With Selection Sunday almost here, Cate Reese, Arizona basketball have seen so much in terms of tourney proceedings

When it comes to Selection Sunday — or even Monday as it was during her first years in Tucson — Cate Reese has endured the good, the not-so-good, the just OK, and even the something that no one could have ever imagined.

During her five-year UA basketball career, Reese’s teams ran the gamut. The Wildcats went from on the edge of making the field in 2019, to no NCAA Tournament at all in 2020 as COVID-19 shut down the world. They played in one city during the entirety of that magical 2021 Final Four run — they lived in a bubble throughout — and just last year weren’t sure if they would be hosting games at McKale Center until that Selection Sunday announcement.

“(UA coach Adia Barnes and I) have seen it from all angles,” Reese said with a laugh. “It’s been a good run. I remember my freshman year, I was upset we didn’t make the NCAA Tournament but then ended up winning the WNIT and (McKale) selling out, being at home the whole time. I feel like that was a really good experience for my freshman year. Experiencing COVID was crazy for everyone. Being able to go to a national championship game my junior year was a dream come true.

“I’ve experienced almost everything,” she added. “We haven’t won yet. That’s still on my mind.”

UA teams are in, but where? And who will they play?

As the Arizona women’s basketball team heads into this year’s NCAA selection show — that’s Sunday at 5 p.m. on ESPN; the men’s selection show is at 3 p.m. on CBS — this much is the case to both UA teams this year: Barnes’ team and UA men’s coach Tommy Lloyd’s group each face the similar scenario of knowing they made it, but just waiting to see who their opponent will be and where they will play.

Which translates into no nerves on Sunday this year for Reese and her teammates. They are just going to sit back and enjoy the show.

Just a few weeks ago, the Wildcats were sitting pretty. They had just swept two ranked teams in Utah and Colorado and were about to be revealed as the No. 15 team in the country — meaning if the NCAA Tournament would have started at that moment, Arizona would have hosted.

Then, Arizona dropped two games at the Oregon schools and couldn’t recover to beat UCLA at the Pac-12 Tournament last week. The opportunity to host was all but gone.

Now, all that’s in the past. The Wildcats have no control on where the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee places them. Yet, they still have quite the resume despite that late-season snag.

Arizona beat five ranked opponents and won 21 games. A few of the losses look better, too. That includes a loss at Utah — falling by one point on the road is considered a “good loss” — and one at home Washington State, which looks better now that the Cougars are the Pac-12 Tournament champions.

Last season, the Wildcats beat only two ranked opponents and won 20 games in the regular season. In addition, Reese injured her shoulder towards the end of the year. While she ended up playing in the NCAA Tournament, she was concerned about her upcoming surgery. She scored 16 points in the first round win over UNLV — mainly on will and adrenaline. The second game, nursing a tired shoulder, she mustered six points, five rebounds, a block and two assists.

Reese is excited to not have to worry about her shoulder this time around and play all out — especially as it is her last go-around.

“I want to end on a good note,” Reese said. “We might have a potential to be able to make a run because people may not know ... who we are and what we do. That might be in our favor.

“We just we need to go out there and play,” she added. “It’s basically a new season. Now everyone’s zero-zero at this point. Go out there and play as hard as we can. If we win, or we lose, leave it all on the floor, knowing that we did everything we could.”

Path via Seattle might be welcoming to Barnes’ Cats

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ESPN’s Charlie Creme has UA at a six-seed and potentially going to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Last week, he had the Wildcats going to South Bend. In both instances, if UA ends up reaching the Sweet Sixteen, they will be headed to Seattle. Being a better travel destination for fans might be one benefit of Arizona ending up in Seattle. Another: the city is Barnes’ former home, where she won a WNBA Championship with the Seattle Storm and was an assistant at UW, helping the Huskies reach the 2016 Final Four. The may just feel like a home crowd for the Wildcats.

When the field is announced Sunday, it will officially be three straight years of making the NCAA Tournament in Barnes’ coaching era. For a program that went 13 seasons without a record over .500, to win 20 or more games five seasons in a row, to be ranked week after week and to be back on the national map is clearly quite the accomplishment.

Yet, Barnes is the first to say there is more to come.

As a competitor, she wants to consistently reach Sweet Sixteens, Elite Eights and Final Fours — to not just get back to the championship game, but win it next time. Barnes knows it takes time and it’s not easy, but her vision for the program is to be a powerhouse remains.

“Every year, it’s not a surprise if we have a top five (recruiting) class or a number one (recruiting) class. Every year, you’re not losing the first to second round. I don’t want that,” Barnes said. “I want us to go deep and have a chance to because then you have chances to win. You know with a little bit luck you can. I’m trying to build it to where (the program) just stays on top of the country. And that’s hard to do.”

But first things first. This week it’s all about these Wildcats and where their postseason takes them. It’s about tenacious defense and playing together as a team on offense.

If, they can do that, Barnes said, “I’ve seen the team that can beat anybody in the country.”

Rim Shot

New national campaigns for freshmen Maya Nnaji and Kailyn Gilbert are set to be rolled out for Cricket Wireless. Both Wildcats are being selective on the NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) deals they ultimately choose and are working with Danielle Adefeso, the former UA standout and owner of Elevated Sports Group.

“I think at the end of the day any deal you get for Maya or any player, you are excited because women are being left out in some of these conversations,” Adefeso said. “Any deal I get for them, I’m grateful. I’m grateful that they see the potential that I see or that they understand her power as a women’s basketball player. Her post for Dunkin’ Donuts — the day in the life with Maya — had over 225,000 (Instagram) views. The fact that Cricket is recognizing that and they’re excited to have her. They understand. They get it. Those are the companies you want to work with work with, who admire and appreciate women’s sports.”

Adefeso is an entrepreneur who saw an opportunity to help student-athletes, especially Wildcats. She also owns HGHT — designing clothes for players in the NBA — styled Barnes this season and helped another former UA standout, Sam Thomas, develop her clothing line last season.

The themes of Gilbert’s campaign are “Award Winning” and “Always Working” and will show her in the gym. Nnaji’s campaign is “Staying Connected,” which will feature Nnaji’s connection with her family. The first branded social media posts are Sunday, in correlation with March Madness.

Nnaji and Gilbert are having a meet-and-greet event Sunday at Trident Pizza Pub, 446 N. Campbell Ave., Suite 100, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. They will be in person after the Selection Sunday show. There will be merchandise for sale. Additionally, a portion of sales for Nnaji will be going to charity.

Gilbert & Nnaji also have a smaller local NIL deal with Trident Pizza Pub.