Examining the impact of Daniel Gafford
Examining the impact of Daniel Gafford
Daniel Gafford is arguably the most exciting freshman to watch in the SEC this season.
He has been integral in the Razorbacks’ 11-3 start and No. 22 national ranking.
Many draft boards have started to look at Gafford as a potential first round pick with his play and his measurables as well as his upside.
If he does indeed declare and keep his name in the draft in the spring, it will be disappointing for fans but it should also be solace that Arkansas can now recruit one-and-dones and point to Gafford as an example.
Let’s say he declares but doesn’t get the grade he wants and decides to stay. It’s almost a virtual lock that he will be a lottery pick in 2019. He’d basically be taking the Bobby Portis route.
Not only that, but Arkansas would make the NCAA Tournament next season for the third consecutive year for the first time since 2006-08.
Gafford, paired with the talented interior pieces they are bringing in with the 2018 crop, could make the 2018-19 Hogs one of, if not the SEC favorite.
By coming back, he could also vault his name into becoming one of the top 25 players in the history of the program. His freshman year will end up rivaling anybody that has ever put on the uniform.
Strong effort against highly-ranked Bulldogs falls short
STARKVILLE, Miss. — Arkansas suffered a Southeastern Conference road loss at No. 5/3 Mississippi State in Starkville, Mississippi, on Thursday.
The Razorbacks had three players in double figures paced by a 15-point effort from Jailyn Mason tying her season-best. Kiara Williams tied her career-high with 13 points and Devin Cosper added 13 points in the loss.
Arkansas shot well, at a 45.2{e1768d0eec022f908d772ba0c0274d97d05d220b4341147789bdb671ddb19707} clip hitting 28-of-62 shots in the game.A great effort, especially in the first half, kept Arkansas (10-5, 1-1 SEC) close to the Bulldogs (16-0, 2-0 SEC) early but an 8-0 run just before the break began to open the lead.
State won the game, 111-69, finishing with a 19-2 run in the final five minutes.
Arkansas opened the game with a quick 5-0 run behind a 3-pointer from Williams, the first of her career. The Razorbacks trailed by two, 22-20, at the end of the first quarter.
Although Arkansas’ offense continued to play well, the size difference in the paint was the difference in the game. The Bulldogs scored 46 points in the paint while the Razorbacks managed just 20 points inside.
Notes
• Kiara Williams had 11 points at the half. It is the second time of the season/career she has been in double-digits in the first 20 minutes.
• Kiara Williams tied her career-best with 13 points.
• Devin Cosper scored 13 points, scoring in double figures for the 13th time this season.
• Jailyn Mason finished with 15 points tying her season-best.
Up Next
Arkansas continues SEC play hosting Alabama on Sunday, Jan. 7, at 3 p.m., on the SEC Network.
The Razorbacks then play back-to-back conference road games traveling to Georgia and Auburn.
Anderson on Hogs going back on road again
Arkansas coach Mike Anderson met with the media to talk about going on the road again, this time to Auburn on Saturday.
Hogs get pair in finals, podium finish
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — On the first day of the Tennessee Diving Invitational, four Arkansas divers competed in the one-meter springboard, as two advanced to Wednesday’s finals, one earning a podium finish.
Freshman Brooke Schultz and senior Nicole Gillis earned a spot in the afternoon finals, with third (295.10) and sixth-place (275.70) finishes, respectively in the morning prelims.
Schultz would pace all Southeastern Conference divers to finish second in the 1m finals with a score of 325.70, falling only to Minnesota’s Sarah Bacon, who scored a 327.90. Gillis posted a score of 281.55 in the finals, good for seventh place.
“This is the type of high-quality competition we need to get us back into the swing of things after the holiday break,” said head coach Neil Harper. “Our Razorbacks competed well and are looking forward to competing again tomorrow.”
In the prelims, junior Marissa Green would finish 24th with a score of 231.60, while sophomore Caroline Welch scored a 196.50 for a 33rd-place showing.
Action from Knoxville will pick back up tomorrow with the three-meter prelims, beginning at 10 a.m.
SCHEDULE AND RESULTS
Wednesday, Jan. 3
1m Prelims
3rd – Schultz (295.10)
6th – Gillis (275.70)
24th – Green (231.60)
33rd – Welch (196.50)
1m Finals
2nd – Schultz (325.70)
7th – (281.55)
Thursday, Jan. 4
3m Prelims – 10:00 a.m.
3m Finals – 12:42 pm.
Friday, Jan. 5
Platform Finals – 10:00 a.m.
Hogs’ tennis starts dual match part of season at No. 18
TEMPE, Ariz. — Following a successful fall season, Arkansas will enter the dual match portion of the 2017-18 campaign as the nation’s No. 18 ranked team, announced by Oracle and the Intercollegiate Tennis Association on Wednesday.
One of nine SEC teams featured in the top 25, the Razorbacks’ No. 18 ranking is their highest since opening at No. 14 in 2009.
“We know that our successful fall season has us well positioned for a strong run this spring season,” coach Michael Hegarty said. “The excitement is high, and we look forward to growing throughout the spring to fulfill our potential.”
A national rankings panel voted on the top 25 teams, and will do so up to the ITA Division I National Team Indoor Championship in February. Upon the conclusion of the national event, team rankings will transition to the computerized system.
The 2018 campaign will mark the Razorbacks’ 15th season under Hegarty, who is the program’s all-time winningest coach with 197 victories and the 2017 Wilson/ITA Central Region Coach of the Year.
Arkansas will return the bulk of its 2017 roster that finished No. 19 in the final national rankings with an 18-10 (7-6 SEC) record.
Arkansas defeated 11 teams featured in the final national rankings, including No. 14 Auburn, No. 16 Texas A&M, No. 21 LSU and No. 24 Tennessee, and held a spot in the top 20 in each of the last 10 weeks of the season.
