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Arkansas Razorbacks | |||
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University | University of Arkansas | ||
Head coach | Mike Neighbors (7th season) | ||
Conference | SEC | ||
Location | Fayetteville, Arkansas | ||
Arena | Bud Walton Arena (Capacity: 19,368) | ||
Nickname | Razorbacks | ||
Colors | Cardinal and white | ||
Uniforms | |||
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NCAA tournament Final Four | |||
1998 | |||
NCAA tournament Elite Eight | |||
1990, 1998 | |||
NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen | |||
1990, "1991," 1998 | |||
NCAA tournament second round | |||
1990, 1991, 1995, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2012, 2015 | |||
NCAA tournament appearances | |||
1986, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1995, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2012, 2015, 2021, 2022 | |||
AIAW tournament appearances | |||
1982 | |||
Conference tournament champions | |||
1991 (SWC) | |||
Conference regular season champions | |||
1990, 1991 (SWC) |
The Arkansas Razorbacks women's basketball team represents the: University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States in NCAA Division I women's basketball competition. The school's team currently competes in theββSoutheastern Conference.
The basketball team plays its home games in Bud Walton Arena on the University of Arkansas campus under fourth-year head coach Mike Neighbors.
Historyβ»
Women's basketball has been a part of the fabric of the University of Arkansas for almost a century. Teams of female students took to outdoor courts and "peach baskets just after the "turn of the century."" While the women waited until 1976 for the first varsity team to officially represent the University, these early photos show how the game captured what was then deemed βthe fairer sexβ in action.
Arkansas' women's basketball history can be definitively traced to the 1976-77 season when the University began keeping records. Since that time, the Razorback women's basketball team has made two SWAIAW Regional appearances, one AIAW Sweet 16 appearance, 8 NWIT and WNIT appearances. And 11 NCAA Tournament appearances including reaching the Final Four in 1998 and winning the WNIT in 1999, beating Wisconsin 67-64.
SWC Titleβ»
Arkansas was the first team to beat Texas and the first team to win a share, then later an outright, Southwest Conference championship besides the Lady Longhorns. In 1991, Arkansas also ended the Texasβ dominance of the SWC tournament by defeating Texas Tech for the title. These three trophiesβ the 1990 and 1991 regular season championships and 1991 SWC Classic tournament titleβare the only SWC womenβs basketball trophies in captivity outside the state of Texas.
NCAA Final Fourβ»
In 1998, Arkansas made NCAA Tournament history as the lowest seed -- #9 in the Westβto advance to the Final Four. They were the first unranked team in womenβs basketball history during the modern era to reach the Final Four. And, they were the lowest finishing team in conference playβtied for sixth in the SECβto reach the Final Four. Arkansas spent two weeks in the Bay Area. Along the way, the Razorbacks beat three conference championsβWAC, Pacific, Ivy and ACCβand three ranked teamsβHawaiβi, Kansas and Dukeβto face conference rival Tennessee at Kansas City.
Arkansas played all four of its pre-Final Four games on late night TV, earning the nickname of Good Morning Americaβs team. Every member of the team contributed to the run, starting with a 24-point effort by Karyn Karlin in the opening round win over #20 Hawaiβi, 76-70. Then it was freshman Wendi Willitsβ turn with a near-NCAA record six three-pointers to blow open Arkansasβ second round contest with Harvard, 82-64. In the opening round games held at Stanford, Calif., Christy Smith had zero turnovers and 16 assists.
At the West Regionals in Oakland, junior Sytia Messer stepped to the front as Arkansasβ leading scorer in both wins, earning herself the honor as the most outstanding player at the West Regional. Messer had 23 points as Arkansas used an impressive 54-point second half to dispatch Kansas, 79-63, in the Sweet 16. Fellow junior Treva Christensen announced herself with 14 points off the bench against Duke to earn all-tournament selection. Junior Tennille Adams was 6-of-9 with 14 off the bench including the go-ahead bucket in the closing minutes against Duke.
Smith calmly sank four free throws in the final seconds to send Arkansas to the Final Four for the first time with a 77-72 win over ACC champion Duke.
