WBB Preview: SEC Tournament

March 4, 2025

GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Razorback women’s basketball team (10-21, 3-13 SEC), the 13-seed in the SEC Tournament, will face 12-seed Georgia in the first round on Wednesday. Tipoff is set for 12:30 p.m. CT and the game will be televised on SEC Network with Sam Gore (play-by-play) and Steffi Sorensen (analyst) on the call.

Arkansas is coming off win at Texas A&M to close out the regular season and Georgia took down No. 11 Tennessee, 72-69.

The Hogs and Dogs met in early February in Athens, where Georgia made free throws with seconds to go and earn a 69-68 victory.

Arkansas is making its 34th SEC Tournament appearance.

Game Info
Opponent: Georgia (12-18, 4-12 SEC)
Tipoff: 12:30 p.m. CT
TV/Streaming: SEC Network
Radio: Listen | RSN Affiliates
Live Stats: Click here

Arkansas
Head Coach: Mike Neighbors
Record at Arkansas: 148-113 (8th)
Career Record: 246-154 (12th)
Leading Scorer: Izzy Higginbottom (23.9 PPG)
Leading Rebounder: Vera Ojenuwa (6.4 RPG)

Georgia
Head Coach: Katie Abrahamson-Henderson
Record at Georgia: 46-48 (3rd)
Career Record: 418-205 (20th)
Leading Scorer: Trinity Turner (12.2 PPG)
Leading Rebounder: Amiya Evans (6.2 RPG)

Game Notes

This is the 47th all-time meeting between Georgia and Arkansas. The Bulldogs lead it 39-7 The Razorbacks and Bulldogs last met in February in Athens, where Georgia picked up a last-second 62-61 win. Arkansas hasn’t faced Georgia in the SEC Tournament since 2019. The Hogs won the second round matchup, 86-76, led by Chelsea Dungee’s 31 points. Five Razorbacks finished in double figures
Izzy Higginbottom has cemented herself as one of the best scorers in the NCAA through the first 31 games and ranks No. 5 in the country and first in the SEC in points per game (23.9), ahead of Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes (23.1). has been the Hogs’ leading scorer in 25 games (Fairfield, Little Rock, UTA, UCLA, ORU, OSU, BGSU, BC, TTU, LIB, Troy, UCA, LSU, Texas, AUB, TENN, UK, A&M, FLA, MSST, UGA, OM, OU, MIZ, A&M) this season
She also leads the team and the SEC in FT%, going 235-260 (.904) from the charity stripe. Higginbottom leads NCAA in FTA (260) and FTM (235). She’s been perfect from the line in 14 games (ETA&M, LR, UCLA, BGSU, SEMO, LU, Troy, LSU, Texas, VAN, FLA, MSST, OM, OU) this season
In total points, Higginbottom ranks first in the NCAA with 742.
Higginbottom exploded for a then career-high 38 points against Boston College, then 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 26 points against Tennessee, Higginbottom had 19 straight games in double figures and is the first Hog to accomplish the feat since Amber Ramirez did it in 2021-22. The streak ended after Higginbottom scored just five points against No. 19 Alabama on Jan. 19.
Higginbottom has the most 25+ point games in the NCAA (16 games).
Izzy picked up her second 30+ point game of the season after she dropped 36 points at Auburn on Jan. 9. It was tied for the second most points in an SEC game this season. It was then the seventh most by a Razorback player in an SEC game and was then the most since Erynn Barnum scored 37 points against Ole Miss.
Against No. 11 Kentucky, Higginbottom scored 32 points on the Wildcats and followed it up with a 33-point performance against Texas A&M on Jan. 30.
In the first game of February, against Florida, she scored her first 40 point game and became just the fourth Razorback to score 40 points in a game in program history and was four points shy of tying the single-game record. It’s tied for the fourth-most points in an SEC game this sesaon. She is one of 18 players in the NCAA to score at least 40 points in a game and one of 13 in the NCAA to score at least 40 points in a conference game this season. She’s also tied for the 12th-highest scoring game this year
Higginbottom had 38% of Arkansas points in SEC play (388 out of 1011 points) and 58% (120 out of 206 free throws) of the Hogs’ made free throws. The next closest player (Vera Ojenuwa) had 17 FTs. On a league scale, Higginbottom ranked second in the SEC in scoring average (24.3) behind Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes (26.9) and first in FT% at 90.8% (109-120) She also had one 40 point game, five 30+ point games and nine 25+ point games in league play.
Sophomore guard Kiki Smith has established herself as a consistent scoring threat for Arkansas. The Topeka, Kan. native has 10+ points in 12 of 25 games.
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. Against Alabama, Smith scored a season and game high 23 points, going 8-15 from FG and 4-9 from 3.
Before being sidelined with an ankle injury, Kiki ranked ninth in the SEC and 90th in the NCAA with 47 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. Had a breakout game in Arkansas’ second contest against Texas A&M. Scored a career high 23 points and shot 5-7 from beyond the arc. Stotijn was key in pushing Arkansas’ lead to 20 against the Aggies and finished +19 with four rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks
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. Rogers made her basketball debut on Feb. 3 against Florida. Against Ole Miss, Rogers recorded her first block.
According to WarrenNolan.com, Arkansas posts the 18th strongest schedule in the country. The only SEC teams ahead of the Hogs are top-ranked South Carolina, #4 Texas, #12 Tennessee and #17 LSU
13 of Arkansas’ opponents appear in the SOS top 50: #1 SC, #3 UCLA, #4 Texas, #12 TENN, #17 LSU, #25 OU, #26 UK, #30 AL, #31 A&M, #34 AUB, #36 MIZ, #39 VAN, #40 TTU The Hogs also have the fifth highest opponent win percentage in the SEC at .595 (529-324)
Arkansas captured its first SEC home win after a 72-51 win against Texas A&M. The 21-point victory is Arkansas’ largest in SEC play and the second largest margin this season behind the 27 point win over UTArlington. Mike Neighbors picked up his 50th SEC win at Arkansas. Izzy Higginbottom picked up her third SEC game with at least 30 points and led all scorers with 34 The senior also grabbed 10 rebounds and picked up her first career double-double. The Hogs shot an SEC-play best 48.1% (25- 52) from the field

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