Arizona opened the 2020-21 women’s basketball season ranked No. 7 nationally and quickly ran off a seven-game winning streak. Then the Wildcats lost to Stanford.
Undeterred, Arizona soon won seven consecutive games again, returning to the No. 7 ranking — and then lost to Stanford.
As a season interrupted by COVID-19 continued, so did the Arizona-Stanford pattern. On April 4, the Wildcats and Cardinal met for the national championship at the Alamodome. Arizona had won five straight. Stanford? It had won 19 straight and was 30-2 overall.
“If you want to be the best, you’ve got to beat Stanford,’’ said Arizona coach Adia Barnes, who seemed to relish the opportunity. “Nobody’s going to be scared.’’
Indeed, the ’21 Wildcats created a storybook ride through the NCAA Tournament, a strange and unpredictable journey in which all games were played in San Antonio, most without fans allowed in the arena.
After opening with a blowout victory over Stony Brook, the Wildcats rallied to overcome BYU’s 43-39 lead in the final four minutes to win 52-46 and reach the Sweet 16.
Senior point guard Aari McDonald soon became the lead story of the NCAA Tournament. She had 31 points in a blowout over third-seeded Texas A&M in the Sweet 16, then followed with 33 points and 11 rebounds in a decisive victory over fourth-seeded Indiana in the Elite Eight.
“We’re in the Final Four,’’ said McDonald, a spitfire, 5-foot, 6-inch point guard who was the Pac-12’s player of the year. “It’s a dream come true.’’
Few, if any, expected much more out of Arizona than a competitive performance against No. 1 UConn, which was 28-1 and had outscored its opponents by an average of 82-52 per game. Coach Geno Auriemma, who had coached the Huskies to 11 national championships, was anything but awed by McDonald and the Wildcats.
UConn was playing in its 15th consecutive Final Four.
Arizona? It hadn’t even been to a Sweet 16 since 1998.
But on the greatest day in UA women’s basketball history, Arizona stunned UConn in the Final Four, taking a 48-34 lead and winning 69-59 as McDonald scored 26 points.
Arizona’s Trinity Baptiste, left, Bendu Yeaney, center, guard UConn’s Paige Bueckers during the Final Four in 2021. UA took control early and cruised from there in the biggest win in program history.
“I literally would not have believed it if you had said we’d make it to the Final Four, let alone beat UConn and reach the championship game,’’ said UA junior Sam Thomas. “I’m speechless. It’s incredible.’’
Barnes and the Wildcats had been in San Antonio for 18 days, isolated in a hotel across the freeway from the Alamodome except for practice sessions and games. For Barnes, it was work times two. She and her husband, assistant coach Salvo Coppa, were in a large hotel suite with their two children, 6-month old Capri and 5-year-old Matteo.
“The games were almost like a break for us,’’ said Barnes. “But we never lost sight of what was at stake.’’
The Stanford-Arizona championship game was played on Arizona’s terms, which meant defense-first. The crowd of 4,604 — about 13,000 under capacity due to COVID-19 restrictions — watched as every possession seemed to be a battle.
Finally, with six seconds remaining, Arizona forced a turnover, trailing 54-53. Barnes called timeout. Everyone in the arena and an estimated ESPN audience of 4 million strongly suspected that McDonald would get the ball for the deciding shot.
They were right.
UA celebrates after its upset win over UConn in the 2021 Final Four in San Antonio. No Arizona team before that season had advance past the Sweet 16.
Stanford double-teamed McDonald but she somehow got off a 3-pointer at the buzzer. It missed. Stanford won.
“My heart is broken,’’ said Barnes. “But that last play was going to be Aari or nothing. That’s my decision as a coach.’’
Arizona probably couldn’t have played much better. Stanford had outscored its opponents by an average of 78-53.
That didn’t stop an emotional McDonald from crying during a post-game interview. “We were so close, we fought to the end,’’ she said. “It’s a game I’ll never forget.’’
Outside the Alamodome, workers hired by the NCAA hurried to put large “NCAA CHAMPIONS’’ signs on three Stanford buses parked next to three Arizona buses. Initially, one of those signs was mistakenly placed on an Arizona bus, before the workers realized their mistake and placed it on the Stanford bus.
That’s how close the ’21 Wildcats came to being national champions. One missed shot. One misplaced sign.
