The five players that start for Arizona women’s basketball will have to set the tone early and pick up the offensive pace for head coach Niya Butts. Although the depth of the Wildcats’ bench has vastly improved from last season, the play of the starting five will be the key to jumping ahead of their opponents. “”From a style-of-play perspective, we’re going to try to keep it uptempo,”” Butts said. “”We tried that somewhat last year, but the personnel limited us from doing that. From the group we have out there this year, (we will) really be looking for some exciting basketball.””

Butts’ plan for Arizona this season is to make opponents play at its pace and allow the offense to keep attacking. The starters for the Wildcats will have to set that pace early and lead the way for the new players on the bench.

Name: Ify Ibekwe

Class: Junior

No.: 3

Why she’ll start: Ibekwe has proven that she’s the real deal when it comes to production — she averaged a double-double last season. The junior is the main target under the basket for the Wildcats and the standout for Arizona around the conference.

Name: Davellyn Whyte

Class: Freshman

No.: 0

Why she’ll start: While it’s still very early in the season, Whyte has begun to emerge as a scoring powerhouse for Arizona. She scored 27 points in the season opener against Iona College and has proved why she was the Wildcats’ top pickup in the offseason.

Name: Ashley Frazier

Class: Senior

No.: 11

Why she’ll start: After transferring last season, Frazier has become the uncontested leader of the Wildcat offense. With her speed, agility and defensive abilities, she’s the perfect fit to run head coach Butts’ fast-paced offense.

Name: Brooke Johnson

Class: Sophomore

No.: 12

Why she’ll start:  In her short career at Arizona, Jackson has shown why she was an NJCAA Division II First-team All-American. In her first game in a Wildcat jersey, the sophomore registered a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Name: Soana Lucet

Class: Junior

No.: 53

Why she’ll start: Lucet rounds out Arizona’s forwards with a high percentage shooting option for the Wildcat offense. Her high shooting percentage from the field allows the offense to have options when it comes to the forward position.