FAYETTEVILLE — University of Arkansas women’s basketball Coach Mike Neighbors never saw his young team flinch in the face of adversity this season. And it dealt with plenty.
The Razorbacks (18-13) managed injuries to 4 starters, starting SEC play 1-3 and losing 6 of 8 games at one point — including 4 in a row. They also were forced to finish the regular season with seven games in 15 days when their game at Ole Miss was rescheduled.
Still, the team, which includes five freshmen and one senior on the active roster, will likely hear its name called shortly after 7 p.m. when the NCAA Tournament field is revealed on ESPN. Arkansas is listed as a No. 9 seed in the latest bracketology by ESPN’s Charlie Creme and No. 30 in the latest NET rankings.
An at-large bid would give the Razorbacks back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time since 2002-03. They have gone to the tournament three straight years only twice in program history.
“There was never a deer-in-headlights look, never an, ‘Oh, what are we gonna do' moment,” Neighbors said. “It was just, ‘What are we doing? We've got a plan. Let’s go.' I’m proud of them.
“That is a testament to them, because I think a lot of kids would have panicked. But because they’ve all come from good programs and good backgrounds they were able to handle it.”
Neighbors said this group should go down in Arkansas history since the pandemic took away a sure tournament berth in 2020. That could put the Razorbacks in select company within the SEC, too.
“If you use that mythical bracket Charlie Creme did, and if we get in this year, there’s only four SEC teams that would have gone three years in a row,” Neighbors said. “That’s South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee and us.”
He took it even a step further, pointing out that if the tournament field was 68, like it is now, it would be four straight tournament appearances for the Razorbacks. Arkansas was one of eight teams considered for the final four at-large spots in the 2019 tournament after their run to the SEC Tournament finals.
Neighbors thought the team’s youth may have worked in its favor.
“It was all so brand new to the majority of them they just kind of went with the flow,” Neighbors said. “It’s kind of a blessing we had a bunch of young kids.”
Freshman Jersey Wolfenbarger essentially confirmed Neighbors’ idea.
The 6-5 former McDonald’s All-American from Fort Smith Northside was forced to make some changes early this season. She played on the perimeter in high school, but was forced to play inside, especially on the defensive end, when redshirt junior Erynn Barnum missed six weeks with a knee injury.
She showed maturity adapting to the changes, improving as a post defender and doing it against some of the top frontcourt players in the country.
“It’s adversity,” said Wolfenbarger, who was named to the SEC All-Freshman team. “Every team goes through it in some way, some facet. This is just the cards our team [was] dealt and we’re rolling with it.
“I think I came into the season with no expectations. When you go in expecting things, it makes it harder to transition. The biggest thing is accepting that is my role and the lesson I’m being taught this year. That has really helped my mindset to be able to focus on getting better than, ‘Oh, these are the cards I’m being dealt,’ and complaining.”
The Razorbacks are likely headed to the NCAA Tournament despite having the youngest team in the SEC and among the Power 5 conferences. Arkansas’ 128 games played and 50 starts by freshmen are far and away the most in the SEC.
Among the Power 5, Kansas State leads the pack with 86 starts by freshmen. Arkansas, Northwestern, Oregon State and Utah are the only others with 50 or more. Kansas State, Arkansas and Utah are listed in the NCAA Tournament field in Creme’s latest projection. Oregon State and Northwestern are not.
Sophomore Rylee Langerman, who has flourished in an expanded role this season, said the group just plays together.
“We’ve definitely battled through a bit of adversity with injuries and stuff,” said Langerman, who played in all 31 games and made seven starts. "With how young we are, I think we’ve dealt well with it.
“We’ve had a lot of chances to just given up, but we’ve kept fighting. I think that describes our team. We’re all competitors and play as a team and play for each other. I don’t think there was any one specific thing that helped us stay together.
"Our upperclassmen played a part in that, but I also think that each person on this team is a competitor.”
Neighbors said the group is healthier than it has been in some time and has taken full advantage of time off after losing in the second round of the SEC Tournament nine days ago.
Barnum is moving better, while Makayla Daniels is closer to 100%, he said. Samara Spencer, the SEC freshman of the year, has also had more time to adapt to playing with a protective mask after suffering a broken nose against Ole Miss in the final week of the regular season.
“We’re trending up,” Neighbors said. “The break has been good for us.”
No matter what happens in the postseason, Neighbors is happy how the team persevered throughout the year.
“The fact that it was done during a global pandemic is also very satisfying,” Neighbors said. “We did all these things during a time that was uncertain. It was challenging and it was unfair at times.
“The fact we’ve gotten through this and exceeded expectations is just another highlight.”