Preview – Arkansas Hosts Tennessee on Thursday

kylie magar February 15, 2023

FAYETTEVILLE – The Arkansas women’s basketball team (19-8, 6-6 SEC) hopes to keep the momentum rolling in a pivotal Thursday night game against Tennessee (18-9, 10-2 SEC). This game will be the second to last at home this regular season and will be big for the Razorbacks in the SEC standings. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. at Bud Walton Arena and will be covered on SEC Network.

GAME INFORMATION

Date: Thursday, Feb. 16
Time: 6 p.m.
Opponent: Tennessee
Location: Bud Walton Arena
Watch: SECN
Listen: Razorback Sports Network from Learfield
Promotions: Black History Month and Residence Hall Challenge
Tickets: Purchase HERE
Arkansas Game Notes
Tennessee Game Notes
Live Stats

STORYLINES

Arkansas got back on the right foot with a dominating defensive performance against Missouri with a 61-33 win. Missouri’s 33 points was the least amount of points Arkansas has given up defensively ever in an SEC game
The Razorbacks are in a tie for seventh in the SEC standings with a 6-6 league mark. Arkansas’ 19 overall wins is tied for the third most among conference opponents
Arkansas welcomes Tennessee to town on Thursday, a team the Razorbacks have lost the last three meetings to by an average margin of 5.0 points
The Razorbacks go into Thursday’s game with a 19-7 overall record, which has surpassed last season’s win count
With a win over Tennessee, Arkansas will achieve its 22nd 20-win season in program history and third under head coach Mike Neighbors
A win would also elevate the Razorbacks back above .500 in league play and match last year’s win total in league play with seven
Erynn Barnum leads the team in scoring and rebounding with 16.4 points per game and 7.0 rebounds per game, while also tying for a team’s most 30 blocks. Her .585 field goal percentage is the second best in the SEC
Barnum is one of 10 candidates for the Katrina McClain Award, given to the best power forward in the country
Samara Spencer is the second leading scorer with 14.0 points per game and leads the team in assists with 116 (4.3 assists per game)
Makayla Daniels leads the team in steals with 45 and averages 13.5 points per game
Chrissy Carr logs 11.1 points per game and leads the squad with 61 3-pointers
Saylor Poffenbarger is tied for a team’s best 30 blocks and averages 8.9 points and 6.6 boards per game
The team is second in least turnovers committed per game in the SEC with 14.2 per game
Arkansas gets to the line 24.15 times per game, which is second in the conference and third in the country. The Razorbacks’ 16.0 makes from the free throw line per game is second in the SEC and 11th in the NCAA
Arkansas leads the SEC in 3-point attempts per game (26.0), which is 18th in the country, and is No. 2 in 3-pointers per game (8.0) in the league
The Razorbacks’ 28.8 defensive rebounds per game is No. 3 in the SEC

SCOUTING TENNESSEE

The Lady Vols are 18-9 overall, while sporting a 10-2 league mark to sit third in the league standings coming into Thursday
Rickea Jackson leads the team with 18.2 points per game
Jordan Horston logs 6.6 rebounds per game, while also having logged 38 total steals and 23 blocks to lead the team
Jordan Walker has a team’s most 86 assists
Tennessee was projected to finish second in both the SEC Media and Coaches polls
On the SEC Preseason Team, Horston and Tamari Key (out) were First Team selections by the coaches and media, while Jackson was a First Team choice on the media poll and second team on the coaches poll
Last season, Tennessee finished the year 25-9, while making it to the NCAA Tournament before losing to No. 4/4 Louisville, 76-64, in the Sweet 16
Kellie Harper is in her 19th year as a head coach, while coaching her fourth season at her alma mater Tennessee, a program she has led to an 81-36 record

HISTORY AGAINST THE LADY VOLS

Tennessee holds dominance in the all-time series with a 33-5 edge over the Razorbacks
The first game between these teams occurred on Feb. 29, 1992, Arkansas’ first year in the SEC, which resulted in a 105-59 loss in Knoxville
Arkansas is 3-15 in Fayetteville against the Lady Vols
On a three-game losing streak to Tennessee and having won three of the last 10 meetings, Arkansas’ last win against the Lady Vols was on Feb. 20, 2020 with an 83-75 win, which also marked Arkansas’ second straight victory over Tennessee at the time
The two teams played one another twice last season, resulting in two narrow losses for Arkansas. In the first game at Arkansas, the Razorbacks dropped the game, 70-63, as five players fouled out. Daniels registered 11 points. The second game at Tennessee resulted in a heartbreaking 86-83 loss in overtime. Spencer recorded 17 points and Jersey Wolfenbarger tallied 13 points. Arkansas logged 12 3-pointers in the loss

LAST TIME OUT

Arkansas got back in the winning column in a defensive showdown vs. Missouri with a 61-33 victory. Holding Missouri to 33 points marked a new record-low number of points Arkansas has held an opponent to in an SEC game
Carr led the game with 18 points and five rebounds
Barnum had a near double-double with 14 points, nine rebounds and three blocks
Daniels recorded 11 points, three assists and three steals
All 12 players saw action in the game
Arkansas held all Missouri scorers below double digits, while holding the Tigers to 28.3 percent shooting (13-for-46) from the field and 6.7 percent from beyond the arc (1-for-15)

UPCOMING

The Razorbacks will travel to Athens to face Georgia on Sunday, Feb. 19 at 11 a.m. CT. The game from Stegeman Coliseum will be broadcast on SEC Network.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information about Arkansas Women’s Basketball, follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @RazorbackWBB and on Facebook at Facebook.com/RazorbackWBB. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel, “Kickin’ It In The Neighborhood” for an inside look at the Razorback women’s basketball program and check out The Neighborhood podcasts at CoachNeighbors.com.