Arizona Women’s Basketball prepares for feisty BYU squad

Following their dominant win over Stony Brook, Arizona Women’s Basketball (17-5, 13-4) returns to action against the 11-seed BYU Cougars (19-5, 13-3).

It is do-or-die time for the Arizona Women’s Basketball team as the stakes get higher with each game. After a dominant win over Stony Brook to open NCAA Tournament play on Monday, the Wildcats advance with an even tougher challenge as they square off against the 11-seed BYU Cougars.

Fresh off of a big upset in which the Cougars outlasted 6-seeded Rutgers on Monday morning, BYU will be riding high in this one and will present a difficult challenge here for the Wildcats.

Arizona Wildcats

Largely led by stud guards Paisley Harding and Shaylee Gonzales, the duo makes this offense go, and they are a big part of the teams’ overall success.

That is of course not to overshadow the production of Lauren Gustin, their go-to post player who is averaging a double-double this season.

Lastly, the Cougars have a big post presence with Sara Hamson, an All-WCC honorable mention who is averaging 2.5 blocks per game.

Coming in, I would anticipate them all to have a big impact in this one as they will try to match the Wildcats’ athleticism and defensive talent.

Overall, the Cougars have great length, and it shows in their defensive ability as they are holding opposing teams to just 35.5 percent shooting.

Arizona Women’s is going to have a tough challenge on their hands and this one could very well come down to which defense has the bigger impact.

If the Wildcats are to come away with the victory here, these are the Keys to the Game:

Getting Everyone Involved: There’s no doubt everything seems to run through Aari McDonald. She is the heart and soul of the team, she’s a tremendous talent, so naturally, her presence makes the team better. However, she cannot do it alone.

In the NCAA Tournament, the deeper teams typically perform better, so it is time for everyone else to step up when called upon. Give Aari some relief, get everyone involved, get the win!

Let’s Get Offensive: Arizona is a good defensive team, however, where they sometimes struggle is on the offensive side of the ball, averaging just 67 points per game as a team. This point sort of ties into the last one by getting more players involved, but offensively, the Wildcats are going to need more outcomes similar to what they had on Monday.

If the Wildcats can get similar offensive production against the Cougars, they are going to be very difficult to beat.

Bring the Intensity: Arizona looked great on Monday afternoon as they were focused from the opening tip. In these win or go home situations, it is all about who can bring the focus and intensity.

Against the Cougars, Arizona is going to have to bring it once again and get ready for an opportunistic BYU team looking for another upset. Should the Wildcats be able to do that, they should have a good chance of coming away with the win.

Game Information:

Date: Wednesday, March 24th, 2021

Time: 4:00 PM (Arizona Time)

Location: San Antonio, TX – UTSA Convocation Center (4,080… 0)

Line: -8.5 Arizona

Television: ESPNU

Radio: 1400 AM Radio – Tucson

Team Records:

• Arizona Wildcats (17-5, 13-4):  Arizona got the big win over Stony Brook, but can the Wildcats get their first second round win in 23 years?
• BYU Cougars (19-5, 13-3): The Cougars are playing well and enter this one looking for another upset after beating the 6-seed Rutgers Scarlett Knights.

Hopefully, Arizona can give the Cougars their first lost, and as always, Bear Down, Arizona!