Arizona Wildcats women's basketball

Arizona Wildcats women's basketball
Arizona Wildcats women's basketball
	2024–25 Arizona Wildcats women's basketball team
University	University of Arizona
First season	1972; 52 years ago
Head coach	Adia Barnes (9th season)
Conference	Big 12
Location	Tucson, Arizona
Arena	McKale Center ; (capacity: 14,545)
Nickname	Wildcats
Colors	Cardinal and navy;
Uniforms
Home	Away ;
NCAA tournament runner-up
	2021
NCAA tournament Final Four
	2021
NCAA tournament Elite Eight
	2021
NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen
	1998, 2021
NCAA tournament round of 32
	1997, 1999, 2000, 2005, 2021, 2022, 2023
NCAA tournament appearances
	1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024

The Arizona Wildcats women's basketball program is the official women's basketball program at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. Basketball is one of eleven women's sports at the University of Arizona. The team is a Division I member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Big 12 athletic conference. The team's home venue is the McKale Center, which seats 14,545 fans. The official team colors are cardinal red and navy blue. The Wildcats have qualified for eight NCAA Tournaments. On August 4, 2023, Arizona announced it would join the Big 12 Conference along with Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah beginning in the 2024-25 academic year.^[2]

For most of its history, the women’s basketball program has been playing in the shadow of its men’s counterpart, leading to many losing seasons. However, in recent years, the women’s team has been improving their success in winning, mostly due to coaching regime and talent, and captured the Women’s National Invitational Tournament (WNIT) championship in 2019. They made the Final Four for the first time in 2021 and defeated UConn to qualify for the National Championship game. They would lose to Stanford in the National Championship.

Program history

Female students at the University of Arizona first requested a women's basketball team in 1912, but were denied. Women played "inter-class" games for the first time in 1921. The juniors won. The following year, the school organized games with players from sororities and dormitories. Intercollegiate competition began in 1923, and a "Varsity" team played Arizona State University. This system persisted until 1971, when the UA joined the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) as a charter member.

The team was a member of the Intermountain Conference.^[3] The University of Arizona Athletic Department cites the first official season of women's basketball at the University of Arizona as the 1972–73 season, following the Title IX federal legislation that requires state-supported institutions to offer equal opportunity to men's and women's programs. The team finished their first season with a winning 8–4 record. In 1979, the University of Arizona, along with Arizona State University and five schools in southern California joined to form the Western Collegiate Athletic Association.

The team became a member of the NCAA in 1981, when the NCAA absorbed the AIAW. In 1985, the school joined the Pacific-West Conference, which became the Pac-10 the following season and the Pac-12 in 2011.^[4] As of the outset of the 2015–16 season, the all-time team record was 537–642. The Wildcats were runners-up at the Pac-10 Conference championship tournament in 2003 and 2004, marking their most successful conference finishes. The team made appearances in the NCAA Tournament in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2021 and in the Women's National Invitational Tournament in 1996, 2001, 2011, and 2019, while winning it all in 1996 and 2019.^[5]

In 2021, the team beat UConn in the Final Four of the NCAA Women’s Basketball championship. They lost the championship game against Stanford 53–54. ^[6]

Season-by-season results

Sources:^[7]^[8]

