There's no secret who Arizona's star player is because it has been the same one for the last few seasons. Senior guard Aari McDonald has helped lead the Wildcats to places they have never gone before. Monday's Elite Eight win was a first for the program and it wouldn't have happened without her.
McDonald scored 33 points in the victory over Indiana with nine of her points coming down the stretch in the fourth quarter when the team needed her most. The only thing that slowed the UA guard down was an ankle injury with a couple minutes left in the game that forced her to the sideline for a brief time.
The Fresno, California native has raised her game to a new level during the NCAA Tournament as she is averaging 25.3 points through the first four games. Her ability to play at a high level on both ends of the floor has helped the Wildcats play better as a defensive unit the last two weeks leading to their spot in the Final Four.
There have been moments throughout the season when McDonald has struggled, but she has erased those memories with an impressive stretch so far in San Antonio. Her work through the first four games earned her the Most Outstanding Player of the Mercado Region, and it has put Arizona within one win of playing for a national title.
"When you know, you know you're feeling it," she said Monday. "I knew I wasn't doing too well in the regular season, conference stuff. I was taking bad shots. But I'm letting the game come to me. My teammates are putting me in successful positions, the coaches are putting me in successful positions as well.
"I'm really just taking what the defense is giving me, honestly. Credit to my teammates and my coaches."
Head coach Adia Barnes is always going to allow McDonald to have the green light, so it should be no surprise that the UA guard has been able to have her opportunities to score. However, McDonald's efficiency has been impressive and it is the type of performance Barnes expects from a player who the team has leaned on for years now.
"She's been amazing," Barnes said of McDonald after Monday's win. "I mean, stars make big plays, they step up when it really counts. No one remembers how you start, they remember how you finish. ... I think I've seen a different Aari in the tournament. Just more relaxed, more at ease, really leading the team in so many different ways, letting the game come to her. She's been unstoppable. I mean, no one can guard her.
"Just for her to have 31, 33, then to shoot the percentages she shot. ... She's just been playing at another level. I'm just so proud of her because all her hard work is paying off. She's just been phenomenal and she's leading this team."
McDonald returned to Arizona despite having an opportunity to became a professional basketball player after last season. Part of the reason was so that she could continue to develop her skills as a point guard in preparation of a career after her time at UA. The other part was to do exactly what she is doing right now in helping the Wildcats achieve things they never have before.
"I came back to make history," McDonald said. "I also came back to sharpen my game. People said I can't shoot. Now look what I'm doing. I'm making my teammates better as I'm actually getting better as a player, as a leader. It feels amazing. Like I said, I'm flourishing under great people who trust in me and believe in me."
The Wildcats will now face UConn in the Final Four on Friday as the team looks to punch its ticket to the final round of the NCAA Tournament.
****
> DISCUSS the article with other Arizona fans Inside McKale
> WATCH the latest videos from GOAZCATS.com and subscribe to our YouTube channel
> FOLLOW us on Twitter (@goazcatscom, @MattGOAZCATS)
> FOLLOW us on Instagram (@goazcats)
> LIKE us on Facebook
> SUBSCRIBE for all the latest Arizona Wildcats team and recruiting news (subscribe now)
