Female students at the University of Arizona first requested a women's basketball team in 1912, but were denied. Women played "inter-class" games for the first time in 1921. The juniors won. The following year, the school organized games with players from sororities and dormitories. Intercollegiate competition began in 1923, and a "Varsity" team played Arizona State University. This system persisted until 1971, when the UA joined the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women as a charter member. The team was a member of the Intermountain Conference. The University of Arizona Athletic Department cites the first official season of women's basketball at the University of Arizona as the 1972-73 season, following the Title IX federal legislation that requires state-supported institutions to offer equal opportunity to men's and women's programs. The team finished their first season with a winning 8-4 record. In 1979, the University of Arizona, along with Arizona State University and five schools in southern California joined to form the Western Collegiate Athletic Association. The team became a member of the NCAA in 1981, when the NCAA absorbed the AIAW. In 1985, the school joined the Pacific-West Conference, which became the Pac-10 the following season and the Pac-12 in 2011. As of the outset of the 2015-16 season, the all-time team record was 537-642. The Wildcats were runners-up at the Pac-10 Conference championship tournament in 2003 and 2004, marking their most successful conference finishes. The team made appearances in the NCAA Tournament in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2004, and 2005, and in the Women's National Invitational Tournament in 1996, 2001, 2011, and 2019.
Coaching staff
Lois Sheldahl coached during the program's first two seasons. Nancy Trego then took over as head coach for four seasons. Subsequent coaches were Lori Woodman from 1978-1980 ; Judy LeWinter from 1980-1985 ; Wendy Larry from 1985-1987 ; June Olkowski from 1987-1991 ; Joan Bonvicini from 1991-2008 and Niya Butts from 2009-2016 . The current head coach is Adia Barnes.
Playing abroad
The Wildcats have played Australia, France, Puerto Rico, and Italy.