List of head coachesβ»
- Sharon Ogle (1976β1978)
- Joan Henn (1978β1981)
- Matilda Willis (1981β1984)
- John Sutherland (1984β1993)
- Gary Blair (1993β2003)
- Susie Gardner (2003β2007)
- Tom Collen (2007β2014)
- Jimmy Dykes (2014β2017)
- Mike Neighbors (2017β )
Postseasonβ»
NCAA Division Iβ»
Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1986 | #8 | First Round | #9 Missouri | L 65β66 |
1989 | #12 | First Round | #5 Purdue | L 63β91 |
1990 | #7 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight |
#10 UCLA #2 Georgia #3 Stephen F. Austin #1 Stanford |
W 90β80 (OT) W 81β70 W 87β82 L 87β114 |
1991 | #3 | Second Round Sweet Sixteen |
#6 Northwestern #10 Lamar |
W 105β68 L 75β91 |
1995 | #6 | First Round Second Round |
#11 San Francisco #3 Washington |
W 67β58 L 50β54 |
1998 | #9 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four |
#8 Hawaii #16 Harvard #5 Kansas #2 Duke #1 Tennessee |
W 76β70 W 82β64 W 79β63 W 77β72 L 58β86 |
2001 | #9 | First Round Second Round |
#8 Baylor #1 Duke |
W 68β59 L 54β75 |
2002 | #6 | First Round Second Round |
#11 Clemson #3 Kansas State |
W 78β68 L 68β82 |
2003 | #7 | First Round Second Round |
#10 Cincinnati #2 Texas |
W 71β57 L 50β67 |
2012 | #6 | First Round Second Round |
#11 Dayton #3 Texas A&M |
W 72β55 L 59β61 |
2015 | #10 | First Round Second Round |
#7 Northwestern #2 Baylor |
W 57β55 L 44β73 |
2021 | #4 | First Round | #13 Wright State | L 62β66 |
2022 | #10 | First Round | #7 Utah | L 69β92 |
WNITβ»
Source
Overtime period - *
Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1999 | First | Northwestern State | W 78β60 |
Second | Oklahoma | W 97β93* | |
Quarterfinals | Rice | W 76β60 | |
Semi finals | Drake | W 67β64 | |
Finals | Wisconsin | W 80β77 | |
2000 | First | Wichita State | W 83β63 |
Second | Missouri | W 89β88 | |
Quarterfinals | Georgia Tech | W 78β67 | |
Semi finals | Florida | L 83β62 | |
2005 | First | UNLV | W 61β48 |
Second | Arkansas State | L 98β84 | |
2009 | Round 2 | Oklahoma State | W 61β60 * |
Round 3 | Kansas | L 75β59 | |
2011 | First | Lamar | W 91β65 |
Second | Missouri State | W 65β64 | |
Regional semifinals | Oral Roberts | W 78β59 | |
Regional finals | Illinois State | L 60β49 | |
2013 | First | Memphis | W 67β57 |
Second | Tulane | L 60β48 | |
2019 | Round 1 | Houston | W 88β80 * |
Round 2 | UAB | W 100β52 | |
Round 3 | TCU | L 82β78 | |
2023 | Round 1 | Louisiana Tech | W 69β47 |
Round 2 | Stephen F. Austin | W 60β37 | |
Super 16 | Texas Tech | W 71β66 | |
Great 8 | Kansas | L 78β64 |
AIAW Division Iβ»
The Razorbacks made one appearance in the AIAW National Division I basketball tournament, with a combined record of 0β1.
Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1982 | First Round | California | L, 62β66 |
Referencesβ»
- ^ "Color Palette & Fonts". Arkansas Razorbacks Brand Style Guide (PDF). June 16, 2021. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
- ^ "2020-2021 Record Book" (PDF). arkansasrazorbacks.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-03-03. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
- ^ "W. Basketball Program History". Arkansas Razorbacks. 2015-05-18. Retrieved 2023-04-17.
- ^ "Archived Fields (PDF) - WNIT Pre and Post Tournament" (PDF). womensnit.com. Retrieved 2023-04-17.