???? Halftime Pod presented by Jeff’s Club House with Pittman on busy schedule
Arkansas coach Sam Pittman talked with Phil Elson on his schedule, which has slowed little since signing day last week and all coaches trying to “get on same page” with playbooks and schemes.
Bud Light Seltzer Morning Rush Podcast- Bret Bielema/Sparty, Tom Murphy, and Zach Barnett
Tye & Tommy on Bret Bielema having interest in Michigan State, Tom Murphy on Tennessee, plus Would You Rather!
Razorbacks looking to get back on track with road trip to face Vols
• Who: Arkansas Razorbacks (16-7. 4-6 SEC) at Tennessee (13-10, 5-5 SEC)
• What: Razorbacks have won 6 of the last 8 versus the Vols
• When: Tuesday, Feb. 11, 6 p.m.
• Where: Knoxville, Tenn. – Thompson-Boling Arena
• TV: SEC Network (Kevin Fitzgerald and Joe Kleine) CLICK HERE to watch online
• Radio: ESPN Arkansas 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home (Chuck Barrett and Matt Zimmerman)
• Online: You can here the game online at HitThatLine.com CLICK HERE
Against Tennessee
• This will be the 43rd meeting between Arkansas and Tennessee with all but four coming since the Razorbacks joined the SEC for the 1991-92 season.
• Tennessee has won two straight to take a 21-20 advantage in the series. The Volunteers also lead 12-4 in games played in Knoxville and hold a 19-16 advantage since Arkansas joined the SEC.
Last year at Tennessee:
• The third-ranked Tennessee Volunteers jumped out to a 20-6 lead and never looked back in a 106-87 victory over Arkansas.
• Despite the 19-point victory, the stats for both teams were fairly even across the board with the key difference coming from the free throw line as Tennessee was 35-of-39, compared to 13-of-22 for the Razorbacks.
• The Vols would stake a 55-34 lead at halftime while shooting 50 percent from the field and making 20-of-23 at the charity stripe. The Razorbacks only made three fewer field goals than Tennessee (12-to-15) in the first half but were just 6-of-11 at the free throw line.
• In the second half, Arkansas did not back down. The Razorbacks outscored the Vols, shot 57 percent from the field and out-rebounded Tennessee (16-13).
• Grant Williams led the free throw barrage for Tennessee, going a perfect 14-of-14 and scoring 18 points. Lamonte Turner led Tennessee overall with 21 points off the bench while Jordan Bowden added 19 points off the bench. Admiral Scofield contributed 17 points — all in the second half — while Kyle Alexander had 12.
• Isaiah Joe led the Razorbacks with 23 points, making 7-of-13 from 3-point range. Mason Jones finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Reggie Chaney (11) and Daniel Gafford (10) each finished in double figures as well.
Working overtime; close losses
• Arkansas has played back-to-back overtime games for the first time since playing three straight in January 2014 — Florida (L), Kentucky (W) and at Georgia (L).
• This is the sixth time Arkansas has played four overtime games in a season (1970-71, 1984-85, 1994-95, 2010-11, 2013-14). The record is five in 1985-86 and 2015-16.
• Arkansas has three losses in overtime and has lost its seven games by a combined 32 points — 4.5 avg.
• Arkansas is one of nine teams in the NCAA that has yet to lose a game by double digits. San Diego State (0 losses), Baylor (1 loss by 3 pts), Dayton (2 losses by 8 pts; 4.0 avg), Duke (3 losses by 15 pts; 5.0 avg), Northern Iowa (3 losses by 11 pts 3.7 avg), Kentucky (5 losses by 24 pts; 4.8 avg), Yale (5 losses by 18 pts; 3.6 avg), Wright State (5 losses by 14 pts; 2.8 avg) and Arkansas (7 losses by 32 pts; 4.5 avg).
Hogs lead NCAA defending 3; how Hogs off-set rebounding difference
• The Razorbacks have held opponents to shooting 29 percent or worse from 3-point range 17 times. Most recently, Arkansas held Texas A&M to 28.6, LSU to 26.7%, Ole Miss to 23.1%, Vandy to 25%, the SEC’s 3-pt percentage leader Alabama to 25.8%, Auburn to 25.8% and Missouri to 18.3%. Arkansas’ 24.6% 3-point defense ranks 1st NCAA / 1st SEC
• Arkansas has only committed 101 turnovers in SEC games (or 10.1/gm — fewest in SEC play) while forcing 155 (or 15.5 – most in SEC play). Arkansas has committed single-digit turnovers six times this year (8 vs South Dakota, 8 vs Tulsa, 9 versus Texas A&M, 7 at LSU, 7 vs Vandy and 7 at Mississippi State). Arkansas’ +5.2 turnover margin ranks 6th NCAA / 1st SEC
• Arkansas has SEC-best 81 steals (8.1 avg) in SEC games, including 14 vs Auburn. Arkansas has double-digit steals seven other times this year — 14 vs Rice, 13 vs Texas Southern, 11 vs North Texas, 11 vs Montana, 15 at Georgia Tech, 12 vs Tulsa and 11 at Alabama. Arkansas’ 8.7 steals per game ranks 20th NCAA / 1st SEC; Arkansas’ 201 total steals rank 27th NCAA / 1st SEC
• The Razorbacks have forced at least 15 turnovers 17 times this season, including a season-high 27 in the season opener versus Rice. Arkansas forced Auburn into 18 turnovers; Texas A&M, Alabama and Missouri into 17 turnovers; while Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, Kentucky and South Carolina each had 16. TCU had 19. The 17.13 turnovers forced ranks 16th NCAA / 1st SEC.
