Basketball (W)

Preview – Arkansas Primed for Big Matchup at Georgia

February 18, 2023

FAYETTEVILLE – The Arkansas women’s basketball team (19-9, 6-7 SEC) looks to put their foot on the gas with just three regular season games left, as the team travels to Georgia (18-9, 7-6 SEC) to face the Lady Bulldogs. The game is set to tipoff at 11 a.m. CT on Sunday on SEC Network.

GAME INFORMATION

Date: Sunday, Feb. 19
Time: 11 a.m. CT
Opponent: Georgia
Location: Stegeman Coliseum
Watch: SECN
Listen: Razorback Sports Network from Learfield
Arkansas Game Notes
Tennessee Game Notes
Live Stats

STORYLINES

  • Arkansas has an opportunity to end the last three games of the SEC slate strong after dropping six of the team’s last eight games
  • The Razorbacks’ game vs. Georgia is a big one in the SEC standings going into the SEC Tournament in Greenville with the Lady Bulldogs at No. 6 and Arkansas at No. 8, separated by a game. With a win over Georgia, Arkansas would own the tiebreaker (as it stands now)
  • Losing the last three games to Georgia, Arkansas looks to turn things around at the most optimal time. Arkansas also faced Coach Kate Abrahamsson-Henderson’s UCF team last season in Orlando, which resulted in a 52-51 loss in the defensive battle
  • The program has not won in Athens since 2009
  • Arkansas is 19-9 and has the chance to achieve its 22nd 20-win season in program history, third under head coach Mike Neighbors
  • A win would also put the Razorbacks back to .500 in league play
  • Erynn Barnum leads the team in scoring and rebounding with 16.7 points per game and 6.8 rebounds per game. Her .585 field goal percentage is the second best in the SEC. With 468 points in her fourth year of play, she is just 15 points away from reaching 1,000 on her career
  • 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 13.9 points per game and leads the team in assists with 125. Her 4.5 assists per game is the second most in the SEC
  • Makayla Daniels leads the team in steals with 50 and averages 13.2 points per game
  • Daniels keeps moving up in career top 10-20 lists, sitting No. 17 in points (1,344), No. 4 in career starts (113), No. 9 in career 3-pointers (157) and No. 14 in career assists (287)
  • Chrissy Carr logs 11.3 points per game and leads the squad with 64 3-pointers
  • Saylor Poffenbarger has a team’s most 33 blocks and with 159 defensive rebounds, she needs 31 more to tie the individual season defensive rebound record
  • The team is second in least turnovers committed per game in the SEC with 13.9 per game
  • Arkansas gets to the line 23.7 times per game, which is second in the conference and fifth in the country. The Razorbacks’ 15.8 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 (26.2), which is 15th in the country, and is No. 2 in 3-pointers per game (8.0) in the league

SCOUTING GEORGIA

  • Georgia is 18-9 with a 7-6 SEC mark under first-year UGA head coach Abe
  • Diamond Battles leads the squad with 14.2 points per game and 49 total steals
  • Leading the way on the boards, Javyn Nicholson logs 6.9 rebounds per game
  • Brittney Smith averages double digits in scoring with 12.2 points per game
  • Alisha Lewis has a team’s most 86 assists and Malury Bates has 25 blocks
  • Georgia was picked to finish ninth in both the SEC Media and Coaches polls
  • Battles was chosen on the All-SEC Preseason Second Team by the coaches
  • Most of Coach Abe’s roster is full of UCF recruits and players
  • Coach Abe is having a successful first year at the helm of the Georgia program, having now accumulated a 390-166 record in 18 seasons as a head coach

HISTORY AGAINST THE LADY BULLDOGS

  • Arkansas trails 6-37 in the series vs. the Lady Bulldogs
  • As SEC opponents, Arkansas is 4-35
  • The first game was held on Dec. 10, 1980, resulting in a 61-49 loss for the Razorbacks in Fayetteville
  • Arkansas is on a three-game losing streak to Georgia
  • In the last 10 games, Arkansas is 2-8
  • The Razorbacks are 2-18 in games played in Athens with the Razorbacks’ last win at Georgia coming in 2009
  • Arkansas lost a heartbreaker last year to Georgia at home, 63-62, despite having the lead for nearly 23 minutes and being up by 13 early in the game. Daniels led with 21 points and Sasha Goforth followed with 13

LAST TIME OUT

  • A slow start to Tennessee resulted in an 87-67 loss to the Lady Vols on Thursday
  • Arkansas was down 44-22 at the half, but won the second half by outscoring UT, 45-43
  • Barnum registered her ninth 20-point game of the season, tying for a game’s most 25 points
  • Carr followed with 14 points
  • Spencer recorded a near double-double of 10 points and nine assists with just two turnovers
  • Daniels liked the number 5 with five points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals
  • Arkansas committed a season-low five turnovers and outscored Tennessee in the paint, 36-34 

UPCOMING

Arkansas stays on the road for another big tilt vs. Mississippi State on Thursday, Feb. 23. That game is set to tipoff at 8 p.m. 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.

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