UALR women get tough draw in first round against Wisconsin-Green Bay


UALR women vs. UW-Green Bay
Sunday, Wichita, Kan.
 BURN THE HORSE
   At first glance, it appears UALR got three of four positives in its first-round draw.
   The UALR women will take on Wisconsin-Green Bay on Sunday in Wichita, Kan., in the first round of the NCAA Women's Tournament.
   The four factors:
  • Seed: UALR was seeded 12th, a very fair seed and one line lower than last season, when UALR was an 11 seed.
  • Location: While it could have been better (Shreveport), it also could have been a lot worse (see the location of the UALR men's games). Wichita is a driveable spot and UALR should get some folks out there just like last year in Norman, Okla.
  • Home site: UALR is playing at a neutral site this year, matched up with Green Bay, Michigan State and Northern Iowa. No local team gives everyone an equal shot for support. Last year, UALR matched up with Oklahoma at Oklahoma in the second round.
  • Opponent: This is the factor I don't think UALR did very well in. It has much more to do with Green Bay, which is 32-1 on the season and probably deserves to be seeded better than fifth.
   By the way, that one loss came December 12 at Marquette. Since then, the Phoenix have won 23-consecutive games. It appears to be a tougher matchup than last year's against Georgia Tech.
   One factor that works against Green Bay is their schedule. They haven't played a top 100 RPI team since November.