FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas women’s basketball coach Mike Neighbors hopes his team is up for a challenge in 2022-23.
The Razorbacks’ sixth-year coach has assembled a unique schedule that includes 15 non-conference games, the maximum allowed by an offseason NCAA rule change. Arkansas will play eight non-conference games away from home, marking the first time since 2009-10 that the program will have fewer games scheduled at home than on the road or at a neutral site.
“I know we were really young last year. They’re a year older and a year wiser, so I felt like we needed to challenge them,” Neighbors said. “I think the SEC is going to be even more challenging than it was last year, so it made sense to be better prepared going into it.”
The Razorbacks were 18-14 last season and lost 92-69 to Utah in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Arkansas must replace its leading scorer Amber Ramirez, but returns the bulk of its roster and adds Connecticut transfer Saylor Poffenbarger and 5-star recruit Maryam Dauda to the lineup.
Both players practiced with last season’s team but did not play in games. Poffenbarger transferred from UConn during the season and Dauda was recovering from ACL surgery during her senior season at Bentonville High School.
Along with the likes of returning starters Makayla Daniels, Jersey Wolfenbarger and reigning SEC freshman of the year Samara Spencer, the newcomers should help form a formidable core for the Razorbacks. That makes Neighbors more comfortable with a challenging schedule of games.
“It makes them work harder in the offseason,” Neighbors said. “We’ve got to be ready for that first game.”
Arkansas is scheduled to play at multi-team events in the U.S. Virgin Islands and San Diego, and will play road games at Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Arkansas-Little Rock and Creighton. The Razorbacks are scheduled to open the season with a Nov. 7 game at UAPB.
Neighbors said UAPB will present a challenge. The Golden Lions' roster includes two former McDonald’s All-Americans who transferred from SEC programs — Maori Davenport from Georgia and Zaay Green by way of Tennessee and Texas A&M.
“That roster has an SEC feel from right off the bat,” Neighbors said.
Other schedule highlights include games at Creighton and games in San Diego against Oregon and either Ohio State or South Florida. The Bluejays defeated Arkansas in Fayetteville last December and played in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. The Razorbacks will play the back end of a home-and-home agreement in Omaha, Neb., on Dec. 17.
The team will leave Omaha for two games in San Diego, beginning with a Dec. 20 matchup against Oregon. Arkansas will play Ohio State or South Florida the following day.
Oregon was upset in the first round of the NCAA Tournament as a No. 5 seed last season. Ohio State was the regular-season Big Ten champion and advanced to the Sweet 16.
The Buckeyes are coached by Kevin McGuff, who Neighbors assisted for six seasons at Xavier and Washington. Neighbors was hired as Washington’s head coach when McGuff left for Ohio State in 2013.
“Kevin was kind of that guy that kicked me out of the nest a little bit and said, ‘You can do this,’” Neighbors said. “I don't like playing against friends, but it is kind of cool.”
Arkansas will play another NCAA Tournament team from last season when it concludes the Paradise Jam with a game against Kansas State on Nov. 26 at the UVI Sports & Fitness Center in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. The Razorbacks will play Northern Arizona and Clemson in the two days that precede the matchup with K-State.
“I just don't want there to be any surprises when we turn the calendar into SEC play,” Neighbors said. “I think the best way to do that is to challenge yourself. I've always said we're probably going to be one of those teams that has eight, nine or 10 losses; if you're playing the right people, you're going to have that many. I just want us to be that team. I don't want to be that 33-2 team that didn't play anybody.”
The Razorbacks will play all four of the other Division I teams from the state, including the first two games of the season at UAPB and at home against Central Arkansas on Nov. 11. The Razorbacks are scheduled to play at UALR on Nov. 20 and will host Arkansas State on Dec. 11.
“I think it's important for every part of the state to get a chance to see us and not have to always come over the mountain to come to Bud Walton Arena,” Neighbors said. “I think it's important to play our other in-state schools, especially our in-system schools like Pine Bluff. It’s going to be a great atmosphere down there and we've got a number of people who support both of our teams. This goes back to three years ago when this became a possibility to play the in-state schools, we said we would go play at all of them rather than have them all here at home.”
Other schedule tidbits:
• 11 opponents or potential opponents won 15-plus games last season, and six won 20 or more games.
• Arkansas has never played Troy or Northern Arizona.
• Eight opponents or potential opponents finished in the top four of their respective conference last regular season, including Troy (first, Sun Belt), Ohio State (first, Big Ten), South Florida (second, American), Oregon (third, Pac-12), Creighton (third, Big East) and UALR (fourth, Sun Belt).
• Arkansas will make its second appearance at the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam. The Razorbacks last played in the event in 2002, when they defeated Old Dominion and Hampton, and lost to Duke.
• Former Arkansas guard Chelsea Dungee was hired as an assistant coach at Troy in May.
• Arkansas will play its second game in Pine Bluff and first since losing 88-72 to Ole Miss on Dec. 9, 1987.
• Arkansas is opening the season with a true road game for the first time since winning at Clemson in 2006-07.
- Research: Scottie Bordelon
2022-23 Arkansas Women's Basketball Non-Conference Schedule
Nov. 7 — at Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Nov. 11 — Central Arkansas
Nov. 14 — Tulsa
Nov. 17 — Kent State
Nov. 20 — at Arkansas-Little Rock
Nov. 24 — vs. Northern Arizona (in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands)
Nov. 25 — vs. Clemson (in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands)
Nov. 26 — vs. Kansas State (in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands)
Dec. 1 — Troy
Dec. 4 — Oral Roberts
Dec. 8 — Lamar
Dec. 11 — Arkansas State
Dec. 17 — at Creighton
Dec. 20 — vs. Oregon (in San Diego)
Dec. 21 — vs. Ohio State or South Florida (in San Diego)