Red Wolves Women’s Basketball Heads to March Madness
Fans cheer on A-State Coach Rogers as the Red Wolves leave for the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball tournament.
JONESBORO – Fans gathered at First National Bank Arena on the campus of Arkansas State University to send well wishes to the Sun Belt Conference champions, the Red Wolves Basketball team, as they travel to Connecticut to compete in the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball tournament.
Supporters formed a tunnel and cheered as the team prepared to leave for the airport, marking history in the making.
For longtime fan Diane Blackwood, witnessing the team board the bus was inspiring.
“These girls have just done a phenomenal job. I was so excited for them, and so proud of them especially the way they came back after last year. They were down multiple players, and Coach Destinee Rogers and her staff rebuilt a team in a year,” said Blackwood.
Going into the tournament, the Red Wolves are 21-10 and finished conference play at 15-3. They will face the number two seed, 11-time national champions, UConn Huskies in Storrs, Conn., in the first round.
The team is led by Rogers, who is in her third year as head coach for the Red Wolves. Before the sendoff, Rogers received a contract extension through March 31, 2029.
This is the first time in program history that the women’s team, a 15-seed in the tournament, has received a spot in the big dance. The automatic bid to the tournament coincides with the 50th anniversary of women’s sports on the A-State campus.
When Blackwood was an A-State student, women’s sports were only offered through intramural programs, not as official university teams. She said the ladies' teams had to pay for their own uniforms and expenses.
While that has changed, Blackwood, whose niece Holly Carter played for the women’s basketball team from 1992 until 1996, said over the years, those teams have built the program that stands today.
Blackwood reflects on the achievements that have occurred since she was a student. "This is a team for the first time in history that got Arkansas State University to the NCAA tournament," she said.
Tipoff is slated for noon on Saturday, March 22. The game will be broadcast on ABC.
