcats make their NCAA return.
β’ We rank Barnes' best wins here.
More in our special section
Read about all this and more in the Star's NCAA Tournament special section, which ran in Sunday's paper. The PDF is below, and attached underneath this story.
