LAS CRUCES, N.M. - In just over a year as head coach of NM State, Jody Adams landed a key matchup on the first day of the 2023-24 NCAA Women's Basketball season. Not only will the Aggies open the new campaign at home, they will be welcoming a Power Five opponent; the Arizona Wildcats. Head Coach Adia Barnes became one of four coaches to lead their alma mater to a National Championship appearance when she did so in 2021. Arizona finished 22-10 in 2022-23, and 11-7 in Pac-12 play. Adams and the Aggies have made several additions that they hope will bolster their bench, including an entirely new supporting coaching staff. They will be looking to build on an 18-17 campaign from a year ago. Since the end of the season, the program has joined Conference USA, exiting the WAC, where they finished 10-8 a season ago. 

 

Scouting the Wildcats

The team is led by Adia Barnes, in her eighth season as head coach. Barnes graduated from Arizona in 1998, after wrapping up an impressive career as a guard, highlighted by over 2,000 points. As a coach, she took the Wildcats to the 2021 Final Four, where they pulled off a win over No. 1 overall seed UConn. They ultimately fell in the Championship Game to Pac-12 rivals Stanford. A year ago, they earned another bid to the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season. The Wildcats advanced to the Round of 32 before falling to Maryland. 

 

The Wildcats lost eight members from a year ago, and are returning five, including Esmery Martinez. The fifth-year senior is the only Wildcat to be selected to the Pac-12 Preseason All-Conference Team. Martinez has averaged over 10.0 points per game for the past three seasons, and sank 50.6% of her shots a year ago. 

 

The only other returning Wildcat that entered the starting lineup a year ago is fifth year guard Helena Pueyo. She has averaged over 20.0 minutes per game in each of her four seasons in Tucson, and earned a spot on the All-Conference Defensive Team in 2023 after posting 2.23 steals per game. 

 

What to Watch For

• Senior guard Molly Kaiser is entering her fourth season at NM State. The Watauga, Texas native was the lone Aggie selected to the CUSA All-Conference Preseason Team after averaging 13.0 points per game and starting all 35 games a season ago. 

• For the first time in nearly four years, a Power Five program will walk into the Pan American Center. The last time came on Dec. 18, 2019 when the Aggies hosted Arizona State in a loss. 

• The Aggies are 0-4 in their last four season openers against Division I opponents. Their last season that started 1-0 by beating a Division I opponent was 2016-17, after taking down San Jose State. 

• The last time Arizona and NM State met in the Pan American Center was in Dec. 2016, Barnes' first season as head coach of the Wildcats. The Aggies held their own, and forced overtime, before falling 74-63. 

• The teams met one year later in Dec. 2017, for what is still their most recent matchup. Arizona won comfortably, by a final score of 83-44. 

 

Head Coach Jody Adams, on the potential that comes with the new season: "I think our focus is on us. It's on playing the style of the game that we want to play, one that produces wins. Right now, we're looking at small wins. It's important that each day we're getting one percent better. Those that work extra and get in a little extra time, they're the ones that probably get two or three percent better." 

 

Head Coach Jody Adams, on the significance of hosting a program like Arizona: " We're really excited to have them come in, because I've been at mid-majors before where it wasn't that easy to get a Power Five school to come and play you. We're just excited that it's here. Playing a team that is talented and well-coached; we're excited about that challenge. For us, each and every game is a blueprint for what is next. The next for us is the next practice, in preparation for the next game. Each game gives you an idea of what you did right, and what you need to continue to work on. We're really honored to have them come in and play. We're really excited for the fans to see us compete against a great school and a great program."

 

How to Follow

The Aggies and Wildcats are set to tip off at 6:00 PM MST. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+, and available to follow via StatBroadcast. Those links can be found at https://nmstatesports.com/sports/womens-basketball/schedule/2023-24.

 

For complete coverage of NM State Women's Basketball, follow us on Twitter (@NMStateWBB), Instagram (@NMStateWBB) and like us on Facebook (NM State Women's Basketball). You can also follow along with Aggie Women's Basketball via NMStateSports.com.

 

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