The Arizona Wildcats have been picked to finish 11th in the Pac-12 Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll, it was announced Wednesday.
Here is how the whole poll shook out:
Arizona finished in a tie for ninth in the Pac-12 last season, but is expected to take a step back this season.
The Wildcats only return three players from a season ago, giving head coach Adia Barnes an extremely young roster to work with in her second year at the helm.
Not to mention there are only eight scholarship players available to play, as three Wildcats — Aarion McDonald, Dominique McBryde, and Tee Tee Starks — have to sit out due to NCAA transfer rules.
Thus, Arizona won’t have much depth or experience, which isn’t a recipe for success in the daunting Pac-12 conference.
"With this team it's about taking it one day at a time,” Barnes said on media day. “The process, the culture, all of those things have to be established for the future. We're just trying to continue to improve. These young players have to be ready when we add more players next year.”
The Wildcats currently have the No. 2 2018 recruiting class in the country, putting them on the right track as a program.
So while 2017-18 will be a rebuilding year in Tucson, it won’t be too much longer before Arizona is picked higher in a preseason poll like the one released Wednesday.
Arizona opens its season on Friday, Nov. 10 against Iona in McKale Center.
Follow Ryan Kelapire on Twitter at @RKelapire