David Smoak of SicEm365 talked ahead of Elite Eight matchup on The Morning Rush about how this is clearly Scott Drew’s best team.
Dungee selected to take part in national three-point competition
INDIANAPOLIS — Chelsea Dungee has been selected to the Rocket Mortgage Women’s 3-Point Championship roster for the 32nd annual State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships, announced today.
The event will take place at Hinkle Fieldhouse on the Butler University Campus in Indianapolis on Thursday. Dungee is one of eight players selected for the event that will air live on ESPN2 at 8 p.m.
Dungee comes into the event after shooting a career-best 38.7 percent from beyond the arc during her senior season.
The accolades have started to pile up for the Razorback guard, as she has earned a spot on the AP’s Third Team All-America, the All-SEC First Team, and a spot on the WBCA All-American Regional Finalist list.
Dungee also declared for the WNBA Draft, where she has been projected to go in the first round.
Intersport, producers of the event, invites 24 of the nation’s elite men’s and women’s college basketball players to compete in the State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships (eight dunkers, along with eight men’s and eight women’s shooters).
The program showcases the dunking and sharp-shooting talents of the nation’s top college basketball players during the Men’s 3-point Championship, the Rocket Mortgage Women’s 3-Point Championship, the Battle of the Champions, the Great Clips Slam Dunk Championship and the IHOP Team Shootout.
A complete roster of participants will be released at a later date.
This year’s event will be closed to the public. Fans can watch the event live on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. Thursday and can visit CollegeSlam.com
Hogs will have biggest challenge with Bears, Murphy says
Democrat-Gazette writer Tom Murphy said on The Morning Rush that the Hogs will have to improve half-court offense, rebounding against Baylor.
Bud Light Seltzer Morning Rush Podcast – Recapping Hogs win vs. ORU, preview Baylor tonight
The guys recap last night’s Sweet 16 victory over ORU, and look ahead to this evening’s Elite 8 matchup vs. Baylor. Also, hear from ADG’s Tom Murphy and Baylor Sports Talk Radio Host David Smoak, as they give their thoughts on tonight’s matchup.
Goodheart’s homer starts Hogs as they sweep Bulldogs
STARKVILLE, Miss. — Arkansas left zero doubt.
The Razorbacks completed the three-game sweep against Mississippi State and downed the Bulldogs, 6-4, on Sunday afternoon at Dudy Noble Stadium.
The Hogs’ seventh straight win improves their overall record to 19-3, including 5-1 in conference play, on the year.
The Razorbacks earned their first SEC series sweep of the season, marking the first time since the 2010 campaign that Arkansas has gone on the road and swept Mississippi State in Starkville.
After three scoreless frames to start the ballgame, Arkansas’ five-run fourth inning swung momentum in its favor. Matt Goodheart got the onslaught started, teeing off on his fourth homer in as many days to put the Razorbacks ahead, 1-0.
He is the first Hog to swat a home run in four consecutive games since Aaron Murphree did so against Ohio State, South Dakota State and Siena (March 2-8, 2008).
Arkansas piled on four more runs in the inning after Goodheart’s blast. Jalen Battles’ RBI single, coupled with a run-scoring throwing error on Mississippi State’s third baseman, made it 3-0 Hogs.
Robert Moore brought home Battles from first on a bases-clearing triple to right center before Jacob Nesbit singled home Moore.
Staked with a five-run lead, Razorback starter Lael Lockhart ran into trouble in the bottom half of the frame. The Bulldogs tagged him for two runs and knocked him out of the ballgame after he completed 3.1 innings, allowing five hits and a walk while striking out two.
Reliever Ryan Costeiu took over and escaped the jam as Arkansas would enter the fifth with a three-run advantage. The lead grew by one in the sixth after Braydon Webb’s bases-loaded RBI walk.
Mississippi State kept itself within striking distance, scoring a couple more in the bottom half of the inning to make it a 6-4 game. Two runs, however, was as close as the Bulldogs would ever get.
Arkansas turned the game over to Zack Morris, who proceeded to sit down Mississippi State in order on 14 pitches in the seventh. Jaxon Wiggins was called upon for the eighth and ninth, and the outcome was similar.
The freshman phenom closed out the final two innings, racking up yet another strikeout and locking down the 6-4 win in the longest outing of his young career.
His fourth save of the season sealed Arkansas’ first SEC road series sweep since taking all three games at Alabama in 2015 (April 30-May 2).
The Razorbacks return home Tuesday to host in-state foe Central Arkansas at Baum-Walker Stadium. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network+.
Braxton’s two-run homer paces Hogs to sweep over MSU
Tied at 2-2 in the bottom of the fifth inning, infielder Braxton Burnside whacked a two-run home run to right field, her 17th of the season, catapulting Arkansas to a 4-3 win and a series sweep over Mississippi State on Sunday afternoon.
Burnside tied Nicole Schroeder’s (2017) school single-season home run record and helped the Razorbacks (28-3, 9-0 SEC) improve on the program’s best start to conference play.
How it happened
Arkansas played from in front, scoring a single tally in the second inning.
Catcher Kayla Green was hit by a pitch and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Outfielder Aly Manzo followed, singling her home on a base hit past the outstretched glove of the Mississippi State shortstop.
Mississippi State (15-14, 0-9 SEC) responded in the top of the third, grabbing a 2-1 lead on a two-run homer, but Arkansas scored again in the bottom half, evening the score at 2-2.
After outfielder Sam Torres singled and outfielder Hannah McEwen walked, the Razorbacks pulled off a double steal and Torres crossed the plate on an errant throw to left by the Bulldogs catcher.
A two out rally in the fifth proved to be the difference as McEwen doubled and Burnside smashed her dinger, making the score 4-2 and providing a necessary insurance run.
Mississippi State hit their second home run of the game, a solo shot in the sixth, to slice into the deficit at 4-3.
Pitcher Mary Haff (17-2) was victorious yet again for the Hogs, and in the complete game effort allowed four hits with nine strikeouts.
She struck out five in a row over the fourth and fifth innings. Her 17 wins this season are tied for ninth-most in program history alongside Miranda Dixon (2009). Haff owns the program record with 29 wins in the 2018 campaign.
Annie Willis (7-4) went 5.0 innings for the Bulldogs allowing four hits, four runs (three earned) and one walk. She fanned seven and hit two batters.
Arkansas outhit Mississippi State, 5-4, with infielder Keely Huffine adding the Razorbacks other hit.
During Arkansas’ nine-game conference win streak, five have come by one run. Dating back to 2018, the Razorbacks have won six straight games against Mississippi State.
The Razorbacks travel to Auburn for a three-game series Thursday-Saturday.
Baylor ‘really, really hard’ team for Hogs to prepare for, says Musselman
Arkansas coach Eric Musselman knows how good the highly-ranked Bears are for Monday night’s matchup in the Elite Eight.
Davis thinks Hogs will be ready Monday night for challenge from Baylor
Arkansas’ Davonte Davis met with the media prior to Sunday’s practice ahead of the Elite Eight matchup with the Bears.
Baylor’s Drew says Hogs’ athleticism means they are never out of game
Bears coach Scott Drew said Sunday afternoon that Arkansas is never out of a game because they are good enough to always make a run.
Flagler says Bears have defense back where they want it to be
Baylor’s Adam Flagler thinks they have gotten their defense fixed after practices heading into Monday night matchup with Hogs.
Muss: ‘Tonight the basketball gods were looking over us’
Eric Musselman on Arkansas’ 72-70 win over Oral Roberts saved by a missed three-pointer at the buzzer he’s seen go the other way.
