There's no place like home

Just hours after UA head coach Joan Bonvicini was named Pacific 10 Conference Coach of the Year and senior forward Adia Barnes was named Pac-10 Player of the Year, the Wildcats learned they would host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament starting Friday at McKale Center.

UA was placed in the East Regional instead of the Midwest or the West, which might work to the Wildcats' advantage. Arizona's first round opponent is Santa Clara and, if UA wins, it will face either Virginia or Southern Methodist in the second round Sunday.

Bonvicini said she didn't know too much about Santa Clara, but that they had a reputation for playing tough defense.

"They are a very, very good defensive team. Maybe the top defensive team as far as field goal percentage defense in the country," Bonvicini said.

"They are going to be very prepared to play us," sophomore guard Lisa Griffith said of Santa Clara, a school she said she almost attended.

Griffith said she thought they would give the Wildcats a good test, but that playing at McKale was huge for Arizona.

"That's definitely a major plus," she said. "It's unfair in a way if you're not at home. It's great if you are."

"There are advantages to playing at home," Bonvicini added. "You sleep in your own bed and you have your own routine."

Bonvicini said she wasn't surprised by Arizona's third seed, but that being sent to the East was somewhat unexpected.

"It's going to be a tough road," Bonvicini said.

Bonvicini added that though the Wildcats have their eyes set on a berth in the Final Four, they would have to take care of each game as it comes if they want to get that far.

"You don't think about the second game," she said. "You think about the first one and the task at hand."

The No. 1 seed in the Midwest is Texas Tech and Stanford is No. 1 in the West, meaning both teams have what amounts to a home court advantage through the quarterfinals. If UA makes it to the Sweet Sixteen, they will play in Dayton, Ohio, home of the University of Dayton. The top two seeds in the East are Old Dominion and Connecticut.

A veteran of 11 NCAA Tournaments, including two Final Fours with Long Beach State in 1987 and 1988, Bonvicini was reserved about predicting a third Final Four berth with Arizona.

"The thing I learned a long time ago in the tournament (is that the) the No. 1 thing you do is go one game at a time," she said. "The second thing is that the best teams don't always win."