Razorback players Adrio Bailey(10 points, 6 rebounds, 4 blocked shots) and Mason Jones (20 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists) on the 72-68 win over the Crusaders in North Little Rock
Dungee, Tolefree pace Razorbacks past Trojans in NLR in-state matchup
NORTH LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas beat Little Rock (2-8), 86-53, in Simmons Bank Arena on Saturday afternoon.
With the win, Arkansas is off to its best start since 2013-14, when the Hogs opened the season with 13 straight victories.
Chelsea Dungee and Alexis Tolefree paced the Hogs, going for 21 points each. With her 21 in the game, Dungee became the fastest Razorback to ever reach 1,000 points at Arkansas, needing just 49 games with the Razorbacks to do it.
Tolefree, meanwhile, matched her season-high against the Trojans, and went for 20+ for the third time in her last four games.
Turning point
Little Rock refused to go away in this one, cutting the Razorback lead to just 10 points with 8:13 to play in the third quarter.
Then, Arkansas went on one of its patented runs, using an 18-6 spurt to build some breathing room.
Tolefree led the way during the run, putting in six of the 18 points. The highlight of the surge came at the 5:55 mark of the third period, when Tolefree eurostepped to the goal for two.
On the next trip down, she found a wide-open Amber Ramirez in the corner, who would splash home a three to make it a 17-point game with 5:25 to go in the frame.
Hog highlights
• Dungee became the fastest Razorback ever to reach 1,000 points, needing just 49 games to do so.
• Dungee also led the Hogs on the glass, pulling down eight rebounds against the Trojans. That matched her season-high.
• Tolefree has now posted three of her six-career 20+ point games over the last four contests.
• Ramirez reached double-digits yet again for the Hogs, going for 12 points (4-8 3PT). She has reached double-figures nine times in 12 games this season.
• A’Tyanna Gaulden continues to be a force off the bench for the Hogs, going for 15 points against Little Rock. She has now scored in double-figures in three straight contests.
• Little Rock native Erynn Barnum was dominant near the rim on Saturday afternoon, recording a career-high four rejections. She became the first freshman Razorback to record four or more blocks in a game since Macy Weaver had four against UTEP (11/23/17).
Next time out
The Razorbacks head home to finish their non-conference schedule, as they will host Tennessee-Martin next Sunday.
That game is set to tip-off at 2 p.m. and will be streamable on SECN+.
Neighbors glad to get big win over Trojans, playing in North Little Rock
Razorbacks coach Mike Neighbors talked after the 86-53 win over Little Rock on Saturday afternoon about getting to play in Simmons Bank Arena and his friend Joe Foley.
Foley, Francis on playing against Razorbacks on Saturday afternoon
Little Rock coach Joe Foley and freshman Angelique Francis (15 points, 6 rebounds) on finally getting to play against Arkansas, depth issue in 86-53 loss.
Jones, Whitt, Joe lead Razorbacks to annual NLR trip against Valparaiso
Who: Valparaiso Crusaders (7-5) vs Arkansas Razorbacks (9-1)
What: Arkansas’ annual trip to North Little Rock
When: Saturday – Dec. 21, 2019 – 7:00 pm
Where: Simmons Bank Arena – North Little Rock, Ark.
How to follow the game:
• TV/Live Stream: None
• 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)
• Listen to the game at HitThatLine.com: CLICK HERE
• Sirius/XM: streaming online, channel 978
• Live Stats: www.Arkansas.StatBroadcast.com
•Arkansas Game Notes: CLICK HERE
• Tulsa Game Notes: CLICK HERE
• Simmons Bank Arena Game Day/Parking Information: CLICK HERE
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas will make its annual trip to North Little Rock to face Valparaiso on Saturday.
Tip-off is set for 7 pm.
The Arkansas women’s team will face UALR on Saturday in North Little Rock as well with that game t starting at 1 pm. Simmons Bank Arena will be cleared between games and fans must purchase separate tickets for both contests.
• This will be the first time Arkansas has ever faced Valpo.
