Arizona women’s basketball has a little extra incentive in the first round of the WBIT.
The No. 2-seeded Wildcats (19-13) are facing NAU (26-7), a team they lost to in Flagstaff back on Nov. 20 – just six games into the season.
Both teams look much different now, however that urge to avenge that loss, is still strong for the Wildcats.
“That was a really rough game,” Skylar Jones said. “They did us really bad … they manhandled us. But now we get a chance to play them again on our terms, on our turf. I am excited for that.”
This time around, it means more – to both teams. They are playing for the right to keep their season going and face a second-round opponent.
But there is another level to wanting to win this first game.
NAU went on to become the Big Sky regular season champions but lost in the second round of the league tournament to Montana in a come from behind victory. Montana took a two-point lead with 37 seconds left and eventually won 71-67.
Wildcats guard Skylar Jones (4) passes the ball during the first half of the game against ASU at Desert Financial Arena, March 1, 2025.
The Lumberjacks missed out on the automatic qualifier for the NCAA Tournament and didn’t earn an at-large bid. They were not the only team this happened to. Looking at the field of the WBIT, teams like Portland, Middle Tennessee and UNLV are in the same boat.
Others, like Arizona, No. 1 Virginia Tech, No. 2 Minnesota, No. 1 Saint Joseph’s, No. 1 James Madison and No. 1 Colorado, were all bubble teams.
On top of that, there is a No. 2 Stanford, who with a new coach in Kate Paye (longtime assistant to former legendary Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer), didn’t make the Big Dance for the first time in 36 years.
All of these teams also have something to prove: that the NCAA made a mistake not including them in the field of 68 for the NCAA Tournament.
Which means, the WBIT, “is a super competitive – a lot better than I anticipated tournament,” Arizona coach Adia Barnes said.
Among these schools are six teams that played in the NCAA Tournament last year, including Arizona, which shows the “parity” in the sport, Barnes said.
She went on to say that “The Pac-12 had a lot more respect and it was the premier conference in the country.”
“I think the Big 12 is a great conference, but I don’t think we get as much respect (from) the NCAA (Selection) Committee as it should be,” Barnes said. “I think Iowa State should not be a play-in game at all when I compare them to other teams that got in (and were) 10th in their conference. I think that our conference should be respected a lot more, because there are really good teams and some of our teams had injuries at the top and still performed well.
“That’s why I was surprised. These are all (NCAA) Tournament teams. UNLV is a Tournament team. NAU, us, Colorado, Stanford, Middle Tennessee, Gonzaga. … A lot of good teams, so (it’s) very competitive.”
Down one, possibly two
The Wildcats will not be going into the WBIT at full strength.
We already knew that Montaya Dew was out for the rest of the season. We learned Monday that Dew had surgery on Friday to repair her “meniscus and other things,” Barnes said.
“I was hoping; I was optimistic, but she had MRI, and it was not conclusive,” Barnes said. “They had to go in and scope it out to see what the situation was. Unfortunately, she’ll be out for a while, which is too bad. I’m really sad about that.”
Arizona forward Montaya Dew, left, slips by Texas Tech guard Kilah Freelon to get a shot in the third quarter of their Big 12 game Feb. 25, 2025, at McKale Center.
The other Wildcat who hasn’t decided whether she will play is Jada Williams. Williams has been playing on an injured foot all season and doesn’t know if she’ll be able to play or have to shut it down. From what the doctors said last month – Arizona and a second opinion from the Phoenix Suns – this injury most likely will get better with rest.
Williams sat out of practice a lot during the season to save everything up for games.
Barnes said she has to decide “If she’s willing to play in the WBIT.”
One Wildcat who is going to play is Jones. Jones has been in pain most of the season with plantar fasciitis in her foot. Jones and Williams have both worn boots when not playing.
“We made it and I’m gonna play in it,” Jones said. “I’m going to thug it out because I am not a loser. I am not a quitter. I didn’t really have any second thoughts about it.”
This is Jones’ first injury in her basketball career and she’s just played through the pain. She’s resilient and toughs it out. There have been days that Barnes and the medical staff didn’t want her to practice, but Jones was always pushing to do so.
“It’s not to the point where I wouldn’t want to play for my teammates,” Jones said.
Barnes piped in: “I think that is important because it shows the type of teammate you are. It shows how much pride you have in Arizona, because a lot of people wouldn’t have done that.
“What players don’t understand is there are decisions that you make that you live with for the rest of your career. I think that when you’re somewhere, there has to be pride of playing somewhere, and you have to finish what you started, regardless of your transferring or staying. It doesn’t matter. I think that there’s a sense of pride and you play for your teammates and you play for yourself, and I think everybody pays attention to that, so it only helps you.”
Barnes added that for Jones, playing another week or so, doesn’t harm her foot and won’t put her at risk. It’s all about resting after the season is over.
Barnes is always extra cautious of bringing any injured Wildcat back. She focuses on the total health of the player.
“On the men’s side, this would not be possible,” Barnes said “On the men’s side, no one would do it. Maybe everybody is one foot out the door. Those are things I respect and love about female athletes and where we’re at. But it’s not like that at every program.”
Rim Shots
Jones and Isis Beh were happy they had a week off last week.
Jones slept late and hung out with her dog, while Beh actually had a spring break for the first time in six years.
“I think mentally that break was more beneficial than practicing for 10 days,” Barnes said. “The mental break of being gone is sometimes even more important than basketball for this generation and where we’re at. They were all living their best life.”
Emails went out to season ticket holders and others from Arizona Athletics stating that prices for the NAU game are $46 for courtside seats and $26 for the rest of the arena.
Tickets went on sale for season ticket holders on Monday morning. They will be available to the general public at 9 a.m. Tuesday.
