For the Arizona Wildcats, it was more than payback.

It was a critical win that likely nailed down their fate as a host seed in the NCAA Tournament two weeks from now.

In a rematch of last Sunday’s shocking season-ending upset, Arizona did what it needed to do to advance to the Pac-12 Tournament semifinals for the first time since 2001 with an 83-76 win over Cal.

Cate Reese’s career-high 30 points set the tone for an Arizona team that is entering uncharted territory, at least for this team. The four-seeded Wildcats (24-6) will face top-seeded Oregon Saturday night for a chance to play for the program’s first-ever tournament championship.

Reese’s best-ever game came on a 13-for-15 effort from the floor. The sophomore forward was one of four Wildcats in double figures.

“I’m proud of our fight,” said Arizona coach Adia Barnes.

Barnes believes this win solidified her team’s ability to host NCAA Tournament games in two weeks. The Wildcats haven’t been in the NCAA bracket in 15 years. Arizona last hosted NCAA games in 2006 when teams bid to host and it was not based on seeding. The Wildcats didn’t play in the tournament that year.

“We're one of the few venues in the country that can bring 15,000 people to a women's basketball team. I think we have a strong chance of doing that,” Barnes said. “With a crowd like that, I think we have a lot of momentum when we play at home. We could be in a great situation.”

But first, a date with the Oregon Ducks on Saturday night, a team that beat them handily, 85-52, back on February 7.

“Their talent hasn't changed. I think at this time of year, anybody is beatable. They're a very good team. All of America knows that,” Barnes said. “They have three top five picks and three All-Americans. You know, Oregon has the pressure to win the Pac-12 Tournament. We don't have the pressure to win the Pac-12 Tournament. Oregon has the pressure as the higher seed to beat the lower seeds. We don't have that pressure.”

Cal coach Charmin Smith watched her team knock off Arizona last weekend and then Arizona State on Thursday night in the tournament’s opening rounds. She hopes that sets a tone for a bright future for the Bears, who finished with a 12-19 and reason for optimism.

“We have had a lot of special moments,” Smith said. “I think it is just going to be the feeling every single day that we had when we were on the bus, you know, in the locker room, just the fact that it's always felt like a family. And even when we had lost I think eight, nine in a row, we were still enjoying one another. And those are the things that are most precious to me because there are going to be more wins, there are going to be more losses, that stuff is going to happen with different players and such, but I do not take for granted the positive attitude and the togetherness that this squad had during the really rough Pac-12 play.”

Oregon rights the way

The top-seeded Ducks didn’t get off to a great start in their 2020 Pac-12 Tournament opener. They found themselves down in the first quarter to an upstart Utah team, and needed an energy boost.

They got it from beyond the arc. Before the half was over Oregon had hit 10 3-pointers and were well on their way to a 72-52 win over Utah to advance to the semifinals against four-seeded Arizona on Saturday. Oregon will be playing for a third straight chance at the Pac-12 Tournament title.

At 29-2, the Ducks can afford to be picky about the things they didn’t do well, even after a 20-point win.

“This is one of the first games in the last maybe 16 or 17 where we just didn't play our best. We weren't in sync really defensively or offensively,” said Ducks head coach Kelly Graves. “Then we came out in that second quarter and, you know, played like we're capable of playing…I don't know. We have been actually a really good starting team. We just weren't today. So, we'll have to figure out why and hope to fix it.”

Sabrina Ionescu finished with 19 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. She is 15 assists from collecting the most assists in any NCAA conference tournament over the past 20 seasons, poised to pass LSU’s Temeka Johnson who racked up 81 assists in SEC Tournament games.

Ionescu came back this season to complete “unfinished business” after the Final Four loss of 2019 in Tampa.

She is two wins away from checking off another box on the way to her quest – and Oregon’s – for an NCAA title.

“We just won one. Now we have two more we're trying to win. It is really one game at a time and a one-game winning streak from here on out,” Ionescu said. “Obviously it would be awesome to cut down nets here. We weren't able to do that last year. You know, we have Arizona in front of us, and we need to take care of them first before looking too far ahead.”

Utah closes the season at 14-17 after getting their first win in the Pac-12 Tournament since 2014.

“This is just a great experience for these guys in that environment and that atmosphere as we move forward. I'm excited about, as I just told them, I'm proud of them, I was -- I was proud to coach them today,” Roberts said. “They just -- they emptied their tank. They gave it everything they had. They followed the game plan. They just -- they represented our program really, really well. We will regroup and, you know, in a weird way I'm excited to get to work this offseason and we'll get a little break, but we have such a talented, exciting young core that I'm really, really looking forward to working with.”

Michelle Smith is a contributing writer for pac-12.com. She has covered pro and college sports for espnW, San Francisco Chronicle, The Athletic and AOL Fanhouse. She was has won several awards, including the WBCA's Mel Greenberg Media Award, presented annually to a member of the media who has best displayed commitment to advancing the role of the media in women's basketball. For previous Michelle Smith features on pac-12.com, visit the archives page.