Preview – Arkansas Takes on Auburn

kylie magar February 4, 2023

FAYETTEVILLE – The Arkansas women’s basketball team (17-7, 4-5 SEC) hits the road to face Auburn (13-8, 3-6 SEC) on Sunday. The game will tipoff at 2 p.m. from Neville Arena on SEC Network.

GAME INFORMATION

Date: Sunday, Feb. 5
Time: 2 p.m.
Opponent: Auburn
Location: Neville Arena
Watch: SECN
Listen: Razorback Sports Network from Learfield
Arkansas Game Notes
Auburn Game Notes
Live Stats 33

STORYLINES

Arkansas is coming into Sunday’s game on a four-game losing streak, sitting in a tie for fifth in the SEC standings with a 4-5 mark in league play, 17-7 overall
The Razorbacks are coming off a much-needed bye after having to face the top part of the league in the past four games
Arkansas is still receiving votes in the WBCA/USA Today Coaches Poll with nine. The Razorbacks had been ranked in the AP Poll for four weeks during the season (#21, #21, #17 and #24 in AP)
With another win, Arkansas will match last season’s win total at 18
Erynn Barnum is playing the best basketball in her career and is one of the most dominant players in the country. She leads the team with 16.8 points per game, while also pulling down 6.8 rebounds per game and tallying 51 assists, 35 steals and 26 blocks. Her .595 field goal percentage is second in the SEC
Barnum was named as a top 10 candidate for the Katrina McClain award, given to the best power forward in the country
Saylor Poffenbarger paces the team in rebounding with 6.9 per game, 134 of her 166 rebounds coming on the defensive side. She also has a team-leading 28 total blocks
Samara Spencer is the second leading scorer with 15.2 points per game and leads the team in assists with 106, 4.4 per game. Her assist total has already surpassed the total she accumulated last season as a freshman
Makayla Daniels leads the team in steals with 36, while also averaging 13.0 points per game
Chrissy Carr puts up 10.8 points per game and leads the squad with 52 3-pointers
The team is second in least turnovers committed per game in the SEC with 13.71 per game
Arkansas gets to the line 24.17 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 10th in the NCAA
Arkansas leads the SEC in 3-point attempts per game (26.2), which is 17th in the country, and is No. 2 in 3-pointers per game (8.2) in the league

SCOUTING AUBURN

Auburn is playing well as of late, coming into Sunday on a three-game winning streak and a bye
The Tigers are 13-8 and 3-6 in the SEC
Auburn’s leading scorer is Aicha Coulibaly, who is averaging 17.5 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per game. She also has a team-leading 38 steals
Sydney Shaw has a team’s most 58 assists and Kharyssa Richardson leads the way with 16 blocks
Auburn was picked to finish 13th in the SEC Preseason Media and Coaches Poll. The Tigers finished the 2021-22 season 10-18, losing to Alabama, 75-68, in the first round of the SEC Tournament
Head coach Johnnie Harris is in her second year at the helm of the Tigers in her first head coaching gig. Harris is an Arkansas native with previous stops as an assistant being at Arkansas (2004-07), Fort Smith (2001-03) and Little Rock (1998-01), among other places outside of the Natural State

HISTORY AGAINST THE TIGERS

Auburn holds the slight edge in the series, 23-20
The first game of the series was on Nov. 24, 1984, resulting in a 70-64 loss for the Razorbacks
While being SEC opponents, Arkansas trails 20-18 in the series
Arkansas has a five-game winning streak over the Tigers, while also winning seven of the last 10 matchups. Mike Neighbors is 6-1 against the Tigers whilst being the head coach at Arkansas
Arkansas is 8-12 on the road in Auburn
Last season’s matchup was a thriller in a game where Arkansas was shorthanded. Arkansas pulled out the 68-66 win at the buzzer with a Rylee Langerman tie-up leading to the Razorbacks’ game-winning possession. Sasha Goforth logged 16 points and Barnum pulled down nine rebounds. Emrie Ellis had the best performance in her young career with 11 points, five rebounds and two blocks

LAST TIME OUT

Arkansas lost the ultimate heartbreaker to Ole Miss, 76-73 in overtime, despite being up by 19 points at halftime
Barnum played out of her mind with a career-high 37 points with six rebounds, three assists and three steals. Her 37 points is the seventh most scored by a Razorback in a game in school history
Spencer logged 16 points, six assists, five rebounds and three steals
Daniels recorded 12 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals
The Razorbacks held to Ole Miss to just one 3-pointer on 11 attempts
Arkansas led 39-20 at the half, holding the Rebels to 26.5 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes. In the second half, Arkansas was outscored 44-25, while being outrebounded 25-8

UPCOMING

Arkansas travels to Nashville to play Vanderbilt for the second time this season on Thursday, Feb. 9. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. at Memorial Gymnasium 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.