Neighbors only celebrating national ranking for 10 minutes

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas came in at 19 in espnW’s Way-Too-Early Preseason Top 25, announced today.

The Hogs are one of five SEC teams to earn a spot in the rankings.

“Coach speak would lead one to say ‘Oh that’s just one preseason poll…end of the year matters…blah blah blah’”, coach Mike Neighbors said. “Those coaches have most likely been ranked for years and are trying to deflect expectation.

“We have a locker room full of players who have worked their tails off to be mentioned, so we are going to embrace it and celebrate it. We have a group that realizes it won’t carry any weight into Selection Monday unless we practice and play up to the high standards this group has set.

“So we will celebrate for 10 minutes today and then get back on the court!”

The Razorbacks’ jump into the top 25 is a result of their postseason performance in 2019, as Neighbors’ squad caught fire during the SEC Tournament, becoming the highest seed ever (10) to make it the tournament final, courtesy of upset wins over then-No. 12 South Carolina and then-No. 15 Texas A&M.

The Hogs also had a nice run in the WNIT, getting wins over Houston and UAB before falling to TCU in a close game in Round Three.

espnW explained their pick and positioning of the Razorbacks as follows:

“Momentum is the big word around the Razorbacks after they finished the season so impressively with a run to the SEC tournament title game and a third-round WNIT appearance. Junior Chelsea Dungee (20.5 PPG last season) will be one of the top scorers in the SEC, and third-year coach Mike Neighbors has five of his next six top scorers from last season back. Guard Amber Ramirez, a former McDonald’s All American, is eligible after her transfer from TCU and could be the perfect running mate for Dungee.”

The Razorbacks’ schedule is expected to be announced in the next few weeks.