Preview – Arkansas Welcomes Texas Tech for WNIT Super 16

kylie magar March 23, 2023

FAYETTEVILLE – The Arkansas women’s basketball team (23-12, 7-9 Southeastern Conference) is set to host its third game of the 2023 Postseason WNIT, as Texas Tech (20-14, 6-12 Big 12) comes into town for the Super 16 on Friday, March 24 at 7 p.m. at Bud Walton Arena. Former Southwest Conference foes, the game will mark the first played between these two teams since 2016 and the 28th contest of the all-time series. The winner of this matchup will advance to the Great 8 and become one step closer to a WNIT Championship. Tickets are $10 for all, and the game will be broadcast on SEC Network+.

GAME INFORMATION

Date: Friday, March 24
Time: 7 p.m.
Opponent: Texas Tech
Location: Bud Walton Arena
Watch: SECN+
Listen: Razorback Sports Network from Learfield
Buy Tickets HERE ($10 for all)
Arkansas Game Notes
Texas Tech Game Notes
Live Stats

STORYLINES

Arkansas has advanced to the Super 16 of the Postseason WNIT, making it the sixth time the Razorbacks have qualified for the third round of the tournament in program history
In Arkansas’ eighth WNIT appearance, the Razorbacks are 3-2 in third-round games
The Razorbacks will take on Texas Tech, a Lady Raider team who boasts a 20-14 record, a nine-win improvement from the 11-19 season in 2021-22. Texas Tech also went 6-12 in the Big 12 to finish in eighth in the league
As old SWC opponents, these two teams have a rich history with Arkansas owning the 18-9 edge leading into the 28th contest of the series. The last time these two teams played was in 2016
In Arkansas’ first two WNIT games, the Razorbacks have held opponents to 47 (vs. LA Tech) and 37 (vs. SFA) points each for a 42.0 points per game average on defense
The Razorbacks are 23-12, which marks the program’s 22nd 20-win season, third under Mike Neighbors. This is also the most wins for the program since 2019-20 when that team went 24-8
Arkansas received the automatic qualifying bid to the WNIT as the SEC’s highest finisher among teams not chosen for the NCAA Tournament
In the Neighbors era, this is his fifth postseason appearance with Arkansas (three NCAA Tournaments including 2020 and now two WNITs)
Only three schools in the SEC have qualified for postseason tournaments in each of the past five seasons with Arkansas being one of them. Tennessee and South Carolina are the other two
Arkansas made a quarterfinal appearance at the SEC Tournament for the fourth time in the last five seasons. The Razorbacks defeated Missouri, 85-74, in the second round, but fell to No. 1, eventual SEC Champion South Carolina, 93-65, in the quarterfinals
On the All-SEC teams, Erynn Barnum earned a spot on the SEC Second Team, while Saylor Poffenbarger was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team
Barnum leads the team in scoring with 15.3 points and a .561 field goal percentage, which led the SEC for majority of the season. She has surpassed 1,000 points in her career and became the 18th Razorback to join the 1,000 points/500 rebound club
Barnum was one of 10 candidates for the Katrina McClain Award, given to the best power forward in the country
Samara Spencer is the second leading scorer with 14.5 points per game and leads the team in assists with 151. Her 4.3 assists per game is the fourth most in the SEC
Makayla Daniels leads the team in steals with 56 and averages 12.7 points per game
Daniels continues to move up in career top 10-20 lists, sitting No. 12 in points (1,421), No. 4 in career starts (120), No. 8 in career 3-pointers (172) and No. 14 in career assists (310)
Chrissy Carr logs 11.7 points per game and leads the squad with 81 3-pointers
Poffenbarger leads the team in rebounding with 6.9 per game and has 38 blocks. She is also the record holder for single-season defensive rebounds with 212, while being the first Hog to pull down 200+ defensive boards in a season (since the stat has been tracked)
The team is second in least turnovers committed per game in the SEC with 13.4 per game
Arkansas gets to the line 23.23 times per game, which is second in the conference and seventh in the country. The Razorbacks’ 15.66 makes from the free throw line per game is third in the SEC and 14th in the NCAA
Arkansas leads the SEC in 3-point attempts per game (27.2), which is 10th in the country, and No. 2 in 3-pointers per game (8.2) in the league. Additionally, Arkansas set a program record for 3-point attempts in a season (949) and sits third in 3-pointers made (287)

