SEC Announces 2017-18 Schedule

Schedule | Schedule (PDF) | Tickets

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The national champion, the NCAA runner-up, eight NCAA Tournament teams and two WNIT teams highlight the University of Arkansas women’s basketball team’s Southeastern Conference schedule this season.

For the first time in 13 seasons and just the fourth time ever, the Razorbacks open SEC play before New Year’s Day hosting Ole Miss on Dec. 31. The contest snaps a three-game streak of road SEC openers for the Razorbacks. The game is the first of eight SEC home games and it is one of four Sunday contests in 2018.

“I hope our fans are as excited as we are about having the dates for SEC games,” head coach Mike Neighbors said. “It gives us all a blueprint for what lies ahead and we can now begin building a strategy to make the most of the opportunity in front of us. The SEC has a proven history of being one of the most grueling Power 5 conferences in women’s basketball. The student-athletes, the coaches, and the Universities that make up this 16-game battle to determine a champion is very special. We release the schedule at 2 p.m. today and have our first team workout at 3:30 p.m. to make sure we are as prepared as possible to represent the fans, the University, and the state of Arkansas.”

The Razorbacks also host Alabama on Jan.7, Florida on Jan. 18, Kentucky on Jan. 29, Tennessee and Missouri in back-to-back home dates on Feb. 8 and Feb. 11, respectively, LSU on Feb. 18, and Texas A&M on Feb. 22.

Season tickets are on sale now. There are several options to choose from and each season ticket purchase includes an official Razorback women’s basketball game day T-shirt presented by Pepsi.

• Reserved Seats — $75

• General Admission Seats — $45

• Reserved Seats with the purchase of Men’s Basketball Season Tickets — $65

• General Admission Seats with the purchase of Men’s Basketball Season Tickets — $40

To order tickets, log on to ArkansasRazorbacks.com or call the Razorback Ticket Center at 800-982-HOGS (4647) or 479-575-5151. Fans can email the Razorback Ticket Center at raztk@uark.edu.

Neighbors and company travel to defending NCAA Champion South Carolina on Jan. 25 and are at NCAA runner-up Mississippi State in the second league game of the year on Jan. 4. The Bulldogs upset Connecticut ending the nation’s longest winning streak in college basketball last year.

Home games with Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Missouri pit the Razorbacks against teams who were all NCAA second round participants in 2017.

Arkansas returns seven players who have been through the always-tough SEC schedule and adds six newcomers to the roster this season.

Lone senior Devin Cosper will be relied upon to lead the team. Returners Malica Monk, Keiryn Swenson, Kiara Williams, Jailyn Mason, Sydney Stout and Bailey Zimmerman all saw significant playing time in 2017 and are expected to provide experience at nearly every position on the floor.

Zimmerman, Mason and Swenson played in all 30 games last year with Cosper seeing time in 29 contests. Monk is the team’s leading returning scorer averaging 9.1 points per game followed by Swenson at 8.0 ppg.

Neighbors’ and his staff added junior college player Raven Northcross-Baker and freshman Taylah Thomas along with newcomers Grayce Spangler and Macy Weaver, who will all compete for playing time. Transfers A’Tyanna Gaulden and Chelsea Dungee will sit out this year due to NCAA transfer rules.

Northcross-Baker is a Malvern, Arkansas, native who played her first two years of college basketball at Chipola Junior College in Marianna, Florida. She averaged 14.3 ppg and 4.6 rpg in 2017. Thomas waited until late in the signing process to make her college selection. She checks in from Arlington, Texas, where she played for the Mansfield Timberview Wolves under the direction of former Razorback assistant coach Kit Kyle Martin before inking with Arkansas.

NOTES

• Arkansas hosts eight SEC home games, seven non-conference home games and one exhibition contest

• League home games include Ole Miss, Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, LSU and Texas A&M

• Arkansas travels to the defending NCAA Champion, South Carolina, as well as the national runner-up at Mississippi State

• The Razorbacks face eight SEC teams who played in the NCAA Tournament and two others who were WNIT participants a year ago

• The Ole Miss opener in December will be the fourth time the Razorbacks have opened SEC play that month and the first time since the 2004-05 season.

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