Mike Neighbors’ Hogs picked to finish sixth in the SEC

Mike Neighbors enters his fifth year as Arkansas women’s basketball coach and the league’s assorted media have taken note of what Neighbors has done with the program.

Arkansas was picked to finish sixth in the SEC in the league’s prediction poll that was announced Wednesday. South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Kentucky and Georgia were the first five teams, in that order.

The Razorbacks finished last year 19-9 and 9-6 in the SEC, tied for a fifth-place finish in league play. Arkansas was No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but fell in the first round to Wright State.

The team returns two starters in junior guard Makayla Daniels and senior guard Amber Ramirez. They averaged 13.5 and 11.6 points per game last year, respectively. Arkansas also returns its two top reserves from last season: junior forward Erynn Barnum and junior guard Marquesha Davis.

Arkansas’ roster is a young one with five first-year players on the roster. The most impactful such freshman is guard/forward Jersey Wolfenbarger, an All-American from Northside High in Fort Smith. Maryam Dauda, also an All-American, from Bentonville will also play significant minutes if she plays. She is recovering from a knee injury and may redshirt.

The Razorbacks open their regular season November 12 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff in Bud Walton Arena.