SCOUTING TEXAS TECH

The Lady Raiders have been enjoying a turnaround season with a 20-14 record after previously finishing 11-19 in 2021-22. Texas Tech finished 6-12 in a strong Big 12 league that had six teams make the NCAA Tournament with nine of the 10 qualifying for postseason play
Bre’Amber Scott paces the Lady Raiders with 16.7 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per game. The Little Rock native was tabbed to the All-Big 12 First Team
The floor general, Bryn Gerlich leads Tech with 102 assists for a 3.1 average and was named as an Honorable Mention choice in the league, while Katie Ferrell has a team’s most 42 steals and 20 blocks
Bailey Maupin also averages double digits in scoring with 10.4 points per game, and earned a spot to the All-Freshman Team
Texas Tech fell to Kansas State, 79-69, in the first round of the Big 12 Championship
The Lady Raiders are rolling in the WNIT, coming off a 67-54 win over UTEP in the first round and a 61-49 victory over SMU in the second round. Texas Tech drew crowds of 4,000+ in both games played in Lubbock, Texas
Krista Gerlich is doing good things in West Texas as the head coach, leading the Lady Raiders to a postseason appearance and a 20-win season for the first time since 2012-13

HISTORY AGAINST THE LADY RAIDERS

Arkansas and Texas Tech go back as SWC opponents, and the Razorbacks hold an 18-9 edge in the series
Friday’s game is the 28th of the series
The first game of the series was played in 1980, resulting in a 74-46 loss for Arkansas in Baton Rouge at the SWAIAW Regional
Arkansas is a perfect 11-0 in the series’ games played in Fayetteville
The Razorbacks are 8-2 in the last 10 games played in the series
Arkansas and Texas Tech’s last matchup was in 2016, leading to a 66-60 win for the Razorbacks in Fayetteville

LAST TIME OUT

Arkansas is coming off a stellar defensive performance against SFA on Monday with a 60-37 victory in the second round of the WNIT
The 37 points Arkansas allowed defensively was an SFA season low and marked a program WNIT record, which was broken a week ago with Arkansas’ 47 points allowed vs. Louisiana Tech. Arkansas also held SFA to 22 percent shooting, which was another program WNIT feat
Spencer was on her way to outscoring the Ladyjacks, ending the night with 27 points for her eighth 20-piece of the season. She knocked down four 3-pointers and led the team in +/- at 24
Daniels also found her way in double digits in scoring with 11 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks
Rylee Langerman was all over the floor and played a season-high 28 minutes, while tallying her second career double-digit rebounding game with 10, along with three assists and three steals. Poffenbarger was also active on the boards with nine
Jersey Wolfenbarger registered nine points and three blocks
All 12 players saw time on the floor
Arkansas outscored SFA 20-0 in fast break points and 18-0 in second-chance opportunities

WNIT HISTORY

Arkansas has played in the WNIT /NWIT/AIAW 12 times, with this year marking the program’s 13th appearance
The Razorbacks are now 18-6 in the WNIT in its eighth appearance, 4-2 in the NWIT with two appearances and 3-3 in the AIAW Tournament with three appearances
In third round games played in the WNIT, Arkansas is 4-3
Arkansas is a perfect 7-0 in the first round of the WNIT after its win over LA Tech in the first round of the 2023 Postseason WNIT and 6-2 in second round games following the victory over SFA
The team’s last appearance in the WNIT came in 2019, where Arkansas made it to the third round. Arkansas defeated Houston (88-80 in OT) and UAB (100-52) before losing to TCU (82-78) in all games played in Fayetteville. The program used the WNIT as a jump starter in which the team went on to qualify for three straight NCAA Tournaments
Arkansas won the WNIT in 1999 with its 67-64 win over Wisconsin in the championship game breaking a Bud Walton Arena attendance record at 14,163, which is the fifth best attendance in WNIT history
Past WNIT champions are programs that have done well in the previous years. South Dakota State (2022) was an NCAA Tournament team this year along with Arizona (2019), Indiana (2018), Michigan (2017) and UCLA (2015)

UPCOMING

The winner of Thursday’s game will advance to the Great 8, with those games being played from Saturday, March 25 to Monday, March 27.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information about Arkansas Women’s Basketball, follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @RazorbackWBB and on Facebook at Facebook.com/RazorbackWBB. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel, “Kickin’ It In The Neighborhood” for an inside look at the Razorback women’s basketball program and check out The Neighborhood podcasts at CoachNeighbors.com.