The Arizona Wildcats women’s basketball program appear to be on an upswing under long-time coach Adia Barnes as they join the Big 12 Conference.
After leading the Wildcats to the national championship game in 2021, the former Arizona forward and three-time All-Pac-10 selection hasn’t gotten her program back to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament since then.
But, with a roster that features a mix of holdovers, quality transfers and recruits, Arizona could be poised to make noise in the Big 12 and break through that first weekend barrier in March.
While last season snapped the Wildcats’ five-season streak of 20 or more wins (Arizona went 18-16 last year), Arizona has been to each of the last four NCAA Tournaments.
Here’s a preview of the Arizona Wildcats’ upcoming season.
Odds
Vegas Insider’s opening line gave the Wildcats +50000 odds to win the national title. The Big 12 coaches selected Arizona to finish seventh in the league in the preseason poll.
Three Players to Watch
G Jada Williams: Last year’s top four scorers are gone, so it’s up the sophomore to take the lead. She was selected All-Pac-12 Freshman after he averaged 9.5 points and more than two assists per game. She logged more than 1,000 minutes a season ago.
F Breya Cunningham: Another sophomore, she started nearly every game she played last season and averaged 7.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. The former McDonald’s All-American was selected Pac-12 All-Freshman Honorable Mention last season. The 6-4 interior player should take a step up this season.
F Ajay Yoakum: The 6-foot forward is one of only two seniors or graudate students on the roster. Arizona imported her from FIU, where she was an all-CUSA Honorable Mention last season for the Panthers, as she averaged 10.4 points.
Biggest Strength
Last year’s core. Barnes has a group of players that, if she can keep them together, will form the core of success for the future. Along with Williams and Cunningham, there is sophomore guard Skylar Jones, who was also Pac-12 All-Freshman Team Honorable Mention. This trio could grow into something special.
Biggest Weakness
Youth. Yes, Williams, Cunningham and Jones are sophomores. But they’re experienced. Barnes has three freshmen — including four-star recruit Lauryn Swann. Several players either didn’t play a year ago (Erin Tack, Montaya Dew) or are transfers that played little at their former schools (Sahnya Jah, Brooklyn Rhodes, Paulina Paris). There’s a lot of unknown on this team.
Season Prediction
Barnes has managed sustained success at Arizona. Whether this team make a leap back to the 20-win mark depends on the development of nearly the entire roster. You can see that as a positive or a negative. The Wildcats should be in the range of 19-21 victories as they head to the Big 12 Tournament.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
