FAYETTEVILLE -- No college basketball coach and staff begins the season aspiring their team plays postseason in the NIT or the WNIT.
But during four-game and six-game SEC losing streaks the carrot of a National Invitational Tournament berth likely privately appealed to Arkansas Razorbacks Men's Coach Mike Anderson.
Before opening the SEC Women's Tournament losing eight of their last nine SEC games, Arkansas Coach Mike Neighbors publicly and gratefully proclaimed that a Women's National Invitational Tournament surely awaited his then 17-13 Razorbacks now 21-14.
Things changed dramatically for both programs upon their NIT and WNIT entrances. How their coaches and players handled the changes speaks well of all.
Closing their SEC season nearly upsetting then nationally No. 4 Kentucky before losing, 70-66 in Lexington, Ky., then consecutively defeating Vanderbilt, Ole Miss and Alabama had Anderson's now 18-15 Razorbacks thinking maybe they could make an SEC Tournament run to reach the NCAA Tournament for a third consecutive year.
Then they laid an SEC Tournament egg. Florida flogged them by 16. Presumably totally bursting their leaking balloon, first-team All-SEC center Daniel Gafford opted to declare for the NBA draft and not play in the NIT.
Many wondered why Anderson would prolong the Arkansas agony accepting the NIT invite.
Anderson, whose NCAA career began as the point guard on Nolan Richardson's first Tulsa team whose NIT championship season first created the aura eventually bringing Richardson and a national championship to Arkansas, challenged his young Razorbacks to respond.
They did. On the NIT road at favored Providence of the Big East, Arkansas from tipoff to buzzer dominated, 84-72.
A marked contrast to Alabama, portrayed pouting about no NCAA Tournament, losing at home as the NIT No. 1 seed to Norfolk State.
Neighbors' Razorbacks had cause to pout. Upsetting Georgia, nationally ranked South Carolina and nationally ranked Texas A&M at the SEC Tournament thrust Arkansas into NCAA Women's Tournament conversation.
The selection committee opted history over merit. Tennessee's Lady Vols, beaten by Arkansas in Knoxville, Tenn,. remain the only team perfect, 38 for 38, in NCAA Tournament appearances.
The Razorbacks were relegated to the WNIT.
Neighbors asserts wanting his Razorbacks never to forget "the sting" of being passed over as motivation for next season and all the conditioning before it.
But for a program suffering three successive losing seasons, two under former Coach Jimmy Dykes, and last season's team that Neighbors inherited, Neighbors stressed the progress the WNIT marks and the momentum it can generate.
The Razorbacks responded.
It wasn't Arkansas pouting but an athletic Houston Cougars team that Thursday night at Walton Arena extended Arkansas to overtime.
The Razorbacks responded. Chelsea Dungee, the Arkansas great who scored 37 points while undersized 6-0 center Kiara Williams scored 15 points with eight boards and five shot-blocks, led Arkansas' 88-80 triumph.
Chapter 2 blank slates await Arkansas' men in today's NIT at Indiana and Arkansas' WNIT Sunday at Walton against Alabama-Birmingham.
But for both, Chapter 1 read to rave responses.
Sports on 03/23/2019