The time for the University of Arkansas women’s basketball team’s NCAA Tournament opener has been set for 4:30 on Friday.
The Razorbacks (18-13) are the No. 10 seed and will take on No. 7 seed Utah (20-11) at the Erwin Center in Austin, Texas, as part of the Spokane Region. The matchup was revealed on Sunday evening, but the time was not released until Monday morning.
The game will be televised by ESPNEWS. It can also be accessed via WatchESPN.com or the ESPN app.
Arkansas will be going to back-to-back tournaments, but the Razorbacks were all but a lock for the tournament in 2020, which was canceled because of the covid-19 pandemic.
To go to the tournament three straight years puts this group in rare company in program history. The Razorbacks have been to the NCAA Tournament three years in a row just two other times in 2001-03 and 1989-91.
This will be the 13th tournament appearance in program history. Last year's 66-62 loss to Wright State was just the third time the Razorbacks lost in the first round.
The Arkansas-Utah winner will face either No. 2 seed Texas (26-6) or No. 15 seed Fairfield on Sunday. That Texas-Fairfield game is slated for 7 p.m. on Friday.
The Longhorns won the Big 12 Tournament championship Sunday and are coached by former Arkansas assistant coach Vic Schaefer, a close friend of Arkansas coach Mike Neighbors.
Reigning national champion Stanford is the No. 1 seed in the Spokane Region, while LSU is the No. 3 seed.