Arkansas Is #3 Seed, Faces Colgate in NCAA First Round

INDIANAPOLIS – Arkansas has been selected as the No. 3 seed and will play the South Region of the 2021 NCAA Championship. The Razorbacks will play Colgate, the region’s No. 14 seed, on Friday (Mar. 19). Tipoff is set for 12:45 pm (ET) / 11:45 am (CT) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse – home of the Indiana Pacers – and the game will be televised on TruTV.

Arkansas earns its 34th NCAA bid and first since 2018. This is the second time in program history Arkansas has earned a No. 3 seed and the 12th time to be a top-4 seed since the NCAA began its current seeding process for the 1979 championship. The only other time Arkansas was a No. 3 seed was for the 1992 NCAA Tournament. Arkansas was a No. 1 seed in 1994 and 1991; a No. 2 seed in 1995, 1984 ad 1979; and a No. 4 seed in 1999, 1993, 1990, 1983 and 1982.

The Razorbacks (22-6) were the SEC regular-season runner-up, are #14 in the NCAA NET and have an RPI of 12. The team won 12 straight games versus SEC opponents to close the season before falling in the SEC semifinals. Included in those 12 wins were six NCAA NET QUAD 1 wins, including NCAA teams Alabama, Missouri twice, Florida and LSU. (Arkansas’ other QUAD 1 win was at Kentucky.) Arkansas additionally defeated North Texas, Abilene Christian and Oral Roberts, all conference tournament champions that earned NCAA berths. The Hogs lost by four points on the road to NCAA team and No.4 seed Oklahoma State in the annual SEC-Big 12 Challenge. Overall, Arkansas is 6-5 versus QUAD 1 teams, 6-1 versus QUAD 2 and a combined 10-0 versus QUAD 3 and 4 teams.

Arkansas’ 12-game SEC win streak included 11-straight to end the regular season – the best streak in the league this season. With a win over Missouri in the SEC quarterfinal, the Hogs tied the 1993-94 team for the program record for consecutive SEC wins. The 1993-94 team, which won the NCAA National Championship, also won the final 11 regular-season SEC games, won in the SEC quarterfinal and lost in the SEC semifinal.

Arkansas is 20-12 in NCAA Tournament openers and own a 42-32 all-time record in NCAA action.

The meeting will pair two of the top 10 scoring offenses in the nation. Arkansas is seventh in the NCAA in scoring (82.4 ppg) and Colgate is second (86.4 ppg).

Colgate, who has an NET of 9 and RPI of 11, won the Patriot League tournament to be an automatic qualifier. This will be the first meeting between Arkansas and Colgate. Colgate is 14-1. The Raiders feature guard Jordan Burns, who is 25th in the NCAA in assists and 14th in free throw percentage.

With a first-round win, Arkansas would face the winner of No. 6 Texas Tech and No. 11 Utah State on Sunday (Mar. 21).

Due to limited capacity constraints at the NCAA Tournament, Arkansas will not have tickets available to season ticket holders to purchase for the first and second rounds. There is a possibility of tickets being made available for future rounds should the Razorbacks advance. Please continue to check www.ArkansasRazorbacks.com or check your emails if you are a season ticket holder for further updates.

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