• This will be the 21st time since 1999 Arkansas has played in North Little Rock. The Razorbacks are 11-9 in the previous 20 contests, have won three straight and won six of the last seven.
Arkansas will not play again until Dec. 29 when the Razorbacks are at Indiana. Tip-off for that contest is set for 5 p.m.
No. 23 in first NCAA NET, but no. 12 RPI, no. 10 seed in bracketology
• Arkansas’ NET was 23 in the first official NCAA NET rankings (Dec. 16).
• Arkansas’ NET is 2nd-best among SEC schools behind Auburn (7).
• The rest of the SEC in the NET: 25 Tennessee; 26 LSU; 46 Ole Miss; 58 Kentucky; 73 Missouri; 76 Georgia; 78 Florida 6-3; 90 Mississippi State; 96 Alabama; 99 Vanderbilt; 145 South Carolina and 281 Texas A&M.
• Arkansas has an RPI of 12, up two after a 19-point win over Tulsa. Arkansas’ RPI is better than 10 teams in the top 25, including Virginia, Arizona, Oregon, Tennessee, Butler, Penn State, Memphis, Washington, Michigan and Michigan State.
• ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has the Hogs as a #10 seed, facing Indiana in Spokane of the West Region of the 2020 NCAA Basketball Tournament.
So far, this is worst — and best rebounding year in history
• Arkansas knew all along with the loss of Daniel Gafford (8.7 rpg last season) and no size returning, rebounding was going to be an issue.
• Arkansas ranks 314th NCAA/14th SEC in offensive rebounds per game (7.7 avg).
• Arkansas ranks 271st NCAA/13th SEC in rebounds per game (34.2 avg).
• Arkansas ranks 276th NCAA/13th SEC in rebound margin (-2.2 avg).
• Arkansas ranks 151st NCAA/8th SEC in defensive rebounds per game (26.5 avg) … BUT SEE BELOW
• THIS IS THE WORST OFFENSIVE REBOUNDING YEAR DATING BACK TO 1986-87*
• Arkansas gets 7.7 offensive boards while opponents get 26.0 defensive boards.
• Arkansas gets a program worst 22.9% of available rebounds on the offensive end.
• THIS IS THE BEST DEFENSIVE REBOUNDING YEAR DATING BACK TO 1986-87*
• Arkansas gets 26.5 defensive boards while opponents get 10.4 offensive boards.Arkansas gets a program-best 71.8% of available rebounds on the defensive end.
* – stat courtesy of HogStats.com – offensive/defensive boards not separated prior to 1986-87
Whitt and Jones among guards in NCAA for FG%
• Jimmy Whitt, Jr., ranks fifth in the SEC (100th in the NCAA) in field goal percentage (52.9%).
• Whitt ranks 24th in the NCAA among guards in overall FG% (52.9%).
• Mason Jones ranks ninth in the SEC (131st in the NCAA) in field goal percentage (50.5%).
• Jones ranks 39th in the NCAA among guards in overall FG% (50.5%). However, Jones is shooting an impressive 68.6% (35-of-51) inside the 3-point arc this season.
• To put his 2-point shooting in perspective, #6 on the NCAA FG% leaders list is 68.6% by 6-11 forward Zeke Nnaji (Arizona).
Joe — in just 44 games — is six 3’s from career top 10
• Isaiah Joe went into several record books last season. He set four school records for 3-pointers, two SEC freshman records (while being just the fourth SEC frosh to lead the league 3PT%) and made the fourth-most 3-pointers by a freshman in NCAA history.
• Joe is on the verge of entering the Arkansas career record for 3-pointers made.
• Joe has made 147 career triples — six shy of 10th (153 by Jonathan Modica (2003-06).
• Joe has made 147 treys in 44 career games. By comparison, Modica needed 118 games to make his 153.
• Joe made 113 triples as a freshman and entered the season needing to make just 40 3’s to enter the career top 10.
• Joe makes 39.4% percent of his 3-pointers. At that pace, he would rank ninth in school history.
