Preview – Arkansas will face Kansas in the postseason WNIT Great 8

FAYETTEVILLE – The Arkansas women’s basketball team (24-12, 7-9 Southeastern Conference) will play on the road for the first time in the team’s 2023 Postseason WNIT series when the Razorbacks face Kansas (22-11, 9-9 Big 12). The Great 8 on Sunday 26 March. Game time is set for 2:00 PM at historic Allen Fieldhouse, and the contest will be broadcast on ESPN+. This game is the ninth in the all-time series, and the winner of this one wins a ticket to the Fab 4 and will play Washington against the winner of Oregon.

GAME INFORMATION

Date: Sunday, March 26
Time: 2 p.m
Opponent: Kansas
Venue: Allen Fieldhouse
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: Razorback Sports Network from Learfield
Buy tickets HERE
Arkansas Game Notes
Kansas Game Notes
Live statistics

STORY TIMES

• Arkansas advances to the Big 8 of the Postseason WNIT, marking the fourth time in program history that the Razorbacks have advanced to the fourth round of the tournament.
• This is Arkansas’ first appearance in the Great 8 since 2011, when the field was expanded to 64 teams
• In Arkansas’ eighth WNIT appearance, the Razorbacks are 1-2 in fourth-round games.
• Arkansas faces a Kansas team that is 22-11 and finished 9-9 in the Big-12, which was seventh in the league. The Jayhawks have played in the postseason WNIT series with decisive wins at home over WKU (86-72), Missouri (75-47) and Nebraska (64-55).
• The Razorbacks face the Jayhawks for the ninth time in the all-time series, which is tied 4-4. The last time these two teams played against each other was in 2017, which resulted in a 71-60 loss for Arkansas.
• In Arkansas’ first two WNIT games, the Razorbacks are holding opponents to 50.0 points per game, including setting the program’s WNIT record in defensive points allowed twice by Louisiana Tech (47) and then SFA (37).
• The Razorbacks are 24-12, marking the program’s 22nd 20-win season, third under Mike Neighbors. That goes for the most program wins since the 2019-20 season, when the team went 24-8. Another win would mark Arkansas’ most since the 1989-90 season, when the team finished 25-5
• This is the longest season in program history, 139 days
• Arkansas received an automatic bid to the WNIT for the SEC’s highest-ranked team not selected for the NCAA Tournament
• This WNIT appearance is Arkansas’ 26th in the postseason, while the Razorbacks are 19-6 in WNIT games
• In the Neighbors era, this will be his fifth postseason appearance at Arkansas (three NCAA Tournaments including 2020 and now two WNIT Tournaments)
• Only three SEC schools have made the postseason in each of the last five seasons, and Arkansas is one of them. Tennessee and South Carolina are the other two
• Arkansas is playing in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament for the fourth time in the last five seasons. The Razorbacks beat Missouri in the second round, 85-74, but fell to No. 1 seed SEC champion South Carolina, 93-65, in the quarterfinals.
• Arkansas finished 7-9 in the SEC, moving up to eighth in the league. The program’s history of seven wins is tied for fourth most in SEC play
• The team started the season 13-0 and finished with a 13-2 non-conference record, Arkansas’ best start since 2013.
• 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 15.1 points and a .563 field goal percentage, which led the SEC for most of the season. He surpassed 1,000 career points and became the 18th Razorback to join the 1,000 point/500 rebound club
• Barnum was one of ten nominees for the Katrina McClain Award, given to the nation’s top power forward.
• Samara Spencer is the second leading scorer at 14.4 points per game and leads the team in assists with 154. His 4.3 assists per game are fifth most in the SEC.
• Makayla Daniels leads the team in assists with 56 and averages 12.7 points per game.
• Daniels continues to climb the career top 10-20 lists, ranking No. 11 in points (1,442), No. 4 in career starts (121), No. 8 in career three-pointers (175) and No. 13 in career assists. (313)
• Chrissy Carr scores 11.8 points per game and leads the team with 85 three-pointers.
• Poffenbarger leads the team in rebounding with 6.9 per game and has 39 blocks. He also holds the single-season defensive rebound record with 219, while becoming the first Hog to pull down over 200 defensive boards in a season (since the stat has been tracked)
• The team has the second fewest turnovers in the SEC at 13.4 per game
• Arkansas gets to the line 23.47 times per game, which is second in the conference and sixth in the nation. The Razorbacks’ 15.78 from the free throw line per game is third in the SEC and 12th in the NCAA
• Arkansas leads the SEC in 3-point attempts per game (27.3), which is ninth in the nation, and 2nd in the league in 3-pointers per game (8.3). For the program, Arkansas set the record for 3-pointers attempted in a season (984) and is second in 3-pointers made in a season (298)

