Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

CONWAY — For the second straight year, Central Arkansas will extend its season with a postseason tournament berth, making its Women's NIT debut on Friday when the Sugar Bears travel to Stillwater, Okla. to take on Oklahoma State at 7 p.m. at Gallagher-Iba Arena.

After making an appearance in the WBI last season in their first year eligible for NCAA Division I postseason play, the Sugar Bears (24-6) guaranteed themselves a spot in this year's WNIT when they won the Southland Conference championship with a 14-2 league record.

Their NCAA Tournament hopes ended with a loss to Nicholls State in the Southland Conference tournament last week, but their season continues in the 64-team tournament that features 36 teams with 20 or more victories, with five teams in the RPI Top 50 and 36 in the Top 100.

The Sugar Bears are 31st of the 64 WNIT teams with an RPI ranking of 90, which is also the second best in the state behind the University of Arkansas. It also ranks higher than eight of the 64 teams in the NCAA field, against which UCA went 3-1 this season.

The WNIT field features five teams from each of the Pac-12, Atlantic 10 and Colonial Conferences. There are four from the Big East, three from the ACC, two from the Big 12, C-USA, Sun Belt and West Coast Conference.

Since its inception in 1998, winners of the WNIT have included Arkansas, Auburn, California, Creighton, Kansas State, Missouri, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State and Wisconsin. Last season Toledo defeated Southern Cal for the title.

The last victory in the tournament for a Southland team came when Texas State defeated Prairie View A&M 84-83 in 2008 before losing 89-42 to Texas Tech in the second round.

Last season Lamar lost 91-65 at Arkansas, Creighton defeated SFA 76-65 in 2010 and Oklahoma State defeated UT Arlington 82-72 in 2009. Texas State's victory in 2008 is the only time a Southland school has hosted a WNIT game.

Oklahoma State lost 72-68 to Missouri in the first round of the Big 12 tournament, and enters the tournament 16-12. The Cowgirls were 8-10 in the Big 12 and 12-3 in Gallagher-Iba Arena, with their only losses coming to Baylor, Kansas and Kansas State. They are 69th in the nation in the RPI, and will be making their sixth consecutive postseason appearance.

The Sugar Bears and Cowgirls have played once, in 2007 – the final year under former UCA coach Checola Seals-Horton. Then ranked No. 20, Oklahoma State won that game 107-36 – the widest margin of victory in its history. UCA finished 7-22 that season, the second of their Division I era.

By making the WNIT field, the Sugar Bears are 2 for 2 in qualifying for postseason tournaments. Last season, in their first year eligible as a Division I member, UCA hosted eventual champion UAB in the first round of the WBI – losing 58-54.