Preview – Hogs Play Mississippi State at Home Thursday Night

kylie magar January 10, 2024

FAYETTEVILLE – The Arkansas women’s basketball team (13-4, 1-1 SEC) will look to build off the momentum they initiated off their first league win of the season, as the Hogs host Mississippi State (13-4, 0-2 SEC) on Thursday night at Bud Walton Arena. This SEC clash will tipoff at 8 p.m. and will be broadcast on SEC Network from Bud Walton Arena.

GAME INFORMATION

Dates: Thursday, Jan. 11
Time: 8 p.m.
Opponent: Mississippi State
Location: Bud Walton Arena (Fayetteville, Ark.)
Promotions: UA Faculty & Staff Appreciation, Junior Razorback Appreciation
Watch: SECN
Listen: Razorback Sports Network from Learfield
Arkansas Game Notes
Mississippi State Game Notes
Live Stats

STORYLINES

Arkansas got back on the right track after defeating Georgia, 83-43, for the Hogs first SEC win of the year
The Hogs’ 40-point victory over the Bulldogs marked the third largest margin of victory in an SEC game in program history (since Arkansas joined the SEC in 1991-92)
The win marked Mike Neighbors’ 133rd at Arkansas, making him the third winningest coach in program history
Arkansas is 1-1 in SEC play, which is a six-way tie for fifth in the league after opening week
The Hogs will host Mississippi State Thursday night and Arkansas will look for another home win before the team doesn’t return to Bud Walton Arena again until Jan. 25. MSU is looking for its first conference win after a close loss to Vanderbilt (71-66) and a defeat at No. 1 South Carolina (85-66)
MSU has the slight edge over Arkansas in the all-time series at 23-21. The Hogs are 12-7 vs. the Bulldogs in Fayetteville
Taliah Scott leads the Hogs in scoring with 22.3 points per game and is the only player in the SEC to average 20.0+ points per game, while also leading the SEC in minutes with 36.3. She is second in the NCAA in total points with 356 and field goal attempts with 288, just trailing Caitlin Clark, as well as third in 3-point attempts (132), seventh in field goal makes (121) and ninth in points per game
Saylor Poffenbarger’s presence on the glass has been something to see, as she has established herself as one of the top rebounders in the country. She leads the team and the league in rebounds/game (13.12) and defensive rebounds/game (10.71). Poffenbarger is second in the NCAA in both categories and has pulled down 223 boards in just 17 games, while needing just 22 more to capture 500 career boards
Poffenbarger broke the school record for individual game rebounds with 23 against Florida State. Those 23 boards is the most pulled down by an NCAA DI men’s or women’s player this season and she has had four games with 19+ boards this year, which is the only time an Arkansas player has had that many 19+ rebound games in their career
Samara Spencer leads the team with 53 assists. Her 303 career assists is No. 15 on the career list
A huge factor in the Hogs’ success this season has been Maryam Dauda, who paces the team with 32 blocks
Makayla Daniels is an elite defender and leads the team with 34 steals. She is the highest scoring point guard in school history with 1,647 points, which is the seventh most in school history, while holding a program’s most starts (139) and most games played (139). Daniels was selected on the All-SEC Preseason Second Team, as chosen by the league’s coaches

SCOUTING MISSISSIPPI STATE

MSU has also started the season 13-4. The Bulldogs have commenced the SEC slate 0-2 following losses to Vanderbilt (71-66) and at No. 1 South Carolina (85-66)
In the SEC Preseason Polls, the Bulldogs were chosen to finish fifth in both the media and coaches polls. MSU was No. 25 in the AP Preseason Poll
The Bulldogs are coming off a memorable first year under head coach Sam Purcell, in which the team finished 22-11, 9-7 in the SEC. As the No. 11 seed at the South Bend Regional, MSU defeated Illinois in the play-in game and followed that up with an upset win over No. 6 seed Creighton, 81-66, before falling short of third-seed, host Notre Dame, 53-48
Jessika Carter was chosen to the Preseason All-SEC First Team by the coaches and Second Team by the media. Carter was a 2023 All-SEC Second Team selection and averaged 14.8 points and 7.7 rebounds per game with 65 total blocks last season
JerKaila Jordan and former Hog Erynn Barnum were tabbed to the Preseason All-SEC Second Team by the coaches. Jordan logged 11.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per game with 64 assists and 72 total steals last season, while Barnum paced Arkansas last year with 15.1 points per game, while adding 6.5 rebounds per game and 66 total assists and 38 blocks
Eight Bulldogs average 4.0+ points per game this season
Jordan is having a stellar season, pacing the Bulldogs with 17.9 points per game with a team’s best 37 steals. She also logs 6.2 rebounds per game
Carter paces MSU with 9.5 rebounds per game with 27 total blocks
Lauren Park-Lane has logged 101 total assists in just 17 games
Head coach Sam Purcell is in his second season at the helm in Starkville, coming off becoming the winningest first-year head coach in program history. Purcell led the team to 22 wins and a 9-7 mark in the SEC in 2022-23, which helped the Bulldogs finish fifth in the league. He guided the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament and two wins in the tournament following a three-year hiatus

HISTORY AGAINST THE BULLDOGS

MSU has the slight edge over the Hogs in the series, as the Hogs trail, 21-23
This year’s regular season contest against the Bulldogs is the 45th of the all-time series
Arkansas has the edge vs. the Bulldogs in Fayetteville with a 12-7 record
The Hogs are 3-2 in the last five outings and 3-7 in the past 10 games played in the series
Arkansas was on a three-game winning streak vs. the Bulldogs going into last year’s matchup, but the streak was snapped, as Arkansas fell in Starkville, 87-73. Spencer led the game with 25 points and three steals, while Daniels finished with 17 points and four assists. Poffenbarger registered 11 rebounds and Dauda pulled down six boards

LAST TIME OUT

Arkansas defeated Georgia for the Hogs’ first SEC win, 83-43. The 40-point victory marked the school’s third largest margin of victory in an SEC game since the Hogs have been in the league starting in 1991-92. The last time a team has beaten Georgia by 30+ was on March 6, 2020, vs. South Carolina when Georgia lost to by 33
Arkansas’ 83 points was the most the Bulldogs have allowed in a game all season
The Hogs matched a season-high 14 3-pointers, which is the eighth most in a single game in school history
Arkansas outrebounded Georgia, 51-40, while also pulling down 16 offensive rebounds. The Hogs logged 21 points off turnovers vs. Georgia’s eight, while outscoring Georgia in the paint, 24-12
The Hogs also logged 14 assists and forced 20 turnovers
Daniels registered a season-high, game-high 24 points, seven rebounds, three assists and a season-high five steals
Carly Keats logged her first career start in Scott’s absence (out with injury) and delivered with a career-high 16 points with two assists. She played all 40 minutes of the game
Poffenbarger recorded her sixth double-double of the season with 15 points, 17 rebounds and four assists
Spencer recorded 15 points, six rebounds and four assists, while Dauda had eight points, 11 boards and four steals
Karley Johnson delivered a career-high five points in just five minutes played

UPCOMING

The Hogs will hit the road to face Alabama in their first of two matchups against the Crimson Tide during the regular season. Arkansas and Alabama will play on Sunday, Jan. 14 at 2 p.m. at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa. The game 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.