• Arkansas only committed 10 turnovers at Alabama as well as versus Auburn. Overall the Hogs have committed 10 or less turnovers 11 times this season. The 12.0 turnovers committed ranks 59th-fewest in the NCAA / 2nd SEC; The 275 turnovers committed ranks 49th-fewest NCAA / 2nd SEC.
Taking care of the ball in SEC play
• Since SEC play began, Arkansas has valued the ball better than the non-conference season. In league play, the Hogs have 107 assists, a league-high 81 steals, a league-low 101 turnovers and a league-high 155 turnovers forced.
• In SEC play, four teams have an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.1, including South Carolina, ARKANSAS, LSU and Tennessee.
• In SEC play, Arkansas has a league-low 101 turnovers (10.1/gm) while forcing the most turnovers (15.5/gm).
• In SEC play, Arkansas leads the league in turnover margin (+5.5). The next closest is South Carolina at +1.1.
Information from Razorback Sports Communications is included in this story.
Razorbacks’ Dungee on midseason team for Naismith Trophy
FAYETTEVILLE — Chelsea Dungee was named to the midseason team for the Citizen Naismith Trophy, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced Tuesday.
She was one of 30 to earn a spot on the team, one that monitors those players in the running for Women’s Player of the Year.
Dungee was recently also named to the Wooden Award Late Season Watch List, another Player of the Year award, and the Ann Meyers Drysdale Watch List, an award given to the best shooting guard in the country.
The redshirt junior guard has continued to produce for the Razorbacks this season, as she leads the team in points, averaging 18.1 a game, which is tied for second best among SEC players through 24 games.
Dungee recently played one of her best games of the season, dropping 24 on No. 15 Kentucky in Arkansas’ signature win of the season. She was ultra-efficient in that game, going eight of 12 from the field, four of four from deep, and four of four from the free throw line.
Dungee is already among the program’s best ever in terms of scoring the ball. Her 1,437 total career points is already the 11th best in program history, while her 1,193 total from just her time at Arkansas is the 21st most scored in program history.
Dungee is also one of just four Razorbacks ever to make more than 400 free throws in a career, as she is now up to 403 with her four makes against Kentucky.
She joins Arkansas women’s basketball legends Bettye Fiscus, Christy Smith and Delmonica DeHorney.
The 10 semifinalists for the Naismith Trophy will be announced on March 3, and the finalists will be revealed on March 20.
The winner of the 2020 Citizen Naismith Trophy for Women’s Player of the Year will be announced on April 4.
Information from Razorback Sports Communications is included in this story.
Pittman’s recruiting goals nice, but development will be more critical
Sam Pittman wants to shoot Arkansas into the elite level of recruiting, which is a nice goal, but history shows that probably isn’t going to be a realistic goal.
Coaching what he gets is more important.
Recruiting season has developed a cult-like following with a lot of people living and dying with every offer, commitment or de-commitment.
“We should be up there with the elite programs in the country in recruiting,” Pittman said last week talking about his first class, which ended up not being that bad and not that far off where the Razorbacks usually finish.
In the 247Sports.com composite rankings (from the major recruiting services), the Hogs have finished in the Top 25 twice and the Top 10 once over the last 20 years.
Houston Nutt and Bobby Petrino found ways to get the Hogs into the championship picture over-performing their recruiting rankings.
You got the idea Pittman’s probably not going to be completely satisfied on signing day going forward.
“We’re not up there with the elite guys,” Pittman said. “Until we get up there, well then, when we do that we’ll come in here and be really happy.”
In case you’re wondering, that’s not a signal he doesn’t expect to win ballgames. Arkansas has had success when higher-rated teams stumble somewhere along the way and they are right there to slip through the opening.
With the exception of a couple of years in 1964-65, the Razorbacks have needed some conference teams to stumble along the way.
Those two years, by the way, are the only ones where they ran the table and that was in the old Southwest Conference where you only had to figure out how to deal with Texas.
In the SEC West, unless you catch lightning in a bottle similar to what LSU did this past season, there can be one loss and still play for a championship. Alabama won titles in 2017 and 2011 after not going to Atlanta.
