Preview - No. 22 Arkansas @ Florida

INFO
Date: Sunday, Feb. 23
Time: 3 p.m.
Opponent: Florida
Location: Stephen C O’Connell Center
TV: SEC Network (Sam Gore & Kelsey Plum)

LAST TIME OUT

  • No. 22 Arkansas won its third straight game on Thursday night, beating Tennessee, 83-75.
  • Redshirt junior guard Amber Ramirez put on a show against the Lady Vols, going for a season-high 29 points, just four shy of her career-best.
  • The sharpshooter was money all night long, going 11 of 20 from the field and five of nine from deep.
  • Her game against the Vols was her fifth 20+ point game during the 2020 conference season, tied for the most on the squad.
  • Alexis Tolefree had another big outing for Arkansas, going for 22 points and seven rebounds, leading the team on the glass once again.
  • Arkansas’ defense was active against the Lady Vols, forcing 23 turnovers, the most since the Hogs forced 26 against UT Martin (12/29/19).
  • Ramirez tallied a team-high three steals to go along with her team-high 29 points.
  • Tolefree recorded her fifth game this season with seven or more rebounds.
  • Chelsea Dungee stuffed the stat sheet, going for 16 points, three assists, two steals, and two rebounds.
  • Dungee was also seven of nine from the free throw line.
  • A’Tyanna Gaulden once again led the Hogs in helpers, dishing four assists.
  • The Hogs had the Lady Vols down by as much as 16 early in the fourth, and it looked like they may coast to their third straight win. However, Tennessee didn’t back down, going on an 18-8 run over six minutes in the final frame to make it a six-point game with 3:59 to play. The teams would go back and forth from there, before Arkansas would ice this one away at the free throw line.
  • The Lady Vols cut it even closer with 15 seconds to play, as the Hogs held a narrow 79-75 lead. However, Ramirez and Tolefree, along with a key defensive stop, buried Tennessee late, as the duo went a perfect four for four from the free throw line to keep this one just out of reach.

STORYLINES

  • No. 22 Arkansas has won three in a row, beating then No. 15 Kentucky, Ole Miss and Tennessee over the last two weeks.
  • The Hogs rose in the AP Poll, moving up to No. 22. Arkansas also reentered the Coaches Poll this week, coming in at No. 25.
  • Arkansas’ offense has been simply dominant so far this season, pouring in 85.0 points per game, the third-best mark in the NCAA.
  • With their nine wins in the SEC, Arkansas is just one win away from matching the program record.
  • 2020 will be only the second time ever the Hogs have won nine or more conference games since joining the SEC in 1991.
  • Their 21 regular season are the most for the program since 2012, when Arkansas won 22.
  • The Razorbacks have been great so far in their road games during the conference slate, winning five of their six contests away from Bud Walton Arena so far in 2020.
  • The Hogs have scored 80+ in five of those six games, including two 100-point showings (at Ole Miss and at Vanderbilt).
  • The duo of Amber Ramirez and Alexis Tolefree has been especially lethal on the road.
  • Tolefree has been sensational away from Bud during the conference slate, averaging a team-high 21.5 points per game. She is also pulling down 4.7 rebounds per game.
  • Tolefree has been efficient on the road, too, as she is currently shooting at a 44.8 percent clip from the field and 41.5 from deep.
  • Ramirez has been just as good for the Hogs, averaging 21.0 points a game.
  • The sharpshooter has been an absolute bucket away from Bud in SEC play, making 55.3 percent of her shots from the field and 42.9 percent of her triples.
  • That duo nearly single-handedly won the game for Arkansas at Missouri, where they combined for 59 of the team’s 85 total points, including 36 in the second half.

SCOUTING FLORIDA

  • This will be the second meeting between the two schools this season, as Arkansas won the first matchup in Fayetteville, 79-57.
  • Even with that win, Florida has dominated the all-time series, as they hold a 28-11 advantage.
  • The lead guard duo of Makayla Daniels and A’Tyanna Gaulden was fantastic against the Gators in the first game, as they combined for 31 points.
  • Freshman guard Lavender Briggs leads the Gators in scoring at 14.6 points per game and is second amongst SEC rookies in scoring.
  • With 365 points, Briggs ranks 8th in program history in freshmen scoring. The Utah native scored 10 or more points in 14 straight games (snapped vs. UK on Jan. 12) – UF’s longest streak since the 2000-01 season.
  • She’s scored in double figures in 22 of her 25 games played.
  • After averaging 20.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists and leading the Gators to wins over Ole Miss and Mizzou, Lavender Briggs was named SEC Freshman of the Week on Feb. 18.
  • It was UF’s first Freshman of the Week honor since Feb. 14, 2017
  • With an average team height of just 5’10”, Florida is undersized especially playing in the rugged SEC.
  • Despite not having the tallest players on the court, Florida’s rebounding has been strong as it ranks in the top half of the league in rebounding. 73 percent of Florida’s rebounds come from the guard position.

MORE INFORMATION

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