Preview - No. 21 Arkansas @ No. 4 South Carolina

Mario Bravante January 8, 2020

INFO
Date: Thursday, Jan. 9
Time: 6 p.m. CT
Opponent: No. 4 South Carolina
Location: Colonial Life Arena
TV: SEC Network +

LAST TIME OUT

Arkansas got back into the win column on Sunday afternoon, beating Auburn (6-7, 0-2), 86-70, in its SEC Road Opener.
The Hogs were again deadly from beyond the arc, nailing 12 triples for the second straight game to open SEC play.
Arkansas was great from everywhere else too, as the Hogs shot 51.6 percent from the field, the first time they shot 50+ percent from the field against a conference opponent since last season against Georgia in the SEC Tournament (32-57, 56.1 percent).
However, the Razorbacks also held the advantage on the boards against Auburn, outrebounding the Tigers 36-35. The Hogs are 8-0 this season when they outrebound their opponent.
Defensively, the Hogs held Auburn’s star forward Unique Thompson to just six points, snapping her 13-game double-double streak.
Redshirt junior guard Amber Ramirez delivered her best game as a Razorback against Auburn, going for 25 points to lead all scorers. Ramirez lit it
up from beyond the arc, making seven of her 14 long balls, tying her season-high in triples made.
Ramirez’s seven triples matched her own mark for the most by a Razorback this season. She also had seven against Northwestern State.
Redshirt junior guard A’Tyanna Gaulden ran the show effectively again on Sunday, dishing a team-high five assists.
Freshman guard Makayla Daniels stuffed the stat sheet against Auburn, going for 13 points, four assists, two rebounds and a steal.
Senior guard Alexis Tolefree nearly registered her first-career double-double, going for 11 points and eight rebounds.
Those eight boards matched her career high and led the team against Auburn.

STORYLINES

Senior forward Kiara Williams is starting to make her presence felt as she continues to work her way back from injury.
She was good against UT Martin, going for eight points in the second half alone.
The senior was even better against No. 11 Texas A&M, scoring 11 points in a season-high 22 minutes played. She also added four rebounds.
She added eight points on a perfect 4-4 clip against Auburn.
With her two blocks against A&M, Williams now has 96 in her career.
That figure is good for 10th-most all-time in program history.
Redshirt junior guard Amber Ramirez has been filling it up from deep this season so far.
She matched her season-high against Auburn, pouring in seven treys (7-14).
Ramirez has already made 56 treys this season, the second-best mark in the NCAA.
Ramirez has also been remarkably efficient from distance despite the volume of shots she has put up from beyond.
Among players that have made at least 50 three-pointers, Ramirez’s 45.5 percent mark from deep ranks as the third-best in the nation.
That percentage is good for 22nd-best in the nation overall.
That efficiency and volume have helped bump Ramirez’s number across the board, as her PPG (14.5) & 3PT FG Percentage (45.5) are both career-bests.

SCOUTING SOUTH CAROLINA

The Gamecocks are an absolute force on both ends of the floor, as they are ranked 8th in scoring offense (83.0) and 28th in scoring defense (55.7).
South Carolina is one of seven teams in the NCAA with a better point differential than the Razorbacks (+27.3).
Carolina is second in the league in both FG percentage and FG percentage defense (.470/.320).
Dawn Staley’s crew have been excellent at the rim as a part of their vaunted defense, as their 8.2 blocks per game leads the country.
The Gamecocks have also been dominant on the offensive glass so far this season, collecting 16.9 of them per game, good for second in the league.
Perhaps the scariest part about South Carolina is a lot of the damage they have done this season has been due to the Gamecocks’ sensational freshman class, led by three-time SEC freshman of the week Aliyah Boston.
Boston currently paces the Gamecocks with 13.0 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. She’s been even better in conference play, bumping her averages up to 17.5 points per game and 9.0 boards per game.
She is also 11th in the country in blocked shots per game, averaging a whopping 3.0 per game.
That is not to say the Gamecocks are without experience: senior guard Tyasha Harris has been great running the show for Staley so far this season, as she has dished 72 assists, the 26th-best total in the NCAA, and tops in the SEC.
South Carolina has some impressive wins on its resume already, including wins over then-No. 4 Maryland and then-No. 2 Baylor. The Gamecocks’ only loss this season came at the hands of then-No. 17 Indiana at the Paradise Jam.

MORE INFORMATION

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