Underdog Arizona Welcomes Final Four Challenge from UConn Huskies

TUCSON, AZ — The Arizona Wildcats enter the school's first women's Final Four appearance against the sport's perennial juggernaut.

The third-seeded Wildcats must tame 11-time national champion, UConn, in Friday's national semifinal contest.

They must find a way to silence a program led by Basketball Hall of Fame head coach Geno Auriemma and a who's who of well-known players, including guard Paige Bueckers, who's averaging 20.3 points per game this season.

None of the aforementioned facts bother the Wildcats roster or its head coach, Adia Barnes, however.

That's the takeaway from the team's call with members of the media on Wednesday, at least, as Barnes believes Arizona can tame anyone in the nation.

"The thing for us is that we don’t care. If we were to listen to other people, we wouldn’t have made it to the tournament or be here," Barnes said. "So I think for us it’s zero pressure. We’re playing our best basketball right now. So it’s really hard to prepare for momentum. We have momentum right now and we’re playing well. So I feel like you can beat any team in one game on any night, for sure."

Barnes' squad has won four games in the 64-team tournament, the most in school history, including its most recent, 66-53 victory over Indiana in Monday's Elite Eight.

The Wildcats have taken down the likes of Stony Brook, Brigham Young, Texas A&M — in addition to the Hoosiers — in this year's tournament and feel they have the right stuff to inflict an upset on Auriemma's team come Friday night.

It's a tall task, but one that falls in line with what Barnes has delivered since arriving in Tucson five years ago.

Barnes has taken the Wildcats from a Pac-12 Conference cellar-dweller that went 20-40 in her first two seasons at the school to one that's won 64 of its last 89 contests, including capturing the 2019 Women's National Invitational Tournament title.

"We're still are finding a way of putting our best product together at the right time," Barnes said. "And to me that's what winning a championship’s about, that how people sneak up and win. Is that it’s a very hard thing to prepare for momentum.

"And we have the right momentum at the right time and I think we have a chance to beat anybody. So is it going to be hard? Yes. But it wouldn’t be satisfying if it wasn’t hard."

Leading the charge during the tournament is fifth-year senior guard Aari McDonald, who has scored 31 and 33 points in the team's wins over Texas A&M and Indiana, respectively.

McDonald, who is fresh off being named the Pac-12's player of the year, believes she matches up well against the likes of Bueckers, as does the rest of her team against the Huskies' formidable lineup.

"We’re a defensive team ... I feel like we matchup pretty well," McDonald said. "And it’s going to be a physical game and a defensive game too."

Thomas, who is also in her senior year playing for Barnes, said the Wildcats respect the Huskies and what they've accomplished on the hardwood.

She also knows that the Wildcats can challenge anyone in the country right now and is excited to see how well her side fares against the top competition in the country.

"This is insane, playing Uconn, you don’t want to get too caught up in the name, but obviously it’s UConn. They’re coached by Geno, who’s great, credit to UConn," Thomas said. "As a freshman, I remember looking up to them and thinking that I wanted to be UConn one day. And now to actually have that chance to play against them, it’s amazing.

"I’m so glad that we get to play against UConn. No pressure’s on us. Nobody expects us to win this game. So we can go out, have fun, play free and just show the world what we can do."

The Wildcats are currently a 13.5-point underdog in Friday's Final Four contest.

Barnes doesn't care what the spread in Las Vegas is, however. She knows her team is ready to show the world what they can do on the sport's biggest stage.

"We’re trying to win," Barnes said. "We came this far, so why not go for the gold? And we’re excited."

(3) Arizona vs. (1) UConn, 6 p.m. MST Friday

TV: ESPN