# 2023–24 Arizona Wildcats women's basketball team

The 2023–24 Arizona Wildcats women's basketball team represented the University of Arizona during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Wildcats were led by eighth-year head coach Adia Barnes. This was the Wildcats' 50th season at the on-campus McKale Center in Tucson, Arizona and 45th season as a member of the Pac-12 Conference.
This was also the last season that Arizona will play in the Pac-12 Conference before moving to the Big 12 Conference.

## Previous season

The Wildcats finished the 2022–23 season with a record of 22–10, 11–7 in Pac-12 play. The Wildcats were invited to the 2023 NCAA tournament where they defeated West Virginia in the first round before losing to Maryland in the second round.

## Offseason
### Departures

Arizona Wildcats Departures :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Shaina Pellington | 1 | G | 5'8" | Graduate Student | Pickerington, OH | Completed college eligibility |
| Cate Reese | 25 | F | 6'2" | Graduate Student | Cypress, TX | Completed college eligibility |
| Jade Loville | 30 | G/F | 5'11" | Graduate Student | Scottsdale, AZ | Completed college eligibility |
| Reference: |||||||

#### Outgoing Transfers

Arizona Outgoing Transfers :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | New School |
| Madison Conner | 4 | G | 5'11" | Sophomore | Chandler, AZ | Transferred to TCU |
| Lemyah Hylton | 10 | G | 5'11" | Freshman | London, OH | Transferred to Miami (FL) |
| Paris Clark | 22 | G | 5'8" | Freshman | Mount Vernon, NY | Transferred to Virginia |
| Lauren Fields | 23 | G | 5'9" | Senior | Shawnee, OK | Transferred to West Virginia |
| Lauren Ware | 32 | F | 6'5" | Junior | Bismarck, ND | Transferred to Texas A&M |
| Reference: |||||||||

### Acquisitions
#### Incoming Transfers

Arizona Incoming Transfers :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Previous School | Years Remaining |
| Courtney Blakley | 1 | G | 5'8" | Junior | Gary, IN | Middle Tennessee | 2 |
| Sali Kourouma | 24 | F | 5'11' | Senior | Kati, Mali | Little Rock | 1 |
| Isis Beh | 33 | F | 6'3" | Junior | Murray, UT | West Virginia | 2 |
| Reference: |||||||||||

#### 2023 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Montaya Dew F | Las Vegas, NV | Centennial High School | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | N/A | Dec 23, 2021 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 97 ||||||
| Breya Cunningham POST | Chula Vista, CA | La Jolla Country Day School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | N/A | Jun 26, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 97 ||||||
| Jada Williams PG | Kansas City, MO | La Jolla Country Day School (CA) | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) | N/A | Aug 1, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 96 ||||||
| Skylar Jones W | Chicago, IL | Whitney Young | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | N/A | Jun 5, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 91 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2023 Player Commits". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on November 17, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023. "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 17, 2023. ||||||

## Preseason
### Preseason rankings

Pac-12 media poll (Coaches) :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Utah | 116 (7) |
| 2 | UCLA | 109 (3) |
| 3 | Stanford | 100 (2) |
| 4 | Colorado | 90 |
| 5 | Washington State | 84 |
| 6 | USC | 70 |
| 7 | Arizona | 51 |
| 8 | Oregon | 49 |
| 9 | Washington | 46 |
| 10 | Oregon State | 43 |
| 11 | California | 22 |
| 12 | Arizona State | 12 |
Source:

### Preseason All-conference teams

Source:

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 25, 2023* 6:00 p.m. | | West Texas A&M | W 103–58 | | 24 – Gilbert | 7 – Tied | 7 – Pueyo | McKale Center (6,400) Tucson, AZ |
| November 1, 2023* 6:00 p.m. | | Point Loma | W 52–44 | | 17 – Kourouma | 6 – Nnaji | 3 – Gilbert | McKale Center (6,335) Tucson, AZ |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 6, 2023* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at New Mexico State | W 68–57 | 1–0 | 16 – Gilbert | 10 – Cunningham | 4 – Williams | Pan American Center (1,297) Las Cruces, NM |
| November 10, 2023* 6:30 p.m. | | Northern Arizona | W 87–64 | 2–0 | 18 – Cunningham | 10 – Gilbert | 5 – Tied | McKale Center (6,909) Tucson, AZ |
| November 12, 2023* 2:00 p.m. | | Loyola Marymount | W 70–54 | 3–0 | 14 – Gilbert | 9 – Gilbert | 5 – Tied | McKale Center (6,784) Tucson, AZ |
| November 14, 2023* 6:30 p.m. | | San Diego | W 79–66 | 4–0 | 21 – Gilbert | 9 – Pueyo | 6 – Pueyo | McKale Center (6,727) Tucson, AZ |
| November 18, 2023* 12:30 p.m., FloSports | | vs. Memphis Battle 4 Atlantis quarterfinals | W 90–57 | 5–0 | 19 – Martinez | 11 – Martinez | 5 – Pueyo | Imperial Arena (247) Nassau, Bahamas |
| November 19, 2023* 10:00 a.m., FloSports | | vs. No. 23 Ole Miss Battle 4 Atlantis semifinals | L 47–56 | 5–1 | 12 – Nnaji | 8 – Cunningham | 3 – Tied | Imperial Arena (207) Nassau, Bahamas |
| November 20, 2023* 12:30 p.m., ESPNU | | vs. South Dakota Battle 4 Atlantis 3rd place game | W 61–52 | 6–1 | 14 – Martinez | 8 – Martinez | 3 – Tied | Imperial Arena Nassau, Bahamas |
| December 2, 2023* 6:00 p.m., MW Network | | at UNLV | L 53–72 | 6–2 | 21 – Gilbert | 11 – Martinez | 3 – Gibert | Thomas & Mack Center (3,953) Paradise, NV |
| December 7, 2023* 6:30 p.m. | | UC San Diego | W 81–38 | 7–2 | 15 – Williams | 10 – Cunningham | 4 – Cunningham | McKale Center (6,702) Tucson, AZ |
| December 13, 2023* 7:00 p.m., P12N | | No. 5 Texas | L 75–88 | 7–3 | 26 – Gilbert | 5 – Tied | 4 – Tied | McKale Center (7,261) Tucson, AZ |
| December 17, 2023 5:00 p.m., P12N | | at Arizona State | W 91–52 | 8–3 (1–0) | 19 – Gilbert | 8 – Cunningham | 4 – Gilbert | Desert Financial Arena (3,907) Tempe, AZ |
| December 20, 2023* 2:30 p.m., P12N | | vs. No. 20 Gonzaga Jerry Colangelo Classic | L 69–81 | 8–4 | 21 – Gilbert | 7 – Pueyo | 4 – Williams | Footprint Center Phoenix, AZ |
| December 31, 2023* 2:00 p.m. | | Seattle | W 89–52 | 9–4 | 18 – Williams | 10 – Gilbert | 6 – Gilbert | McKale Center (7,500) Tucson, AZ |
| January 5, 2024 6:00 p.m., P12N | | No. 5 Colorado | L 74–75 | 9–5 (1–1) | 19 – Gilbert | 6 – Pueyo | 5 – Williams | McKale Center (7,386) Tucson, AZ |
| January 7, 2024 12:00 p.m., P12N | | No. 15 Utah | W 71–70 $^{OT}$ | 10–5 (2–1) | 22 – Gilbert | 12 – Gilbert | 4 – Pueyo | McKale Center (7,385) Tucson, AZ |
| January 12, 2024 8:00 p.m., P12N | | at Oregon State | L 70–73 $^{2OT}$ | 10–6 (2–2) | 22 – Gilbert | 8 – Martinez | 3 – Tied | Gill Coliseum (4,497) Corvallis, OR |
| January 14, 2024 1:00 p.m., P12N | | at Oregon | L 68–70 | 10–7 (2–3) | 23 – Williams | 4 – Beh | 7 – Pueyo | Matthew Knight Arena (N/A) Eugene, OR |
| January 19, 2024 8:00 p.m., P12N | | at Washington | L 60–62 | 10–8 (2–4) | 18 – Gilbert | 12 – Martinez | 3 – Gilbert | Alaska Airlines Arena (2,090) Seattle, WA |
| January 21, 2024 1:00 p.m., P12N | | at Washington State | L 57–78 | 10–9 (2–5) | 22 – Gilbert | 11 – Gilbert | 3 – Tied | Beasley Coliseum (1,232) Pullman, WA |
| January 26, 2024 7:00 p.m., P12N | | California | W 66–55 | 11–9 (3–5) | 20 – Martinez | 7 – Martinez | 4 – Pueyo | McKale Center (7,268) Tucson, AZ |
| January 28, 2024 12:00 p.m., P12N | | No. 6 Stanford | L 64–96 | 11–10 (3–6) | 24 – Blakley | 4 – Tied | 7 – Pueyo | McKale Center (7,692) Tucson, AZ |
| February 4, 2024 12:00 p.m., P12N | | Arizona State | W 63–52 | 12–10 (4–6) | 18 – Martinez | 15 – Martinez | 4 – Pueyo | McKale Center (8,210) Tucson, AZ |
| February 9, 2024 9:00 p.m., P12N | | at No. 9 UCLA | L 58–66 | 12–11 (4–7) | 16 – Martinez | 8 – Martinez | 2 – Tied | Pauley Pavilion (5,210) Los Angeles, CA |
| February 12, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at No. 10 USC | L 64–81 | 12–12 (4–8) | 13 – Tied | 7 – Martinez | 3 – Tied | Galen Center (4,569) Los Angeles, CA |
| February 16, 2024 6:00 p.m., P12N | | Washington State | W 64–45 | 13–12 (5–8) | 18 – Pueyo | 8 – Jones | 4 – Blakely | McKale Center (7,383) Tucson, AZ |
| February 18, 2024 12:00 p.m., P12N | | Washington | W 90–82 $^{3OT}$ | 14–12 (6–8) | 22 – Pueyo | 8 – Pueyo | 5 – Williams | McKale Center (7,354) Tucson, AZ |
| February 23, 2024 8:00 p.m., P12N | | at No. 3 Stanford | W 68–61 | 15–12 (7–8) | 23 – Williams | 9 – Martinez | 5 – Pueyo | Maples Pavilion (4,423) Stanford, CA |
| February 25, 2024 1:00 p.m., P12N | | at California | W 87–68 | 16–12 (8–8) | 20 – Martinez | 9 – Martinez | 7 – Martinez | Haas Pavilion (1,909) Berkeley, CA |
| February 29, 2024 6:00 p.m., P12N | | No. 7 USC | L 93–95 $^{2OT}$ | 16–13 (8–9) | 21 – Pueyo | 9 – Pueyo | 7 – Pueyo | McKale Center (7,594) Tucson, AZ |
| March 2, 2024 6:00 p.m., P12N | | No. 8 UCLA | L 41–61 | 16–14 (8–10) | 16 – Pueyo | 3 – Tied | 3 – Tied | McKale Center (7,845) Tucson, AZ |
| Pac-12 Women's Tournament |||||||||
| March 6, 2024 7:00 p.m., P12N | (7) | vs. (10) Washington First Round | W 58–50 | 17–14 | 14 – Tied | 7 – Cunningham | 5 – Pueyo | MGM Grand Garden Arena (4,372) Paradise, NV |
| March 7, 2024 7:00 p.m., P12N | (7) | vs. (2) No. 5 USC Quarterfinals | L 62–65 | 17–15 | 19 – Pueyo | 7 – Tied | 6 – Pueyo | MGM Grand Garden Arena (N/A) Paradise, NV |
| NCAA Women's Tournament |||||||||
| March 21, 2024* 4:00 p.m., ESPN2 | (11 P3) | vs. (11 P3) Auburn First Four | W 69–59 | 18–15 | 17 – Williams | 7 – Martinez | 4 – Pueyo | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (533) Storrs, CT |
| March 23, 2024* 12:30 p.m., ESPN2 | (11 P3) | vs. (6 P3) No. 22 Syracuse First round | L 69–74 | 18–16 | 24 – Jones | 7 – Tied | 5 – Jones | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (10,299) Storrs, CT |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Mountain Time. |||||||||
Source:

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Final |
| AP | RV | RV | RV | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Not released |
| Coaches | — | — | RV | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

## Media coverage
### Radio

* ESPN Tucson - 1490 AM & 104.09 FM (ESPN Radio) and Nationwide - Dish Network, Sirius XM, Varsity Network and iHeartRadio)
* KCUB 1290 AM – Football Radio Show – (Tucson, AZ)
* KHYT – 107.5 FM (Tucson, AZ)
* KTKT 990 AM – La Hora de Los Gatos (Spanish) – (Tucson, AZ)
* KGME 910 AM – (IMG Sports Network) – (Phoenix, AZ)
* KTAN 1420 AM – (Sierra Vista, AZ)
* KDAP 96.5 FM (Douglas, Arizona)
* KWRQ 102.3 FM – (Safford, AZ/Thatcher, AZ)
* KIKO 1340 AM – (Globe, AZ)
* KVWM 970 AM – (Show Low, AZ/Pinetop-Lakeside, AZ)
* XENY 760 – (Nogales, Sonora) (Spanish)
* KTZR (1450 AM) - (FoxSports 1450) - (Tucson, AZ)

### TV

* CBS Family – KOLD (CBS), CBSN
* ABC/ESPN Family – KGUN (ABC), ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN+,
* FOX Family – KMSB (FOX), FOX/FS1, FSN
* Pac-12 Network (Pac-12 Arizona)
* NBC Family – KVOA, NBC Sports, NBCSN
* PBS - KUAT
* Univision/Telemundo/Estrella TV - KUVE/KHRR/KUDF-LP (Spanish)