BYU opens Big 12 play with NCAA Tournament rematch against Arizona

Cougars and Wildcats meet for the first time since the 2021 NCAA Tournament Round of 32.

Author Austin Rustand
BYU opens Big 12 play with NCAA Tournament rematch against ArizonaBYU opens Big 12 play with NCAA Tournament rematch against Arizona

PROVO, Utah — BYU women's basketball has concluded the non-conference slate with a 9-2 record and will open Big 12 play as it hosts the Arizona Wildcats on Saturday, Dec. 21 at the Marriott Center. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with tip-off set for 2 p.m. MT. Fans can also tune in to BYU Radio 107.9 FM, byuradio.org and the BYU Radio app for play-by-play with Jason Shepherd.

Matchup Breakdown
The Saturday matinee between BYU and Arizona will be the 14th meeting between the former Western Athletic Conference foes. The Cougars lead the all-time series 7-6 and hold a 3-1 advantage in Provo.

The last meeting between the Cougars and Wildcats came on March 24, 2021, in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 as Arizona edged BYU 52-46 to advance to the Sweet 16. The Cats would go on to knock off Texas A&M, Indiana and UConn to reach their first National Championship Game in program history. Arizona would then fall to top-seeded Stanford. 

All-Time: 7-6

At BYU: 3-1

Whiting vs. Arizona: First Meeting

Tickets

Tickets

Purchase single-game tickets

Tickets
Live Stats

Live Stats

Follow game action with live stats

Live Stats
Listen to the Game

Listen to the Game

Listen to live play-by-play with Jason Shepherd on BYU Radio 107.9, byuradio.org and the BYU Radio App

BYU Radio
Watch the Game

Watch the Game

Stream the game live on ESPN+

ESPN+

BYU Basketball Logo.png

BYU Cougars  ||  9-2, 0-0  ||  Big 12 Conference

WHAT'S AT STAKE  ||  With a win, Coach Whiting would earn her first win in a Big 12 opener and her first win over Arizona. A win on Saturday would also mark the fastest a Whiting-coached team has eclipsed 10 wins, besting last year's 10 wins in 13 games.

SOMETIMES YOU, SOMETIMES ME, ALWAYS US  ||  The Cougars have not had a repeat leading scorer in the past six games. Delaney Gibb, Emma Calvert and Lauren Davenport have each set career highs in BYU’s last three wins over Washington State (26), UTEP (27) and Utah Valley (20), respectively.

MASTERING THE THIRD  ||  The Cougars have dominated the third quarter so far this year. In the third period alone, BYU is outscoring its opponents 20.3 to 13.8 and outshooting opponents 50.6 percent to 32.1 (+18.5%). In the win over Washington State, BYU outscored WSU 27-18 while shooting 57.9 percent in the period.

DELANEY'S DREAM START  ||  Just 11 games in, Gibb’s freshman season has been no surprise to Coach Whiting or her teammates. Her 16.8 points per game on 48.1 percent shooting and 38.4 percent from deep have earned her two Big 12 Freshman of the Week honors (Nov. 11 and Dec. 17) making her the only Big 12 player to earn two Freshman of the Week awards so far this season. She averages 4.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.5 steals. The freshman has scored over 15 points in 8-of-10 games this season including a career-high 26 against Washington State. 

Against Washington State, Gibb scored a career-high 26 points to lift the Cougars to a 15-point win. The freshman went 11-for-16 from the field and 3-of-5 from deep. The Raymond, Alberta, Canada native scored 21 points in the second half, including a personal 8-0 run in the third and seven of the final nine points to help BYU overcome a halftime deficit to earn its third road win of the non-conference slate. The freshman also recorded six rebounds and three assists in the win. 

DEFENSE IS THE CALLING CARD  ||  Coach Whiting calls defense the silver bullet to her team’s success. In BYU’s nine wins, the Cougars have held opponents to 58.2 points and 35.4 percent from the field. In losses, opponents have shot 45.5 percent from the floor and averaged 67.5 points. BYU's defense has yet to allow an opponent to score over 70 points so far this season while the visiting Wildcats average 72.8 points per contest.

Head Coach – Amber Whiting

  • Alma Mater: BYU, 2001
  • Division I Career Record: 41-35  ||  3rd Season
  • Record at BYU: 41-35  ||  3rd Season

arizona_wildcats_logo_secondary_19893880.png

Arizona Wildcats  ||  9-4, 0-0  ||  Big 12 Conference 

BREYA'S GETTING BUCKETS  ||  Breya Cunningham is the leading scorer for the Arizona Wildcats and shoots a blistering 67 percent from the floor. She scores 13 points per game on a shooting percentage that tops the Big 12 Conference and is the fifth-highest clip in the country.

The sophomore forward has scored in double figures in all 11 games this season, over 15 in four games and recorded a career-high 20 points in the Wildcats’ loss to Grand Canyon on Dec. 5. Cunningham also leads Arizona in rebounding at 7.3 per game with 2.3 coming on the offensive glass. 

SCORING BY COMMITTEE  ||  Adia Barnes’ squad has four players that average double-figure points on the season with three shooting over 46.7 percent from the floor. Cunningham leads at 13 points per game with Jada Williams at 11.6 on a 34.4 percent clip, going 25.9 percent from three and 88.6 from the line.

Paulina Paris averages 10.4 per game on 46.7 percent from the floor and 34.9 percent from downtown. The North Carolina transfer also grabs 4.1 rebounds and dishes 2.4 assists per game. Skylar Jones is the fourth Wildcat averaging over 10 per game at 10.3. Jones is a 48.5 percent shooter from the field and 31.6 percent from deep and records 2.8 boards and 2.1 assists. 

NATTY BOUND  ||  The last time the Cougars and Wildcats met was in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 in 2021. Arizona bested BYU 52-46 on March 24, 2021, before knocking off Texas A&M, Indiana and UConn en route to the program’s only National Championship appearance. U of A fell to top-seeded Staford in the NCAA final, 54-53.

Head Coach – Adia Barnes

  • Alma Mater: Arizona, 1998
  • Career Record: 159-104  ||  9th Season
  • Record at Arizona: 159-104  ||  9th Season