Isaiah Joe on Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year watch list
• Arkansas sophomore Isaiah Joe was named to the 2020 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award watch list, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today.
• FANS CAN VOTE FOR THEIR FAVORITE PLAYER HERE.
Pittman adds Carter, Rhoades to new Razorbacks’ coaching staff
FAYETTEVILLE — Sam Pittman has added a pair of defensive assistants to his Arkansas staff, naming Sam Carter as the new cornerbacks coach and Rion Rhoades as the new linebackers coach.
Carter joins the Hogs from Missouri where he served as a defensive quality control and analyst for Barry Odom, who Pittman tabbed as the program’s defensive coordinator earlier this week.
Carter helped the Tigers’ defense rank as one of the best in the nation, particularly in the secondary this past season. Missouri’s pass defense ranked eighth in the FBS and second in the Southeastern Conference allowing only 179.3 yards per game.
The Tigers were even tougher with the ball in the air, leading the nation by allowing opponents to complete just 50.3% of passes for 2,151 yards, seventh fewest in FBS.
Mizzou had four players inside the SEC’s top 25 of passes defended, including three defensive backs in Joshuah Bledsoe, Khalil Oliver and Tyree Gillespie.
Carter was a standout, All-Big 12 safety at TCU prior to starting his coaching career. The New Orleans native played in 49 games for the Horned Frogs from 2011-14, starting 39 including all 38 over his final three years.
As a senior he was a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, a Senior CLASS Award finalist and a Senior CLASS Award second-team All-American.
Rhoades gets his first opportunity at the FBS level after coaching the last 14 years as a head coach at the junior college level, including the last 13 as the head coach at Hutchinson Community College in Hutchinson, Kansas.
A former Hutchinson CC linebacker for Arkansas coach Sam Pittman, Rhoades returned to his alma mater as the head coach in 2007 after turning around a struggling Fort Scott CC program in just one year.
At Hutchinson, Rhoades quickly worked his magic taking the Blue Dragons to a Region VI runner-up finish in his second year then kicking off a run of six straight seasons that saw his program win the Salt City Bowl, capped by an 11-1 season in 2014 that claimed the Jayhawk Conference and Region VI championships.
Rhoades’ squad this fall finished 10-2 and No. 3 in the final NJCAA Rankings after another Salt City Bowl title.
The No. 3 finish is the highest the Blue Dragons have ever finished in the final poll and the fifth time a Rhoades-led Hutchinson team finished inside the Top 10 in his 13 years as head coach.
He left the junior college ranks 106-55 as a head coach with a 99-50 mark at Hutchinson.
As a player at Hutchinson, Rhoades made an immediate impact as a freshman with 138 tackles as a linebacker to help Pittman and the Blue Dragons to a 6-5 season and a trip to the Valley of the Sun Bowl in 1993.
As a sophomore and team captain in 1994, Rhoades led Hutchinson with 130 tackles and helped his team to a third-consecutive winning season with an 8-4 record and a ranking of 15th in the final NJCAA poll.
Following his two years at Hutchinson as a player, Rhoades transferred to Western Illinois and then to Northwestern Oklahoma State, where he was an NAIA All-America linebacker.
He and his wife Darcy have three children: daughter, Sydney, and sons, Trevor and Jackson.
Carter and Rhoades join defensive coordinator Odom, offensive line coach Brad Davis and wide receivers coach Justin Stepp on Pittman’s first staff.
Musselman on practices during long week, previewing matchup with Valpo
Arkansas coach Eric Musselman talked with the media after Thursday’s practice about dealing with the one game a week and looked ahead to the matchup with Valparaiso.
Joe on playing with Jones, looking ahead to playing in North Little Rock
Arkansas guard Isaiah Joe talked with the media after Thursday’s practice about teammate Mason Jones and Khalil Garland’s role with the team as a studen coach.
Pittman selling Arkansas above everything and it paid off Wednesday
It was clear Wednesday afternoon that new Arkansas coach Sam Pittman hasn’t done a whole lot of the press conferences like he did after getting seven players for the 2020 class.
