Women's Game Notes: Baylor vs. Arkansas (NCAA)
3/13/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 13, 2001
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NCAA Tournament
#23/RV Baylor Lady Bears (21-8)
vs.
Arkansas (19-12)
Sat., March 17, 10:00 a.m. (CST)
Cameron Indoor Stadium
Hosted by Duke University
Durham, N.C.
Television - ESPN2 - Rich Waltz (play-by-play) and Ann Meyers (color analysis)
Radio - KLRK - FM 92.9 - John Morris (play-by-play) and Lori Scott-Fogleman (color analysis)
Internet - www.GoBaylorBears.com
NCAA TOURNAMENT...WEST REGION
Saturday, March 17
10:00 a.m. (CST) - No. 8 seed Baylor vs. No. 9 seed Arkansas - ESPN2 telecast
12:00 p.m. (CST) - No. 1 seed Duke (28-3) vs. No. 16 seed Wisconsin-Milwaukee (19-10)
Monday, March 19
ESPN2 telecast
6:30 p.m. (CST) - Baylor/Arkansas vs. Duke/UW-Milwaukee
For the first time in school history, the Baylor Lady Bears have been selected to participate in the 64-team NCAA tournament. Baylor, under the direction of first-year head coach Kim Mulkey-Robertson, is the No. 8 seed in the West Region at the 2001 NCAA National Championship Tournament. The 21-8 Lady Bears will face the No. 9 seed Arkansas (19-12) in NCAA first round action on Saturday, March 17 in Durham, NC. Baylor, which finished sixth in the Big 12 Conference regular season standings and were Big 12 Tournament quarterfinalists, takes on Arkansas which finished tied for 6th in the Southeastern Conference. That game will be played at Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium at 10:00 am (CST). The other first round game at the NCAA sub-regional features host and No. 1 West Region seed Duke (28-3) and No. 16 seed UW-Milwaukee (19-10).
Although Baylor appears in the NCAA Tournament for the first time, Arkansas will be making their seventh appearance, their most recent coming in 1998. The Lady'Backs are 9-6 in NCAA Tournament games. They reached the Final Four in 1998, losing to Tennessee (86-58) in the semifinals.
ON ESPN...
The Lady Bears' appearance on ESPN marks their second with the network. On Jan. 24, 1999, as part of the Big 12-ACC Challenge, Baylor lost to Virginia, 80-51, in Charlottesville.
LADY BEAR POSTSEASON HISTORY...
The Lady Bears are making their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament. They have only played in postseason twice since women's basketball was recognized as an NCAA sport. Both appearances came in the WNIT (1998 and 1999). They are 4-2 in postseason games, all coming in the WNIT.
THE TEAMS...
Baylor comes into the game versus Arkansas having won six of their last eight games. The Lady Bears are 21-8 overall and finished Big 12 play at 9-7. They have won 21 games for the first time since the 1980-81 season. For the fourth straight week, the Lady Bears are ranked among the top 25, moving up to #23. It is the seventh time the Baylor squad has been ranked this season, their highest being #20. They come into Saturday's game after losing to Iowa State, 73-48, in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament. The Lady Bears are 3-1 on neutral courts and 6-5 on the road this season.
Baylor is led by three players scoring in double figures. Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and All-Big 12 first team selection Sheila Lambert, a junior guard, leads the team and the Big 12 Conference with 22.3 a game. Right behind her is All-Big 12 first teamer junior forward Danielle Crockrom's 21.3. Senior post Monica Arnold checks in at 10.0 a contest. Crockrom leads the league in rebounding with 11.6 a game.
The Arkansas Lady Razorbacks finished regular season play at 19-12 and 6-8 in Southeastern Conference play. The Lady'Backs come into the tournament as the No. 9 seed. The Lady'Backs are 7-5 away from home this season and 5-2 on neutral courts. Four Arkansas players score in double figures. Guard Wendi Willits, a 5-8 senior, leads the Lady'Backs in scoring with 13.3 points a game which includes 82 three-pointers. Also averaging double figures in scoring are Lonniya Bragg (5-11, senior post) at 10.9, Dana Cherry (5-8, sophomore guard) with 10.2 and 6-1 freshman forward Shameka Christon at 10.3. Bragg leads Arkansas in rebounding with 6.4 a game.
THE COACHES...
Baylor's Kim Mulkey-Robertson, in her first year as a head coach after 15 years as an assistant at Louisiana Tech, has guided the Lady Bears to a 21-8 record. A tremendous improvement over Baylor's 7-20 record of last season. It is the best turnaround in NCAA Division I this season.
The Lady'Backs' Gary Blair is in his eighth season at Arkansas and 15th season overall. Blair is 136-84 at Arkansas and 346-127 overall there. Blair came to Arkansas from Stephen F. Austin where he posted a 210-43 record in his eight years there.
TECH TIES...
Both head coaches have Louisiana Tech ties. Mulkey-Robertson spent 19 years there, four as a player and 15 as a coach while Blair served on the Lady Techster staff as an assistant for five seasons, four of those seasons were when Kim Mulkey was the team's point guard.
SERIES RECORD...
Arkansas leads the series 20-6 and have won the last five games between the two squads. The Lady'Backs hold a 3-1 edge on neutral courts. Baylor's only win over Arkansas on a neutral court came in their first meeting. The Lady Bears prevailed 71-60 on Feb. 10, 1978 in Houston. The two schools were members of the Southwest Conference from 1982-1991. The Lady'Backs left the Southwest Conference after the 1990-91 season and joined the Southeastern Conference.
LAST MEETING...
Arkansas and Baylor's last meeting was on Dec. 2, 1999 with the Lady'Backs posting a 80-69 victory in Waco. Nine of Arkansas' active players played in that game while seven of Baylor's active players participated. Of the Lady'Backs' returning players Wendi Willits led with 17 points and six rebounds. Returning players scored 52 of Arkansas' 80 points and hauled down 24 of their 37 individual rebounds. Baylor's point guard Nicole Collins scored a team-high 18 points while Brittany Bruns lead all rebounders with a career-high 11. Two other active Lady Bears tallied double figures with Monica Arnold scoring 15 and Danielle Crockrom popping in 10. Of Baylor's 69 points that day, 51 were from players currently on Baylor's active roster, in addition, 32 of 38 rebounds return.
