FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) - Arkansas will return to the postseason for the first time since 2008 when it faces Indiana State in the National Invitation Tournament.
The Razorbacks (21-11), who last played in the NIT in 1997, are a No. 3 seed in the tournament and will host the sixth-seeded Sycamores (23-10) on Tuesday night.
Arkansas appeared on track to earn the school’s first NCAA tournament appearance since 2008 when it went on a six-game winning streak late in the season - winning eight of nine games in the Southeastern Conference.
However, the Razorbacks faltered badly in their final two games - losing at Alabama to close out the regular season and to South Carolina in their opening game of the SEC tournament.
Still, any postseason berth at all is progress under third-year coach Mike Anderson.
“We didn’t do what we need to do in order to be in the NCAA (tournament),” Anderson said. “That’s going to be a lesson to learn. It’s another step in the right direction … and we’re taking the right steps.”
Arkansas’ last trip to the NIT came under former coach Nolan Richardson in 1997. The Razorbacks won three games at home and advanced to the tournament’s Final Four in New York, where they lost to Michigan and Connecticut.
Indiana State and Arkansas haven’t met since the 1979 NCAA tournament in a game that featured future NBA stars Larry Bird and Sidney Moncrief.
The Sycamores were second behind undefeated Wichita State in the Missouri Valley Conference this season, losing to the Shockers in the league’s championship game last week.
They lost their final three regular season games before rebounding to win two games at the Missouri Valley tournament, and three of their losses this season have come to Wichita State - the No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament’s Midwest Region.
Arkansas, meanwhile, struggled mightily in Anderson’s third season to open SEC play - losing six of eight games. The school rebounded to win eight of their next nine games, including its first win at Rupp Arena in 20 years on Feb. 27, before the two-game swoon that kept them out of the NCAA tournament.
The Razorbacks defeated NIT top seed SMU in non-conference action on Nov. 18, and they lost to No. 2 seed California at the Maui Invitational on Nov. 25.
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