Arizona is going into the more physical, interior-oriented Big 12 rather than the guard- and wing-driven Pac-12, according to comments from ninth-year coach Adia Barnes at Tuesday’s Big 12 Media Day at Kansas City.
“I think it’s a very different style of play; I think there’s a lot more girth inside in the post, a lot more players that play back to the basket and a lot bigger,” Barnes said. “We have a lot more depth inside.”
Arizona’s sophomore standouts are an example of how Barnes’ team is diversified between having an inside and outside presence.
Arizona returns one of the top young guards in the country in Jada Williams as well as emerging superstar Skylar Jones at the other guard spot or wing. Barnes also has inside player Breya Cunningham, a 6-foot-3 talent who should be stronger and more complete after going through the rigors of the Pac-12 last season.
“Breya scores a little bit more, doesn’t foul as much,” Williams said. “Skylar scores a little bit more. I have less turnovers. … Everybody just picking up slack in areas like that. We’re not the same team as last year. We’re different. We got different people. They’ve got different skills.”
Barnes’ team includes nine players listed as forwards who are at least 6-feet tall, including Cunningham. The list also has fifth-year senior Isis Beh (6-foot-3), Pepperdine transfer Jorynn Ross (6-3) and redshirt sophomore Montaya Dew (6-2).
Dew was a mid-year enrollee in 2022-23 who did not play and she sat out last season with a knee injury.
“I think we’re a very aggressive team,” Cunningham said. “We play hard. Especially last year, that being a tough season with us towards the end, only six (scholarship) players. We give it all we have. We’re a very aggressive team defensively.”
Ayoka Lee, a 6-foot-6 post player at Kansas State, is the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year. Former Arizona post player Aaronette Vonleh, who transferred to Colorado and is now at Baylor, is the Big 12 Preseason Co-Newcomer of the Year along with TCU All-American guard Hailey Van Lith.
Colorado’s Tabith Betson, a 6-2 forward from Australia, is the Big 12 Preseason Freshman of the Year.
Iowa State’s Audi Crooks, a 6-3 force inside, was a unanimous selection for the Preseason All-Big 12 team.
“Adding more depth and size inside will really help us because we know there’s a lot of big players (in the Big 12),” Barnes said. “I think it’s a fun time. I feel like with this time in the state of women’s basketball, you’re always constantly adjusting, because every team is different.
“There’s rarely teams that have all their players for four to five years now. So I think that every year they’re adding new players, adding new transfers, and that’s just kind of the way women’s basketball is. So you have to be able to pivot when you need to, and I think we’re ready for that now.”
A source of motivation for Arizona can be none of its players were selected to the Preseason All-Big 12 team and the Wildcats are picked to finish seventh.
In the 16-team conference, a No. 7 finish would be an upper-division placement, of which Barnes was accustomed to in the Pac-12. Four of her last five teams in the Pac-12 finished in the upper division.
Now, a totally new slate exists with games against Oregon, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Oregon State and Washington unfortunately a thing of the past.
Arizona is 17-19 — only 36 games — historically against its new Big 12 opponents (not including former Pac-12 mates Arizona State, Utah and Colorado). The Wildcats have never played Central Florida, Cincinnati and Kansas State.
“I’m curious to see how we’re going to adjust as a team because our style is also very different than most Big 12 teams,” Barnes said.
ARIZONA VS. NEW BIG 12 OPPONENTS
Baylor — 3-0. Last meeting: Dec. 18, 2022, Arizona 75, Baylor 54 at Dallas
BYU — 6-8. Last meeting: March 24, 2021, Arizona 52, BYU 46 at San Antonio
Houston — 0-1. Only meeting: Dec. 6, 1980, Houston 75, Arizona 59 at Tucson
Iowa State — 0-1. Only meeting: Nov. 25, 1988, Iowa State 71, Arizona 61 at Ames, Iowa
Kansas — 3-4. Last meeting: Dec. 8, 2022, Kansas 77, Arizona 50 at Tucson
Oklahoma State — 0-2. Last meeting: Dec. 4, 1994, Oklahoma State 64, Arizona 40 at Tucson
TCU — 2-1. Last meeting: April 3, 2019, Arizona 59, TCU 53 at Tucson
Texas Tech — 1-2. Last meeting: Nov. 21, 2014, Texas Tech 57, Arizona 54 at Lubbock, Texas
West Virginia — 2-0. Last meeting: March 17, 2023, Arizona 75, West Virginia 62 at College Park, Md.
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ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He is a former Arizona Daily Star beat reporter for the Arizona basketball team, including when the Wildcats won the 1996-97 NCAA title. He has also written articles for CollegeAD.com, Bleacher Report, Lindy’s Sports, TucsonCitizen.com, The Arizona Republic, Sporting News and Baseball America, among many other publications. He has also authored the book “The Highest Form of Living”, which is available at Amazon. He became an educator in 2016 and is presently a special education teacher at Sunnyside High School in the Sunnyside Unified School District.
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