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No. 8 UCLA (23-5, 12-5) at Arizona (16-13, 8-9) | McKale Center | 6 p.m. Saturday | TV: Pac-12 Arizona | Radio: 1290-AM

She said it

Arizona coach Adia Barnes on playing UCLA to close out the regular season: “Kiki (Rice) is playing at a high level and I always talk about this reminds me Jada (Williams) and our freshmen this year. Kiki and Londynn (Jones) had tons of playing time last year. They started and coach (Cori) Close went with them. This year they're playing like seniors. … (Kiki) is playing at a high level. She’s shooting the ball a lot better. She really hurt us when we were there, along with (Gabriela) Jacquez. Then Lauren Betts alters so many shots around the rim. It's hard to score when you get a big player inside.�

On the Sidelines

The 3: In honor of the last go-round of the Pac-12, here are three questions with one of the league's coaches. The final coach is UCLA’s Cori Close.

Who would you call your X-factor and why?

A: “For us, it’s (Angela) Dugalic and Jones. I think you saw the impact that Jones had on the Utah game from an offensive perspective but also a defensive perspective. I would say the same about Anglea Dugalic. We really need to get more paint points, as well as more rebounds. Dugalic, when she rebounds well, and she finishes in the paint, we're pretty hard to stop.�

How has Charisma Osbourne grown over the five years you’ve coached her?

A: “I don’t have enough time to count all the ways she’s grown. Her numbers and her skillset speak for themselves. I think the thing that needs to be really highlighted is her leadership, her consistency, her versatility, her efficiency, all of those things that she has just built year after year. (This) makes me very confident about what a great impact WNBA player she will be.�

What are you seeing in Arizona right now, and how have they changed since just a few weeks ago?

A: “I think they're just playing with more confidence. They've earned more confidence. I think Jada Williams is playing better. I think they're just getting a little more efficient. … I just really respect the growth steps that their young team is having and their toughness. I mean they've had a short roster all year long and they're just finding really gritty ways to win.�

Surprise: Helena Pueyo’s mom told her that she couldn’t make it to her senior day and what most likely will be her final time playing in McKale Center. But her mom and Barnes had a little something up their sleeves.

Pueyo was told she had to pick up a recruit from the airport on Wednesday night.

“Her mom is funny,� Barnes said. “Her mom shares her location (on her phone with Helena) and I don’t think her mom knew how to turn off her location. (I told her to) turn off her location, but she had no idea. Then, (Helena) was kind of suspicious (because UA assistant) Salvo (Coppa) was out at the airport picking up a recruit. (Helena) honestly didn't know until she saw her brother. Her brother and her mom came.�

This had been in the works for quite a while, and it was hard for Barnes to keep this a secret because she was so excited for her fifth-year senior.

Pueyo planned to have former standout Sam Thomas walk with her on the court during her celebration.

Esmery Martinez, who is from the Dominican Republic, is expected to have lots of extended family from Phoenix coming in.

Isis Beh, who hasn’t decided yet if she will be back next season, will have her entire family (all nine siblings) plus her dad at the game.

A UA spokesperson said that the Senior Day celebration starts around 5:45 p.m. — before the game tips at 6 p.m. — and there will be a little something extra after the game.

Looks familiar: If you are watching Williams play and her mentality reminds you of another player, you’re not off base. Barnes said that she sees a lot of herself in Williams.

“I was a tough player,� Barnes said. “I wasn't as good. I wasn't a good player, but I was tough. I was mentally strong. I wasn't afraid of anybody. I would like to step up in big games and that's how she is she's fearless. She's a true competitor. She doesn't get rattled easily — even if she's playing bad. She sticks with it. And that's kind of how I was. Just the look in her eye and the way she rallies her teammates, that's how I was.�

Barnes added that Williams is more mature than she was as a freshman.

But wait a second. Since when was Barnes not a good player? She was Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, Pac-10 Player of the Year in her senior season and was the first Wildcat drafted into the WNBA. She also went on to win a WNBA Championship with the Seattle Storm in 2004 and had a long career both in the league and overseas.

“I was competitive; I was fearless,� Barnes said. “Not in the pros as much because I wasn’t as confident, but I always just played. … I wasn’t afraid if you were bigger, taller. I didn't care cause I was always undersized. I think Jada is more lot like. She plays with a chip. I like that. That's how Aari (McDonald) was. Everybody always said she was too small. She wasn't ranked high. She wasn't recruited highly and she always had something to prove. That's kind of how I was and I think that's how Jada is.�

Flourishing: Skylar Jones has grown tremendously this season. She said after Thursday's loss to 95-93 loss in double overtime to USC, that when she came to Arizona last summer she really didn't have the fundamentals down. 

She finished with 19 points (8 of 9 from the floor), six rebounds, three steals and two assists playing nearly 45 of a possible 50 minutes. Most of her points came from driving to the basket and getting fouled. At one point on defense, she jumped up in the air to grab a ball to force a jump ball that went to UA. 

"(I) just wanted to do whatever to win," Jones said. "I knew I had to get them in foul trouble so that's why I was just driving to the basket. That's what I do best anyway. I'm a shooter but not for real — driving is my thing. I had everybody fooled thinking I was a shooter. Slashing is really my thing."

By the numbers

5: If the NCAA Tournament were held today, five Pac-12 teams would host, the most of any league: Stanford, UCLA, USC, Oregon State and Colorado. Thursday night, the NCAA selection committee had its final Top 16 reveal ahead of Selection Sunday.

1: When UCLA plays UA on Saturday, it is the final regular-season Pac-12 game in history for both teams. Next season, UCLA moves to the Big Ten, while Arizona is joining the Big 12.

3: Pueyo had seven assists against USC. It is the third time this season — she also did so at Oregon and against Stanford — that she’s dished seven times. She has a career-high 105 assists this season. Her previous high was 86 last year.