Six seasons after Arizona and Stanford battled for the NCAA women’s basketball national championship, the former Pac-10/12 foes will meet again Monday in the season opener for both teams.
The Wildcats and Cardinal will play at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas as part of the Hall of Fame Series. Tipoff is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Arizona time on CBS Sports Network. Jordan Kent, Ice Young & Jordan Giorgio will be the broadcasters. Derrick Palmer will handle the play-by-play on 1400-AM.
Arizona’s men’s team will play at 8 p.m. at T-Mobile against rival UCLA.
The matchup of Arizona and Stanford brings together two programs that have experienced significant roster turnover and are looking to regain their footing among the nation’s top teams.
Both Arizona and Stanford were picked 13th in their respective conference preseason polls, making Monday’s matchup an important early measuring stick for two programs with championship histories.
Arizona head coach Becky Burke enters her second season in Tucson after taking over a program that reached the national championship game in 2021 under Adia Barnes. Burke has made significant changes to the roster, bringing in 11 newcomers while retaining just two players from last season.
Burke understands that the historical significance of the matchup but believes the focus needs to be on the current teams.
“I think both sides probably feel pretty similar,” Burke said. “People are probably saying Arizona isn’t what it was three or four years ago for us. And they’re certainly saying that about Stanford right now. But ultimately, at the end of the day, if you get a win against Stanford across the chest, we’re going to feel pretty dang good about that, and I think they would say the same about Arizona.”
Burke added her team and program is looking to what’s ahead, not about what the past held with Stanford.
“It’s not about what happened in the past,” she stated. “It’s about who they are right now. It’s about who we are right now. And you’ve got two really, really well-known nationally recognized programs in women’s basketball that are going to go at it on Monday.
“It’s a really important game for both of us.”
Burke has aggressively reshaped Arizona’s roster, adding experienced players through the transfer portal while bringing in a highly regarded freshman class.
The Wildcats return senior guard Sumayah Sugapong and sophomore guard Molly Ladwig. Sugapong is Arizona’s leading returning scorer after averaging 11.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists last season.
Sugapong finished last season particularly strong, averaging 18 points over Arizona’s final seven Big 12 games.
The Wildcats also added fifth-year guard Dionna Gray, formerly of Kent State, who brings considerable experience and playmaking ability. Gray has appeared in 115 career games and recorded 395 career assists. She played under new associate head coach Todd Starkey, who was the head coach at Kent State the previous 10 seasons.
Other important additions include Cal transfer Aliyahna “Puff” Morris, USC transfer Gerda Raulušaityte, Maryland transfer Breanna Williams and Boston University transfer Anastasiia Semenova.
Arizona’s freshman class also provides plenty of intrigue. ESPN ranked the group No. 17 nationally and No. 1 among Big 12 programs. Arynn “Simba” Finley, Jasleen Green and Makayla Presser-Palmer were all ranked among ESPN’s Top 100 prospects.
The Wildcats enter the season with considerable expectations for their newcomers, particularly as they attempt to establish chemistry against a challenging schedule.
Arizona went 2-0 in exhibition play, defeating Embry-Riddle 117-44 and Cal State Monterey Bay 92-54.
Against Cal State Monterey Bay, Arizona scored 66 points in the paint and collected 25 fast-break points. Presser-Palmer recorded a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.
One of Burke’s priorities entering her second season has been improving Arizona’s ability to compete away from McKale Center.
The Wildcats struggled at times adjusting to road environments during Big 12 play last season. Burke believes opening the season on a neutral floor will provide valuable experience.
“I like going away early because we didn’t go away at all last year, and it really hurt us, I think, early in Big 12 play,” said Burke, referring to Arizona playing its first 14 games at home last season.
“But a neutral court is a great place to play a challenging team, and especially for your opener when you guys haven’t played a ton of basketball games yet.”
Burke also hopes Arizona’s proximity to Las Vegas will give the Wildcats an advantage in fan support.
“Hopefully, we have more of a home court advantage than they do there, just because of proximity and our fan base, et cetera, but it’ll be good to be in a different locker room, to not be in the comforts of McKale, things like that,” she stated.
Stanford enters its third season under head coach Kate Paye, who has the difficult task of maintaining the program’s traditional standards set by Tara VanDerveer following significant roster turnover.
The Cardinal lost four of its top five scorers and both of its leading rebounders from last season.
Stanford returns 25.8 percent of its scoring, 22.4 percent of its rebounding and 29.9 percent of its minutes from a season ago.
Hailee Swain is the team’s leading returning scorer after averaging 10.2 points, three rebounds and 1.4 assists per game last season. Alexandra Eschmeyer also returns after averaging 5.1 points and 3.9 rebounds while providing an interior defensive presence.
Kennedy Umeh is another important addition to the rotation after missing last season with an injury.
Stanford also added seven newcomers, including transfers Ilse de Vries, Inés Sotelo Míguez and Charlotte Tuhy. The roster features four freshmen, four sophomores and four juniors, with no seniors or fifth-year players.
Paye has emphasized building chemistry and establishing the right culture with a young roster.
At the ACC Tipoff, Paye described the team’s mindset heading into the season.
“We are young,” she said. “We are hungry. We are full of energy. Our team has been working really hard all offseason.”
Paye also discussed the importance of setting high expectations despite the roster’s youth.
“Obviously we expect to be playing in the NCAA Tournament; that is our goal,” Paye said. “We have an extremely challenging non-conference schedule. That is intentional. We are the only Power 4 school to play five other Power 4 schools and five true road games. I think we’ll learn a lot about ourselves.”
The history between Arizona and Stanford is extensive, with the Cardinal holding a significant advantage in the all-time series.
Stanford leads 76-15 and has won 40 of the last 43 meetings.
However, Arizona will enter Monday with the memory of its most recent victory still fresh. The Wildcats defeated then-No. 3 Stanford 68-61 on Feb. 23, 2024, at Maples Pavilion.
The most memorable meeting came April 4, 2021, when Stanford defeated Arizona 54-53 in the NCAA championship game at San Antonio.
The Cardinal captured its third national championship, while Arizona came an Aari McDonald jumper from winning the first national title in program history.
Monday marks the first meeting between the programs since Arizona’s 2024 victory and just the third time in the series that the teams will meet while belonging to different conferences.
Three things to watch
1. Arizona’s new backcourt
With Sugapong, Gray and Morris providing different skill sets, Arizona has an opportunity to establish a strong perimeter rotation. How quickly the newcomers develop chemistry will be important.
2. Stanford’s youth
Stanford’s seven newcomers and young returning core will be tested immediately. Swain and Eschmeyer will be important in providing stability while the new players adjust to the college game.
3. Rebounding and interior defense
With both programs featuring retooled rosters, controlling the glass and limiting second-chance opportunities could be decisive. Arizona demonstrated its ability to attack the paint during exhibition play, while Stanford will look to establish its interior defensive presence.
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