Preview - No. 22 Arkansas vs. Tennessee

Mario Bravante February 19, 2020

INFO
Date: Thursday, Feb. 20
Time: 6 p.m.
Opponent: Tennessee
Location: Bud Walton Arena
TV: SEC Network (Courtney Lyle & Carolyn Peck)
Tickets: $5 at window | FREE for UA Students
Promotions: Pregame Chalk Talk | Postgame Autographs

CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS

LAST TIME OUT

No. 22 Arkansas won its 20th game of the season on Sunday, beating Ole Miss 108-64 at the Pavilion.
With the win, Arkansas reached eight SEC wins for just the second time since joining the conference, and crossed the 20-win threshold for just the seventh time since the turn of the century.
Senior guard Alexis Tolefree continued her statement season with another great outing against Ole Miss, going for a team-high 19 points in the win.
She was once again the picture of efficiency, going four of six from the field, two of three from long range, and nine of 10 from the free throw line.
Chelsea Dungee and Amber Ramirez also had solid outings in the Pavilion, going for 18 points and 17 points, respectively.
Sophomore guard Rokia Doumbia led the Hogs on the glass, pulling down 11 boards, one shy of her career-high.
Doumbia also led the team in assists, dishing a career-high six of them.
The Hogs had five players reach double-figures in the game, the fifth time this season that has happened. Arkansas is 5-0 in those games.
Arkansas moved the ball well against Ole Miss, going for 17 assists as a team, the fifth time this season they have gone for 17 or more helpers.
The Hogs were absolutely lethal offensively in the first half, shooting the ball at a staggering 69.7 percent clip, the best shooting half for the Hogs since last week’s 71.8 percent shooting barrage in the second half vs. Kentucky.
That included a 32-point first period, the fifth time over the course of SEC play the Hogs eclipsed 30 points in a single quarter.
The scoring for the Razorbacks was spread out in the first half, as all nine Hogs that touched the floor scored at least four points. Tolefree led the way with 11 in the first half. Ramirez, Dungee and A’Tyanna Gaulden all had nine.

STORYLINES

Arkansas’ offense has been on a historic tear over its last two games. The Hogs scored 100+ against both Ole Miss (108) and against Kentucky (103).
The Razorbacks broke the program record for points in an SEC game in back-to-back weeks with those two performances. The previous record of 102 had stood at Arkansas since 1998.
Against Ole Miss, the Hogs also broke the program record for field goal percentage in an SEC game, shooting a sweltering 64.4 percent from the field (38-59). The previous record of 60.4 had stood at Arkansas since 1999.
The Razorbacks have now scored 100 or more on the road this season twice. Before this season, the last time they had done it even once was back in 1991 against Baylor.
Mike Neighbors’ Hogs have now scored 100 or more three times during conference play. No other school in the conference has scored 100+ in a conference game to this point this season.
The Hogs also broke several other program records against then-No. 15 Kentucky, including best 3PT percentage in an SEC game (66.7, 14-21, min. 15 attempts) and most points in a half (65) in an SEC game.
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.
Those five wins are more than they had all of last season (3).
The Hogs have scored 80+ in five of those six games, including two 100-point showing (at Ole Miss and at Vanderbilt).
The Splash Sister 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 TENNESSEE

Tennessee has dominated the all-time series between the two schools, owning a whopping 31-4 all-time advantage.
The Hogs have only beat the Lady Vols in Bud twice: 2016 and 1996.
The Razorbacks did pick up a win last season against Tennessee, though, as Chelsea Dungee and Malica Monk hit big shots down the stretch to propel Arkansas to a 80-79 win in Knoxville.
The Lady Vols will present a problem at the rim for the Hogs, as they are second in the SEC with 8.1 blocks per contest in league play, and freshman Tamari Key’s 4.1 bpg. are a big reason why.
UT’s 7.2 blocks per contest average in all games ranks the Lady Vols No. 2 in the nation behind only No. 1 South Carolina.
The Lady Vols will also pose issues for Arkansas on the glass, as Kellie Harper’s team ranks as the No. 2 rebounding team in the league behind South Carolina. They are No. 3 in the nation, averaging 46.36 boards per contest.
They’re also No. 1 in the SEC and No 3 nationally in defensive rebounds per contest (31.6).
Tennessee continues to generate a solid number of assists per game, ranking No. 1 in the SEC and No. 22 nationally with 16.6 dimes per contest.
UT is No. 26 nationally and No. 2 in the league in total assists with 416.
Junior forward Rennia Davis has elevated her game to a new level this season. She averaged 14.9 ppg. as a sophomore but is now averaging 18.1 ppg. over her 24 games in 2019-20 despite getting extra attention from defenders.
The last Lady Vol to post a season scoring average that high was Candace Parker (21.3) in 2007-08.

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.