Statistics overview
Season	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Postseason
Lois Sheldahl (Intermountain Athletic Conference) (1972–1974)
1972–73	Lois Sheldahl	8–4
1973–74	Lois Sheldahl	11–4
Lois Sheldahl:		19–8 (.704)
Nancy Trego (Intermountain Athletic Conference) (1974–1978)
1974–75	Nancy Trego	12–4	9–2	T-2nd
1975–76	Nancy Trego	6–8	6–7
1976–77	Nancy Trego	3–13	3–11
1977–78	Nancy Trego	4–13	3–10
Nancy Trego:		25–38 (.397)	21–30 (.412)
Lori Woodman (Intermountain Athletic Conference) (1978–1979)
1978–79	Lori Woodman	6–18	5–8	T-8th
Lori Woodman:		6–18 (.250)	5–8 (.385)
Lori Woodman (WCAA) (1979–1980)
1979–80	Lori Woodman	9–17	1–11	7th
Lori Woodman:		9–17 (.346)	1–11 (.083)
Judy LeWinter (WCAA) (1980–1985)
1980–81	Judy LeWinter	2–21	1–11	7th
1981-82	Judy LeWinter	10–21	0–12	7th
1982-83	Judy LeWinter	10–17	2–12	T-7th
1983-84	Judy LeWinter	8–20	1–13	T-7th
1984-85	Judy LeWinter	7–21	1–13	8th
Judy LeWinter:		37–100 (.270)	5–61 (.076)
Wendy Larry (PacWest) (1985–1986)
1985–86	Wendy Larry	19–9	4–4	T-2nd
Wendy Larry:		19–9 (.679)	4–4 (.500)
Wendy Larry (Pac-10) (1986–1987)
1986–87	Wendy Larry	11–18	4–14	T-8th
Wendy Larry:		11–18 (.379)	4–14 (.222)
June Olkowski (Pac-10) (1987–1991)
1987–88	June Olkowski	5–23	2–16	10th
1988–89	June Olkowski	11–17	6–12	T-8th
1989–90	June Olkowski	12–17	5–13	T-8th
1990–91	June Olkowski	6–25	1–17	10th
June Olkowski:		34–82 (.293)	14–58 (.194)
Joan Bonvicini (Pac-10) (1991–2008)
1991–92	Joan Bonvicini	9–19	3–15	10th
1992–93	Joan Bonvicini	13–14	7–11	8th
1993–94	Joan Bonvicini	15–12	8–10	7th
1994–95	Joan Bonvicini	11–19	6–12	7th
1995–96	Joan Bonvicini	22–8	10–8	T-3rd
1996–97	Joan Bonvicini	23–8	12–6	T-4th	NCAA Division I Round of 32
1997–98	Joan Bonvicini	23–7	14–4	T-2nd	NCAA Division I Sweet 16
1998–99	Joan Bonvicini	18–11	12–6	4th	NCAA Division I Round of 32
1999-00	Joan Bonvicini	25–7	13–5	T-2nd	NCAA Division I Round of 32
2000–01	Joan Bonvicini	20–12	9–9	5th
2001–02	Joan Bonvicini	14–14	10–8	T-6th
2002–03	Joan Bonvicini	21–8	12–4	T-2nd	NCAA Division I First Round
2003–04	Joan Bonvicini	24–9	14–4	T-1st	NCAA Division I First Round
2004–05	Joan Bonvicini	20–12	11–7	5th	NCAA Division I Round of 32
2005–06	Joan Bonvicini	8–22	3–15	9th
2006–07	Joan Bonvicini	11–21	4–14	10th
2007–08	Joan Bonvicini	10–20	4–14	T-8th
Joan Bonvicini:		287–223 (.563)	152–152 (.500)
Niya Butts (Pac-10/Pac-12) (2008–2016)
2008–09	Niya Butts	12–19	4–14	T-8th
2009–10	Niya Butts	14–17	6–12	8th
2010–11	Niya Butts	21–12	10–8	4th	WNIT First Round
2011–12	Niya Butts	15–17	3–15	12th
2012–13	Niya Butts	12–18	4–14	T-10th
2013–14	Niya Butts	5–25	1–12	12th
2014–15	Niya Butts	10–20	3–15	T-11th
2015–16	Niya Butts	13–19	3–15	11th
Niya Butts:		102–147 (.410)	34–105 (.245)
Adia Barnes (Pac-12) (2016–2024)
2016–17	Adia Barnes	14–16	5–13	T-9th
2017–18	Adia Barnes	6–24	2–16	11th
2018–19	Adia Barnes	24–13	7–11	8th	WNIT champions
2019–20	Adia Barnes	24–7	12–6	4th	Postseason not held
2020–21	Adia Barnes	21–6	13–4	3rd	NCAA Runner-Up
2021–22	Adia Barnes	21–8	10–6	4th	NCAA Division I Round of 32
2022–23	Adia Barnes	22–10	11–7	4th	NCAA Division I Round of 32
2023–24	Adia Barnes	18–15	8–10	7th	NCAA First Round
Adia Barnes (Big 12) (2024–present)
2024–25	Adia Barnes
Arizona:		150–99 (.602)	68–73 (.482)
Total:		699–759 (.479)	368–579 (.389)
National champion Postseason invitational champion Conference regular season champion Conference regular season and conference tournament champion Division regular season champion Division regular season and conference tournament champion Conference tournament champion

Playing abroad

The Wildcats have played in Australia, France, Puerto Rico, and Italy.^[3]

NCAA tournament results

The Wildcats have appeared in the NCAA Tournament eleven times. Their combined record is 13–10.

