Mike Neighbors inherited an ugly situation from his predecessor when he took the Arkansas women’s basketball job in April 2017.
Jimmy Dykes did Neighbors no favors, but Neighbors was able to quickly turn things around.
By year three, he had a team capable of winning games in the NCAA Tournament, until COVID-19 canceled everything in sight. His team had finished third in the SEC and won 10 league games, both tied for program-bests.
His 2020-21 team was his best, as it beat both Baylor and UConn at home and made the NCAA Tournament as a 4 seed. Unfortunately, Wright State upset his Razorbacks.
The next year, Neighbors led his team to the dance again, but were a little worse overall and in the SEC, and bowed out quickly in the first round.
Last season, the team only managed to make the NIT, although they did make a run in that to the Great Eight.
A highly regarded recruiting class and the return of Sasha Goforth from an ailment should mean a return to the NCAA Tournament.
He also returns Samara Spencer, Saylor Poffenbarger, Loren Lindsey, Jersey Wolfenbarger, Maryam Dauda, Makayla Daniels and Emrie Ellis.
This depth and infusion of talent should mean that the Razorbacks are near the top of the SEC and should compete for a high seed in the NCAAs.
And really, it’s time for Neighbors to win a tournament game. He’s 0-2 at Arkansas and with the success he had at Washington, going to the Final Four in year three there and making the Sweet 16 the next year, it’s odd how he hasn’t been able to replicate that here.
Mike Anderson won two NCAA Tournament games in the same time frame Neighbors has been the head coach, losing heart breakers to North Carolina in the second round twice, and fans wanted Anderson gone even then.
Fans want Neighbors to succeed. Crowds have been as good as they’ve ever been at Bud Walton to watch his ladies. He’s an Arkansas native. Grew up living and breathing the Razorbacks.
No one wants to see him fail.