Arizona will host Northern Arizona on Thursday in the Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament at 6 PM Mountain Standard Time on ESPN+. Northern Arizona beat Arizona 92-75 in Flagstaff on November 20. The winner between Arizona and Northern Arizona will play the winner of three-seed Belmont and Middle Tennessee State.
Sixteen of the 32 teams in the WBIT are seeded in four separate brackets. The other teams in Arizona's quarter of the bracket are top seed James Madison versus Davidson and fourth seed Drake against Marquette. Second round games are scheduled for Sunday March 23.
Arizona is 58th in the Women's NCAA Net Ratings. The Wildcats are 12-5 at home this season. If Arizona advances to the second round of the WBIT they would host the second round. James Madison would have to lose for Arizona to host in the quarterfinals on Thursday, March 27 if they win their first two games.
The semifinals and finals of the WBIT will be held on Monday, March 31 and Wednesday, April 2, at Hinkle Fieldhouse, which is located on the campus of Butler University. An Arizona basketball team playing on March 31 has a notable history in Indianapolis.
THE 2025 WBIT BRACKET ⭐🤩⭐#ElevateTheGame pic.twitter.com/LCJlcI0NuS
— Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament (@wbitwbb) March 17, 2025
NAU outrebounded Arizona 45-37, had a 23-16 advantage in points in the paint and outscored the Wildcats 22-10 from the free-throw line. Six players scored in double figures for Northern Arizona in the win over Arizona. Nyah Moran led all scorers with 22 points and had four rebounds and four assists for NAU.
Playing at home after losing at NAU in November Arizona should be motivated. Adia Barnes has a chance to duplicate her 2019 WNIT title. This is the first NCAA Tournament Arizona has missed since 2019. Barnes used the 2019 WNIT title as a springboard to the Wildcats' run to the 2021 NCAA Tournament Championship Game.