The Hogs have never won with recruiting highly-ranked classes. They have won with a coaching staff that got players they wanted, then developed them (Steve Spurrier used to call it “coaching ’em up”) and had them ready to play on Saturday.
The guess here is that’s going to be what Pittman does best. If he’s going to be consistently on the winning side in games, it’s what he better do best.
The Hogs play in a conference where they can win 10 games in a season and still end up third … in their own division. It happened in 2006, 2010 and 2011 so don’t say that won’t happen.
Shoot, at this point Pittman will be ahead of the game if he can settle on one quarterback for three games in a row. That would be progress.
Yeah, he wants to have a higher ranking on signing day. Whether he’ll say it or not it’s part of the public relations game. Fans want to see it.
“We just didn’t quite have as much time as we wanted, but we’ll do better,” Pittman said about this signing class.
While he obviously would relish the thought of having a class ranked in the Top 10 every year, Pittman also knows in the end it’s not the most important thing.
Winning with whatever’s on the team is what matters the most.
We’ll see how this staff does but the gut feeling is they would have had the Hogs in a bowl game the last couple of years. Yes, the previous staff was that bad.
A lack of preparation combined with a lack of motivation can coach a team all the way down to just a couple of struggle wins over teams they should have beaten by four touchdowns.
All that nonsense is gone.
Regardless of any recruiting ranking.
Bud Light Seltzer Morning Rush Podcast- Hogs lose to Mizz, Steve Wiltfong on recruiting, and more
Tye and Tommy on the Hogs’ close loss to Mizzou, Steve Wiltfong of 247 Sports on recruiting, plus Richard Cross joins the pod!
Lots of history in Razorbacks’ 103-85 win over No. 15 Kentucky on Sunday
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas put on a historic offense display on Sunday afternoon, beating No. 15 Kentucky, 103-85, marking the most points ever scored by the Hogs over an SEC team.
For the Razorbacks, the win marked their first against a top-15 opponent in Bud Walton Arena since 2016 and the first win against the Wildcats since 2011.
Coach Mike Neighbors said later the Hogs fed off what was a historic crowd all game long, as the 5,638 people packed in Bud Walton Arena were the most at a Razorback women’s game since January of 2011.
Senior guard Alexis Tolefree continued her dominant final collegiate campaign, as she went for a team-high 30 against Kentucky.
It was her second-career 30-point performance, and the second in her last three games.
Redshirt junior guard Chelsea Dungee also had a big game for the Hogs, going for 24 points on an efficient eight for 12 clip, including a perfect four of four from beyond the arc.
Turning point of game
The game was tightly contested in the first half, as the Hogs took a 38-35 lead into the intermission.
However, the Razorbacks used a huge third quarter, one in which they outscored the Wildcats 33-19, to break this game wide open.
Arkansas opened the period with an 11-3 run, getting contributions from Tolefree (5), Dungee (4) and Amber Ramirez (2).
After the Wildcats cut it back to six, Arkansas would close the period as strong as it opened it, finishing the frame on a 14-2 run. The Hogs would take a 71-54 lead into the third, and would never look back.
Hogs game notes
• The Hogs scored 100+ for the third time this season, and for the second time in SEC play. Their 103 points were the most since they scored 106 against Sam Houston State back in 2009.
• The Razorbacks shot the ball at a staggering .593 clip (35-59) on Sunday afternoon, the best since they shot 60 percent (36-60) against Ole Miss back in 2013 (3/3/12).
• Arkansas was somehow even better from three, scorching the nets at a .667 percent (14-21) clip, the best percentage in program history when attempting more than 15 threes.
• With her 30 points, Tolefree joined Chelsea Dungee as the only Hog with multiple 30+ point games so far this season.
• Tolefree continues to be a monster on the glass for Arkansas, as she registered her fourth game this season with 7+ rebounds.
• Junior forward Taylah Thomas continued her strong play, going for 13 points and a team-high seven boards.
• Ramirez matched her season-high in assists, dishing five of them against the ‘Cats.
• Redshirt junior guard A’Tyanna Gaulden also had five helpers against Kentucky, her seventh game this season going for five or more assists.
Next game
The Razorbacks are off Thursday before heading to Oxford, Mississippi, Sunday to face Ole Miss.
That game will tip at 2 p.m. and will air on the SEC Network.
Information from Razorback Sports Communications is included in this story.
Neighbors on writing ‘ONE’ on board in locker room before win over Kentucky
Razorbacks coach Mike Neighbors told the media he wrote just one word on the board before the team left the locker room before downing the 15th-ranked Wildcats on Sunday.
Razorbacks’ Tolefree, Dungee after taking care of Kentucky on Sunday afternoon
Arkansas’ Alexis Tolefree (30 points, 7 rebounds) and Chelsea Dungee (24 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists) talked about working through loss Thursday night to down No. 15 Wildcats.