He looked a little surprised with nearly every single chair filled in the concrete bunker that serves double-duty as the media room in the football center and may be the best shelter in Northwest Arkansas in the event of a tornado or a random bomb headed in.
Pittman started off kinda figuring it out as he went, but what did become clear is he probably understands the job of being the Razorback coach better than anybody hired in a couple of decades.
It’s why he made it clear that in this recruiting period they aren’t looking at any ratings and really aren’t counting the number of available scholarships. He figures there will be plenty of room for transfers or junior college players.
“Right now it doesn’t seem to be too big of a problem, you know?” He said. “We will fix that when it comes.”
The Hogs never have been near the top in the recruiting rankings. They’ve finished in the top 10 once about 20-something years ago and one other time in the top 20.
History shows for whatever reason nobody is going to win signing day.
Pittman understands that, although he’s never going to say it publicly. He also has looked at the current roster he inherited and knows there’s opportunity he can sell to recruits ahead of the February signing date.
“This next go around, there may be some guys that we’re going, ‘Hey, this guy’s a little light but has got great feet,’” he said Monday. “Or we may go that way a little bit more, we might not, but we’re basically trying to recruit guys that we think can come in here and challenge for a position early in their career.”
Pittman deflected getting into specifics about any current players. Oh, he’s looked at the films but he’s not going to throw anybody under the bus, but he also saw some talent and the guess is he’d just as soon not tip his hand either way.
There are signs this coach can recruit. He managed to get Myles Slusher, a four-star safety out of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, who was committed since April to Oregon.
Pittman found out when Slusher called him at 11:45 Tuesday night.
“Actually, I was driving home,” he said. “He called me and usually if they call you at 11:45, it’s not to tell you they’re going to go someplace else. I’ve yet to ever get a player at his press conference that he didn’t tell me he was coming before the press conference.”
Think about that a minute. Pittman has the job for a week and sells a four-star safety committed to Oregon to flip to Arkansas. He’s not going to pull that off 20 times a year … or even 10, but it is a sign to watch this.
Right now, though, he has the overwhelming majority of his first recruiting class still on campus. He’s managed to hang on to the majority of the best recruiting class in the last few years (2019) and that includes 16 redshirt freshmen.
In addition there will be 13 sophomores and 11 juniors.
There is some talent on the roster. Probably not enough to make a run for an SEC West title, but the only people thinking the 4-20 record over the last two years was as simple as a complete lack of talent.
The opinion from this corner is a complete lack of development and motivation was more to blame for that. In other words, they’ve been the unwilling because they were led by the unknowing.
That will change.
“I want to get the best players in America because as ya’ll know, I truly believe that Arkansas is the best place in America,” he said Monday.
Those words haven’t been heard around Fayetteville by a head football coach in a long time.
Pittman has seen some bad teams. As a career assistant, he’s probably got a plan of how he would do things.
Now he’s just got to prove it’s a plan that will produce wins.
Pittman answering questions from media on Hogs’ first signing for 2020
Sam Pittman recapping Hogs’ recruits on first players can sign letters of intent at press conference after announcing signings. Due to UA technical issues, player breakdown audio failed for most of the recap on them.
Jones announces he’s leaving Razorbacks, but where is not known yet
Redshirt junior Jordan Jones became the fourth player to announce he’s leaving Arkansas with new coach Sam Pittman, who’s only been on the job a little over a week.
Jones didn’t announce where he’s headed.
Born and raised a Hog and that will never change ❤️???? pic.twitter.com/6Ul3GghhXg
— Jones_10 (@jordan10jones) December 18, 2019
Jones, from Smackover, was a three-star under Bret Bielema and didn’t record a single stat this past season, hampered by a high ankle sprain all year. That may let him have an additional sixth year but that will be for somebody else to deal with.
The other players who have left are defensive back Britto Tutt, quarterback Nick Starkel and defensive end Collin Clay.
Of all four players maybe the only one that really got anybody’s attention was Clay.
