WBB Preview: Arkansas vs. #16 Tennessee

January 11, 2025

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Razorback women’s basketball team (8-1o, 1-2 SEC) continues SEC play on Sunday when it faces No. 16 Tennessee (13-2, 1-2 SEC) at Bud Walton Arena. Tipoff is set for 12:00 p.m. CT and the game will be televised on SEC Network with Brenda VanLengen (play-by-play) and Steffi Sorensen (analyst) on the call.

The Razorbacks are coming off their first SEC victory this season after taking down Auburn 59-58 in Auburn. The Lady Vols, who have also face two top 10 conference opponents t0 begin league play, are hitting the road after an 89-87 loss to No. 6 LSU.

Arkansas will return to action one week from Sunday when it faces Alabama in Fayetteville.

Game Info

Opponent: #16 Tennessee (13-2, 1-2 SEC)
Tipoff: 12:00 p.m. CT
TV/Streaming: SEC Network
Radio: Listen | RSN Affiliates
Live Stats: Click here

Arkansas
Head Coach: Mike Neighbors
Record at Arkansas: 146-102 (8th season)
Career Record: 244-143 (12th)
Leading Scorer: Izzy Higginbottom (24.4 PPG)
Leading Rebounder: Vera Ojenuwa (7.7 RPG)

Auburn
Head Coach: Kim Caldwell
Record at Texas: 55-51 (1st season)
Career Record: 230-33 (7th season)
Leading Scorer: Talaysia Cooper (18.2 PPG)
Leading Rebounders: Talaysia Cooper and Zee Spearman (5.6 RPG)

Game Notes

Arkansas will face its third ranked team in its last four games, and fourth for the season. The Razorbacks have faced then-No. 5 UCLA, No. 6 LSU, No. 5 Texas so far this year, losing all three games.
The Hogs and Lady Vols will square off for the 41st time overall and Tennessee leads the all-time series 35-5.
The Razorbacks are looking for their first win over Tennessee since 2020. Arkansas, then-No. 22, defeated the Lady Vols 83-75 in Bud Walton Arena on Feburary 20, just weeks before the season was canceled due to Covid-19.
Izzy Higginbottom has cemented herself as one of the best scorers in the NCAA through the first 18 games and ranks No. 4 in the country and first in the SEC in points per game (24.4) ahead of Vanderbilt’s Khamil Pierre (22.7). She has been Arkansas’ leading scorer in 14 games (Fairfield, Little Rock, UTA, UCLA, ORU, OSU, BGSU, BC, TTU, LU, Troy, UCA, LSU, Texas, Auburn) this season.
She also leads the team and ranks second in the SEC in FT%, going 128-142 (.901) from the charity stripe. Higginbottom leads the SEC and ranks second in the NCAA in FTA (142) and leads the SEC and ranks No. 2 in the NCAA with 128 FTM. She’s been perfect from the line in eight games (ETA&M, LR, UCLA, BGSU, SEMO, LU, Troy, LSU) this season.
Higginbottom exploded for a career-high 38 points against Boston College, the most points by a Razorback since Chelsea Dungee dropped 41 against Auburn in 2019.
With the 38 points from the BC game and 18 points against SEMO, Higginbottom was named Co-SEC Player of the Week.
With 27 points against LSU, Higginbottom now has 16 straight games in double figures and is the first Hog to accomplish the feat since Amber Ramirez did it in 2021-22.
Higginbottom is tied for the second most 25+ point games in the NCAA (9 games) with South Dakota’s Grace Larkins.
Sophomore guard Kiki Smith has established herself as a consistent scoring threat for Arkansas. The Topeka, Kan. native has 10+ points in 10 of 18 games and has started every game this season.
Smith paced Arkansas with 22 points in its first win of the season against East Texas A&M. She went 8-9 from FG and the lone miss was in the fourth quarter.
From beyond the arc, Kiki ranks third in the SEC and 40th in the NCAA with 40 3s
Freshman Phoenix Stotijn made her long awaited debut against Texas Tech. The Dutch native settled in in the second half and shot 3-6 from three and converted her lone free throw attempt. Stotijn finished with 12 points and played just over 20 minutes.
The Hogs also added former Razorback soccer player Ella Rogers to the roster. Rogers, a Granville, Ohio native, was a first-team all district and first-team all-league guard for Granville High School.

For more information on Arkansas women’s basketball, follow @RazorbackWBB on social media.