Year	Seed	Round	Opponent	Result
1997	No. 7	First Round Second Round	No. 10 Western Kentucky No. 2 Georgia	W 76−54 L 74−80
1998	No. 3	First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen	No. 14 Santa Clara No. 6 Virginia No. 2 UConn	W 75−63 W 94−77 L 57−74
1999	No. 6	First Round Second Round	No. 11 Florida No. 3 Rutgers	W 87−84 (OT) L 47−90
2000	No. 8	First Round Second Round	No. 9 Kent State No. 1 Tennessee	W 73−61 L 60−75
2003	No. 6	First Round	No. 11 Notre Dame	L 47−59
2004	No. 9	First Round	No. 8 Michigan State	L 60−72
2005	No. 9	First Round Second Round	No. 8 Oklahoma No. 1 LSU	W 72−69 L 43−76
2021	No. 3	First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four National Championship	No. 14 Stony Brook No. 11 BYU No. 2 Texas A&M No. 4 Indiana No. 1 UConn No. 1 Stanford	W 79–44 W 52–46 W 74–59 W 66–53 W 69–59 L 53–54
2022	No. 4	First Round Second Round	No. 13 UNLV No. 5 North Carolina	W 72–67 L 45–63
2023	No. 7	First Round Second Round	No. 10 West Virginia No. 2 Maryland	W 75–62 L 64–77
2024	No. 11	First Four First round	No. 11 Auburn No. 6 Syracuse	W 69–59 L 69-74

WNIT

Source^[9]

The Wildcats have appeared In the Women's National Invitation Tournament three times. The combined record is 7 – 2.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
2001	First	Pepperdine	W 85–65
2001	Second	New Mexico	L 75–62
2011	First	Utah State	L 103–95
2019	Round 1	Idaho State	W 66–56
	Round 2	Pacific	W 64–48
	Round 3	Idaho	W 68–60
	Quarterfinals	Wyoming	W 67–45
	Semifinals	TCU	W 59–53
	Championship	Northwestern	W 56–42

References

^ "Colors | University of Arizona Brand Resources". Retrieved September 9, 2022.
^ Robbins, Robert C. (August 4, 2023). "University of Arizona Will Join the Big 12 Conference in 2024-25". University of Arizona Athletics.
^ ^a ^b "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-12. Retrieved March 11, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ "Pac-10 changing name to Pac-12 with new adds". ESPN.com. 27 July 2010.
^ "2015–16 Quick Facts/General Information" (PDF). University of Arizona Wildcats, Women’s Basketball. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
^ McCarriston, Shanna (April 3, 2021). "2021 NCAA Women's Final Four: No. 3 Arizona shocks No. 1 UConn as huge underdog, advances to title game". CBS. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
^ "2022-23 Arizona Wildcats Women's Basketball Media Guide" (PDF). University of Arizona. Retrieved 24 Nov 2022.
^ "Women's Basketball Standings". pac-12.com. Archived from the original on June 12, 2020. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
^ "Archived Fields (PDF) - WNIT Pre and Post Tournament" (PDF). womensnit.com. Retrieved 2023-04-18.

External links

Official website

[1] "Colors | University of Arizona Brand Resources". Retrieved September 9, 2022.

[2] Robbins, Robert C. (August 4, 2023). "University of Arizona Will Join the Big 12 Conference in 2024-25". University of Arizona Athletics.

[auto-3] "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-12. Retrieved March 11, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[4] "Pac-10 changing name to Pac-12 with new adds". ESPN.com. 27 July 2010.

[5] "2015–16 Quick Facts/General Information" (PDF). University of Arizona Wildcats, Women’s Basketball. Retrieved April 3, 2021.

[6] McCarriston, Shanna (April 3, 2021). "2021 NCAA Women's Final Four: No. 3 Arizona shocks No. 1 UConn as huge underdog, advances to title game". CBS. Retrieved April 3, 2021.

[7] "2022-23 Arizona Wildcats Women's Basketball Media Guide" (PDF). University of Arizona. Retrieved 24 Nov 2022.

[8] "Women's Basketball Standings". pac-12.com. Archived from the original on June 12, 2020. Retrieved 2022-11-24.

[9] "Archived Fields (PDF) - WNIT Pre and Post Tournament" (PDF). womensnit.com. Retrieved 2023-04-18.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

v t e Arizona Wildcats women's basketball
Venues	Bear Down Gym (1972–1973) McKale Center (1973–present)
Culture & lore	Wilbur and Wilma "Fight! Wildcats! Fight!"
People	Head coaches
Seasons	1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
NCAA Final Four appearance in italics

v t e Big 12 Conference women's basketball
Current teams	Arizona Wildcats Arizona State Sun Devils Baylor Bears BYU Cougars Cincinnati Bearcats Colorado Buffaloes Houston Cougars Iowa State Cyclones Kansas Jayhawks Kansas State Wildcats Oklahoma State Cowgirls TCU Horned Frogs Texas Tech Lady Raiders UCF Knights Utah Utes West Virginia Mountaineers
Championships & awards	Big 12 Conference women's basketball tournament Player of the Year
Conference challenges	Big 12/SEC Women's Challenge (2013–2023) Coast-to-Coast Challenge (2021–2022)
Seasons	1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25