Preview – Razorbacks Host Ole Miss Sunday

kylie magar January 28, 2023

FAYETTEVILLE – The No. 24 Arkansas women’s basketball team (17-6, 4-4 SEC) is looking to bounce back in a major way on Sunday amid a three-game losing streak, as the Razorbacks host Ole Miss (17-4, 6-2 SEC). Halfway through the SEC slate, this game already means something for the conference standings, as the Rebels sit in fourth and Arkansas is in a tie for sixth in the SEC. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. at Bud Walton Arena with the game aired on SEC Network.

GAME INFORMATION

Date: Sunday, Jan. 29
Time: 4 p.m.
Opponent: Ole Miss
Location: Bud Walton Arena
Watch: SECN
Listen: Razorback Sports Network from Learfield
Promotions: Suits & Sneakers, National Girls and Women in Sports Day celebration, Sunday Funday, Area School Team Day, Signature Sunday (postgame autographs) and Superhero Sunday (dress as your favorite superhero)
Tickets: Buy HERE
Arkansas Game Notes
Ole Miss Game Notes
Live Stats

STORYLINES

The Razorbacks are 17-6 and looking to bounce back from three straight losses in SEC play, as the team heads into Sunday’s game at an even .500, 4-4, in SEC play
Head coach Mike Neighbors is 5-2 against Ole Miss as the head coach at Arkansas, but has lost the last two meetings against the Rebels, including a 70-62 defeat in Oxford last season
Arkansas is tied at No. 5 in the SEC standings, facing a 6-2 Ole Miss team who is sitting at No. 4 in the league standings
The Razorbacks have been ranked in the WBCA/USA Today Coaches Poll for seven of the last eight weeks, coming in at No. 24 this past week. The Razorbacks received two votes in the AP Poll, being ranked in that poll for four straight weeks (#21, #21, #17 and #24 in AP)
Coach Neighbors has led the program to another winning year in the regular season, as the Razorbacks have 17 wins. This marks the fifth regular season winning year for coach Neighbors at Arkansas. With another win, Arkansas will match last season’s win total at 18
All five Arkansas starters are averaging near double digits in scoring. There are 11 teams in the country who have at least five players who average double digits per game
Erynn Barnum has continued to play at a high level, averaging 15.9 points per game. In her fourth year with the Arkansas program, she has surpassed season highs in every statistical category. She also leads the SEC in field goal percentage at .593
Saylor Poffenbarger paces the team in rebounding with 7.1 per game, 141 of her 163 rebounds coming on the defensive side. She also has a team-leading 26 total blocks
Samara Spencer is the second leading scorer with 15.1 points per game and leads the team in assists with 100, 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 33, while also averaging 13.0 points per game
Chrissy Carr puts up 11.0 points per game and leads the squad with 51 3-pointers
The team is second in least turnovers committed per game in the SEC with 13.6
Arkansas gets to the line 24.0 times per game, which is second in the conference and fourth in the country. The Razorbacks’ 15.9 makes from the free throw line per game is third in the SEC
Continuing to shoot from the outside, Arkansas leads the SEC in 3-point attempts per game (26.6), which is 14th in the country, and is No. 2 in 3-pointers per game (8.3)
The Razorbacks’ 29.3 defensive rebounds per game is No. 3 in the SEC

SCOUTING OLE MISS

Ole Miss is 17-4 on the season, as well as 6-2 in SEC play, which puts the team fourth in the conference standings coming into Sunday
The team is led by Angel Baker, who averages 15.3 points per game
Madison Scott pulls down a team’s most 8.8 rebounds per game, while also averaging 11.9 points per game
Myah Taylor has tallied 77 assists and 36 steals, which both lead the team, and Tyia Singleton’s 28 blocks paces the Rebels
Ole Miss was projected to finish fifth in the SEC Preseason Media Poll, as well as eighth in the SEC Preseason Coaches Poll. The Rebels finished the 2021-22 season 23-9, 10-6 in SEC play, falling in the NCAA Tournament to 10th seeded South Dakota, 75-61, in the first round
Scott was chosen to the SEC Preseason Second Team, as voted in the coaches poll. Last season, she averaged 9.6 points and 6.9 rebounds per game last season
Yolett McPhee-McCuin is in her fifth season at the helm in Oxford and is coming off leading the Rebels to their 18th NCAA Tournament appearance, as well as their first in 15 seasons

HISTORY AGAINST THE REBELS

Arkansas trails Ole Miss in the all-time series, 21-28
The first meeting of the all-time series was in 1985, resulting in a 76-61 loss in Oxford for the Razorbacks
Ole Miss has won the last two meetings, but in the past 10 games of the series, Arkansas boasts a 7-3 record. Coach Neighbors is also 5-2 all-time against the Rebels since being the head coach at Arkansas
Arkansas is 14-5 against the Rebels in Fayetteville
In the last year’s game in Oxford, the Razorbacks came up short with a 70-62 loss. Spencer led the squad with 19 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals. Sasha Goforth tallied 13 points and five boards, while Jersey Wolfenbarger tallied seven points and seven boards

LAST TIME OUT

Arkansas is coming off a tough 69-66 loss to Alabama at Bud Walton Arena on Thursday. Daniels tied the game off a 3-pointer with 33 seconds remaining in the game, but the Crimson Tide came up with a go-ahead 3-pointer to eventually win the game
Four Razorbacks tallied double digits in scoring, led by Barnum who logged 20 points and nine rebounds
Daniels recorded 13 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals
Poffenbarger came up with 12 points, five boards, three assists and two blocks
Spencer tallied 12 points
The Razorbacks committed 20 turnovers, which was uncharacteristic for a team who turns over the ball the least in the SEC

UPCOMING

Arkansas will be off from games next Thursday and then will travel to Auburn to face the Tigers on Sunday, Feb. 5 with a 2 p.m. tipoff 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.