NCAA Tournament notebook: Adia Barnes' Wildcats carried '10 Toes Down' mantra all the way through NCAA tourney victory

STORRS, Conn. — One thing Arizona fans have learned about this year’s group of Wildcats: They never give up.

When their backs are against the wall, they are going to keep fighting until that clock clicks to all zeroes.

It’s a testament to what they’ve collectively been through as a team this season. It’s well-known that three Wildcats had season-ending injuries, and two players left the program. The seven who remained (the team added one walk-on in February, too) have said they’ve just bonded more each time something happened.

Over the course of the season, they’ve developed a motto “Ten Toes Down” and Arizona coach Adia Barnes had that printed up on T-shirts and sweatshirts for the team. It’s everywhere — on team white boards, even the main decoration in the team’s conference room at the hotel this week.

“Ten toes down in everything we do. We’re doing it for each other … we’re standing for us,” Breya Cunningham said.

Barnes added: “We have a really cohesive group that really plays for each other, and they play for us as coaches and they care.”

This year’s team is clearly led by fifth-year Helena Pueyo, who played her final college game Saturday in the Wildcats’ 74-69 loss to Syracuse in the First Round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. For the second straight game, Pueyo scored eight fourth-quarter points; she scored 14 total Saturday after 16 in the Wildcats’ “First Four” play-in victory over Auburn Thursday night.

“Helena (Pueyo) is the most unselfish player I’ve ever coached. It’s not about her. It’s not about her stats. It’s just whatever it takes,” Barnes said.

As part of this mentality, the Wildcats have said that they will play anyone, anywhere. That took hold in the NCAA Tournament, as they were unfazed in being slotted across the country in Storrs, Connecticut, on the court of 11-time National Champion UConn, for the tournament’s opening weekend.

The weather in this part of the country has proven, even in just a few days, much different than Tucson, including blustery winds, low temperatures and a dark, cold rainy day Saturday.

But considering the Wildcats weren’t projected to be in the NCAA Tournament at all back in January, none of that — nor the nearly-50-minute drive from the team hotel near Hartford’s Bradley International Airport — proved to not matter much once they took the court.

Barnes referred to the team’s uptick after the calendar turned to February as a result of “addition by subtraction.”

“I think that our unselfishness, our cohesiveness, our togetherness shows on the court through our defense,” she said. “If you’re not a cohesive unit, it shows in defense.

“If you look at all fragmented teams that play defense, if you’re not together, you don’t have each other’s back, you’re not going to play defense, because you’re not giving help, you’re not going to do the hard things, you’re not going to rotate or you’re not going to help the helper,” she added. “Those are things that show, and I think it also shows an offense with giving up shots, giving up a good shot to get your teammate a great shot.”

As for the “10 toes down” mantra, how did it come about?

“I was talking to the team in the locker room, and then the girls said — one of them said — it was actually Jada (Williams). She was like, ‘We’re 10 toes down,” Barnes said. “We’re just going to play. We don’t care if it’s five, six, seven, we got it.”

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“It was really a powerful moment. I made sweatshirts for it and stuff.”

Taking the (cold) plunge

With a limited bench, the Wildcats have taken time to focus on their recovery as the season wore on. That carried over into the NCAA Tournament.

First, there were cold plunges after practice on Wednesday and Friday, as well as after Thursday’s game. In addition, Pueyo and Williams were able to find a local holistic health services outlet, Resort Hyper Wellness in West Hartford, that specializes in cryotherapy.

In addition to whole-body cryotherapy, Pueyo had some extra work done on her ankle while Williams focused on her elbow.

Tough tourney ticket?

Third-seeded UConn, the pod’s host in Storrs, and 14 seed Jackson State tipped off before Arizona’s game. That home game for the Huskies was deemed a sellout, with official Gampel Pavilion attendance at 10,299.

The last time the Huskies hosted a sellout in a first-round NCAA Tournament game was in 2002. UConn dominated Saint Francis, 86-37, with a lineup of Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Swin Cash, Asjha Jones and Tamika Williams.

One fan, who said he couldn’t believe a first-round tournament sellout hasn’t happened since the Bird-Taurasi days is Martin Kelly, 65.

“It’s pretty exciting and it’s great to see people come out,” Kelly said. “I love this building.”

He has a unique connection to UConn. He was a trainer for the school 31 years ago. He worked with a number of sports including women’s and men’s basketball during his tenure.

“I remember a young Geno (Auriemma) and Jim Calhoun,” Kelly said. “(Geno) was fair, a great teacher and the girls loved him. There was definitely a bond there. Same with Jim Calhoun. He’s probably one of the finest coaches I’ve ever worked with and I’ve worked with a lot. Definitely a good teacher and a great professional.”

Gampel also holds special memories for Kelly. He took his wife on their first date there and actually proposed on the court.

He said he got down on one knee and the arena was empty. When asked if he planned it, he shook his head and said, “It was somewhat spontaneous and she said ‘Yes.’”<&rule>

Photos: Syracuse takes over late, defeats Arizona 74-69 in NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament first round