[5] The Cardinal recorded an 81–74 win on the road on January 1, 2021, and defeated the Wildcats again at home, 62–48, on February 22, 2021.

2 seed Texas A&M,[14] Arizona advanced to the Elite Eight[b] for the first time in program history,[14] where they then defeated No.

[16] Stanford, led by 35th-year head coach Tara VanDerveer, finished the regular season with a record of 22–2, including wins over five ranked teams.

8 seed Oklahoma State to reach the Sweet Sixteen for the 27th time in program history.

1 seed South Carolina by one point to reach their fifth title game;[26] they entered seeking their third national championship.

The teams then traded two-point field goals before Trinity Baptiste scored a three-pointer to cut the Cardinal lead to 16–8; those points were the last of the quarter.

[30] Arizona started the second quarter well, scoring twice to cut the lead to four before the teams traded shots.

Ashten Prechtel's layup with 6:21 on the clock put an end to the run, but a pair of free throws by Shaina Pellington shortly thereafter cut the Cardinal lead to one.

From there, the remainder of the half was controlled by the Cardinal, as they sparked an 11–0 run that put them up by ten before an Arizona layup and free throw cut the deficit to seven, where it remained until the buzzer.

[30] The teams played evenly for much of the third quarter; entering up seven, Stanford traded baskets with Arizona before a pair of layups put the Cardinal up by 11.

[30] Stanford started the final quarter strongly, making three field goals in the first three minutes to extend their lead to eight.