Despite a first-round loss in the Pac-12 tournament, Arizona (20-7) earned the No. 4 seed in the Greensboro Region and will also host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament beginning Saturday at McKale Center.

This will mark just the second time ever that the Wildcats will host during the NCAA Tournament after doing so back in 1998 when current head coach Adia Barnes was a star player at UA.

“It’s extremely important to host,” Barnes said during a video interview produced by the program after Sunday’s announcement. “We need to sell out McKale. It is a huge home-court advantage and this is one of the toughest venues in America to play in, so we need fans to come out and we need to be 15,000 strong.”

The Wildcats play No. 13 seed UNLV on Saturday at McKale in their first-round matchup that will tip off at 7 p.m. MST.

UA will look to make a run like the one it made in last year’s tournament that saw the Wildcats make it all the way to the national championship game where it fell by one point to Stanford in the final.

“I’m so excited to be in the tournament, it’s not taken for granted,” Barnes said. “The first year we couldn’t go because of COVID, second year went to the final four so third year now what can we do? Can we win it all who knows?”

After splitting the games against in-state rival Arizona State in February, the Wildcats went 2-3 to end season before this week’s tournament, including an 18-point home loss to UCLA that ended the team’s unbeaten record at McKale Center this season.

The first round matchup against UNLV will be a special one for Arizona forward Sam Thomas who will play against her younger sister, Jade, in a win-or-go-home situation.

“I’m looking forward to seeing my family all together of course and finally putting to use their UNLV half Arizona shirts that we got them for Christmas,” Thomas said.

Barnes also believes that Thomas playing against her sister and in front of her family is good motivation going into this moment.

“For Sam, it’s special,” Barnes said. “I think it’s a good story. You know it’s just fun. I think that’s gonna be fun for her. … Their roles are a little bit different but it’s just exciting.”

Arizona will be fortunate to have star player Cate Reese return from a dislocated shoulder injury that forced her to miss the Pac-12 Tournament. Reese has been UA’s top player this season averaging 14.6 points per game and 6.2 rebounds per game, both team highs.

“She’s great,” Barnes said. “She’s not limited at all, in practice, in full scrimmaging everything, and she has been for a few days. So just happy she’s finally back and healthy and ready to go. She’ll be wearing a brace, but that’s just for safety. … I think she’s ready to go and we are ready to have her back for sure.”

With the exception of former Wildcats star Aari McDonald, Arizona will be returning to the tournament with many of the same players that it had last season including Reese.

Despite its recent struggles, Arizona has the top-rated scoring defense in the Pac-12, a conference that includes reigning national champion Stanford. The Wildcats have been able to hold their opponents to under 57 points per game.

With Thomas hitting over 40% of her 3-point shots making her one of the more efficient shooters for this Wildcats, she also has a 2.56 assist-to-turnover ratio and earned herself a spot on the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team. Her ability to play well on both sides of the floor will help take some of the pressure off of Reese and ease her back into game action.

Arizona was placed in the Greensboro Region meaning they are in the same bracket as No. 1 overall seed South Carolina, which went 29-2 this season and includes their 15-1 SEC record.

Arizona will also have Iowa, Iowa State, North Carolina and Georgia in their region. If the Wildcats win their matchup against UNLV, they will play the winner of the game between fifth-seeded North Carolina and No. 12 seed Stephen F. Austin.

“Great bracket, I think good first-round matchup,” Barnes said. “I’m not even thinking past the first round, we gotta win one and then advance. … Tough bracket obviously overall.”

Arizona’s quest to return to the title game begins Saturday with its first matchup being televised by ESPN2.

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