SCOUTING KANSAS

• The Jayhawks are 22-11 while finishing seventh in the Big 12 with a 9-9 mark. Kansas was the first team to be eliminated from the NCAA Tournament
• Like Arkansas, nearly all five of Kansas’ starters are averaging double figures, with the fifth-leading scorer just shy of 10 points per game
• Zakiyah Franklin leads Kansas with 15.8 points per game while pacing the team in assists with 107 total points. He was an All-Big 12 First Team selection
• Double-double machine with 20 this year, All-Big 12 First Team and All-Defensive Team selection Taiyanna Jackson registered 15.0 points and a team-leading 12.5 rebounds per game. He also has a team-high 99 blocks
• Holly Kersgieter was an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection and leads the team in assists with 58 while averaging 13.8 points per game. Wyvette Mayberry is averaging 11.4 points per game
• Kansas fell to TCU in the first round of the Big 12 tournament, 57-52
• The Jayhawks are rolling in the Postseason WNIT with wins over WKU (67-72) and Missouri (75-47) while also beating Nebraska 64-55 in the Super 16 series.
• Brandon Schneider has built something special for the Lawrence women’s program as he enters his eighth season at the helm after leading the 2021-22 team to the program’s biggest win improvement, its first 20-win season since 2012-13 and the NCAA. First round win over Georgia Tech (77-58)

HISTORY AGAINST THE JAYHAWKS

• Sunday’s game is the ninth in the all-time series and serves as a tie, as both teams are 4-4 in opposing games.
• The last non-conference game in the series was in 2017 when the Razorbacks fell 71-60 in Lawrence.
• The first game of this streak was played in 1983 on a neutral floor in Minneapolis, with Arkansas winning 72-53.
• Arkansas is 1-2 in Lawrence games
• The two teams have played each other in the postseason twice and share a 1-1 record after facing each other in the NCAA Tournament in 1998 in Oakland, Calif. (W, 79-63) and in 2009 in Manhattan, Kansas (W, 75-). 59)

THE LAST TIME

• In a multi-run game, Arkansas beat Texas Tech 71-66 at home in the Postseason WNIT to advance to the Great 8 for the first time since 2011, marking the fourth time the Razorbacks have advanced to the No. 4 seed. round of the tournament
• Arkansas started the game on a 15-0 run, and although the teams were tied at halftime, the Razorbacks outscored the Lady Raiders 19-14 in the third quarter.
• Daniels, a senior, was the difference maker, scoring 16 of her team-leading 21 points in the second half. He also grabbed eight rebounds, committed eight fouls to go 8-of-10 from the free throw line and had three assists.
• Carr made two of his four 3-pointers late in the fourth quarter, which was huge as he scored 17 points.
• Spencer made her way into double figures once again with 10 points, while also committing eight fouls and three steals and two steals.
• Jersey Wolfenbarger continues to provide a big spark off the bench, scoring eight points on 3-of-5 shooting from the field.
• Arkansas outshot Texas Tech 16-8 in second chance scoring and 15-2 in fast break points.
• The Razorbacks made 11 3-pointers

WNIT HISTORY

• Arkansas has played in the WNIT/NWIT/AIAW series 12 times, and this year marks the program’s 13th appearance.
• The Razorbacks are now 19-6 in the WNIT after their eighth appearance, 4-2 in the NWIT through two appearances and 3-3 in the AIAW Tournament through three appearances.
• Arkansas is 1-2 in WNIT fourth round games
• Arkansas is a perfect 7-0 in the first round of the WNIT after defeating LA Tech in the first round of the 2023 Postseason WNIT.
• The team’s last appearance in the WNIT came in 2019, when Arkansas advanced to the third round. Arkansas beat 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 springboard, where the team advanced to three consecutive NCAA Tournaments.
• Arkansas won the WNIT in 1999 by beating Wisconsin 67-64 in the title game, breaking the Bud Walton Arena attendance record with 14,163, the fifth-best in WNIT history.
• Past WNIT champions are programs that have done well in previous years. South Dakota State (2022) was an NCAA Tournament team this year along with Arizona (2019), 2023 No. 1 seed Indiana (2018), Michigan (2017) and UCLA (2015).

FOR THE FUTURE

The winner of Sunday’s game advances to the Fab 4, which will be played on Tuesday, March 28 and Wednesday, March 29.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information on 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” to see the Razorback women’s basketball program and check out The Neighborhood podcasts at CoachNeighbors.com.