Dykes: No WNIT for Arkansas

Arkansas head coach Jimmy Dykes, center, instructs his team during a time out against Texas during the fourth quarter of an NCAA college basketball game in Oklahoma City, Sunday, Dec. 20, 2015. Texas won 61-50. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)
Arkansas head coach Jimmy Dykes, center, instructs his team during a time out against Texas during the fourth quarter of an NCAA college basketball game in Oklahoma City, Sunday, Dec. 20, 2015. Texas won 61-50. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

— Arkansas will not accept a bid to the WNIT, coach Jimmy Dykes said Wednesday.

The Razorbacks (12-18) could be in line for an automatic invitation to the WNIT if the Southeastern Conference receives nine bids to the NCAA Tournament. The WNIT selects each conference's best team that does not make the NCAA Tournament and Arkansas finished 10th in the SEC standings.

Postseason bids for both tournaments are scheduled to be announced Monday.

"We made the decision not to play in the postseason," Dykes said. "Not that it was a guarantee because we wouldn't have found out until next Monday, but I know what's best for our student-athletes, which is to get healthy and we have a couple of off-season surgeries."

Dykes wouldn't say who needed the surgeries. The Razorbacks are expected to return every player next season except senior forward Melissa Wolff.

"We have been really banged up and had two or three players playing while not even practicing," Dykes said. "It's time to get those bodies refreshed, restored, rehabbed and surgically repaired.

"If we were in the NCAA Tournament we could hold things together, but since we are not, it's time to get healthy and turn our attention to the off-season, and make sure next year we are in the NCAA Tournament."

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