Hogs Selected As Four Seed, Will Play Wright State in First Round
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas Women’s Basketball is dancing once again, as Head Coach Mike Neighbors’ Hogs were selected to play in the 2021 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament on Monday night. Arkansas returns to the Big Dance for the first time since 2015, and as a four seed, they enter the national tournament with their highest seeding since 1991, when they were a three seed. The Razorbacks will take on the No. 13 seed, Wright State, in round one, the first meeting ever between the two programs. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m. CT, and the game will air live on ESPN.
Arkansas is coming off a historic season, as the Hogs come into the NCAA with a record of 19-8, their third straight season winning at least 19 games. Arkansas also put together a winning conference season (9-6) for the second straight year, the first time that has happened for the Hogs since they joined the Southeastern Conference.
Most notably, though, were Arkansas’ two signature wins this season, as the Hogs took down both UConn (90-87), who finished the season at No. 1 in the AP Poll, and are the No. 1 seed in the River Walk Region, and Baylor (83-78), who finished the season fifth in the AP Poll, and are the No. 2 Seed in that same region. This was the first year in program history with two top-five wins, and the Hogs are the first team since South Carolina last season, who would’ve entered the NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 overall seed, to beat both the Huskies and Lady Bears in the same season.
Wright State earned its bid by winning the Horizon League Championship, beating IUPUI, 53-41, in the league’s championship game last Tuesday. The Raiders come into the NCAA Tournament with an 18-7 regular season record, including a 15-5 mark in conference play. They are led by junior guard Angel Barker, who is averaging 18.1 points per game in her 23 games played this season. The Raiders only played one game against the Power Five all season, as then-No. 24 Michigan beat them 82-59 in Ann Arbor back on December 6.
This will be Arkansas’ 12th appearance ever in the NCAA Tournament, and the Hogs have a 14-11 record in the Big Dance. The Hogs are 9-2 in opening round games, though, and have won their last nine first round matchups, a streak that dates all the way back to 1990. With a first round victory, Arkansas would face the winner of No. 5 Missouri State and No. 12 UC Davis.
There are a limited amount of tickets available for the NCAA First and Second Round games. Season ticket holders and Razorback Foundation members who have interest in attending should contact the Razorback Ticket Center on Tuesday at 479-575-5151 or raztk@uark.edu.
Tickets for the First and Seconds Rounds range from $12 – $18. Second Round tickets are only available if the Razorbacks advance to that round. Fans who receive First Round tickets will automatically receive and be charged for Second Round tickets.
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