Grambling State to face Arkansas in NCAA Opener

Arkansas will host Grambling in the first round of the NCAA's Fayetteville Regional Friday at Baum Stadium. Arkansas announced that the Hogs would playing Grambling at 2:05 p.m. on Friday. No. 2 seed Washington State and No. 3 seed Kansas State will meet in the nightcap at 7:05. The winners will advance to play Saturday night at 7:05. The losing teams will play at 2:05 in an elimination game.

The Razorbacks (40-18) will host their first regional since 2007 and fourth in seven years while the Tigers will make their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1985. Grambling (22-29) won the SWAC Tournament championship last week to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Razorbacks were an at-large selection to the NCAA Tournament.

Playing an afternoon game gives Razorbacks and Tigers a chance to get on the field first instead of waiting all day for the NCAA Tournament opener. If the Tigers win, they’ll have more than 24 hours to prepare for their next game. If they lose, they’ll still be the team with more rest heading into the elimination game. And when you’re dealing with the potential of playing four or five games in three or four days, any extra rest could prove very, very valuable.

Washington State (34-20) will travel to Fayetteville as the No. 2 seed in the regional and will face No. 3 seed Kansas State (36-20) on the first day. Arkansas and Washington State are no strangers to one another. The Razorbacks went 4-0 against the Cougars in 2009, winning 10-3 in the first game of the Norman Regional and sweeping Washington State in the season opener for both teams last year. The winner of the Fayetteville Regional will be paired with the winner of the Tempe Regional. Arizona State, the No. 1 overall seed, will headline that field.

Fayetteville Regional schedule:
Friday, June 4
Game 1 – Arkansas vs. Grambling – 2:05 p.m.
Game 2 – Washington State vs. Kansas State – 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, June 5
Game 3 – Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 – 2:05 p.m.
Game 4 – Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 – 7:05 p.m.
Sunday, June 6
Game 5 – Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4 – 2:05 p.m.
Game 6 – Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5 – 7:05 p.m.
Monday, June 7 (if necessary)
Game 7 – Same teams as in Game 6 – 7:05 p.m.

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