For the first time ever Arizona will open the season as a top-10 team in the Associated Press Top 25. The Wildcats received the news Tuesday morning as the publication released its list as voted on by media members from across the country. UA tied its highest ranking ever as voters picked the Wildcats as the preseason No. 7-team in the country.
Adia Barnes' squad finished the shortened 2019-20 season ranked 12th overall.
However, the Wildcats have added some key pieces to the roster this offseason, including transfers Trinity Baptiste and Bendu Yeaney, to help raise the profile of the program even more heading into the upcoming season.
UA is one of five Pac-12 teams to make the list with Stanford topping the group at No. 2 overall in addition to receiving one first-place vote. The conference has four teams included in the preseason top 10 with UCLA checking in at No. 9 and Oregon sitting at No. 10 overall.
Oregon State will head into the season ranked 18th overall.
The Wildcats have been eager to get back on the floor after having the 2019-20 season cut short before the first round of the NCAA Tournament. UA was likely to host in the early rounds of the tournament after finishing the year 24-7, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced the NCAA to cancel the event leaving teams like UA out of luck.
Arizona received some big news in the offseason when star guard Aari McDonald announced her plans to return to college for her final season over leaving early for a shot at the WNBA. McDonald was named to the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award watch list Tuesday after winning the award, which is given to the top shooting guard in women's college basketball, last season.
That boost, combined with the new additions, has helped the Wildcats stand out as a Final Four threat heading into Barnes' fifth season as the head coach at her alma mater.
Coincidentally, the last time the team was ranked as high as seventh was also the same season the Wildcats held their previous high in the preseason poll of No. 15 back in the 1997-98 campaign.
The Pac-12 will move to a 22-game conference schedule this season with the Wildcats opening up league play Dec. 4 against UCLA. That will leave the team with five potential nonconference games though an official schedule has not yet been released.
****
> 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)
