WOMEN’S Faculty BASKETBALL No. 15 Arkansas travels to No. 22 Georgia

FAYETTEVILLE — University of Arkansas women’s basketball Coach Mike Neighbors isn’t going to believe that he has to fear about his team’s concentration for tonight’s SEC recreation in Athens, Ga.

The No. 15 Razorbacks (11-5, 2-4 SEC) created national headlines final week with their rapidly scheduled activity versus 11-time national champion Connecticut in Walton Arena on Thursday afternoon.

They to start with facial area No. 22 Georgia (12-2, 4-2) at 6 p.m. in Stegeman Coliseum with the sport broadcast on the SEC Community. Taking into consideration the Girl Bulldogs defeated Arkansas 64-55 last time in Fayetteville, they will have the Razorbacks’ total focus, Neighbors claimed.

“Georgia’s always supplied us matches,” Neighbors mentioned. “They’ve got the formula of genuinely, actually excellent defenders on the ball and bigs they can funnel them to and block pictures and lead to difficulties about the basket.

“If it had been a distinctive opponent we coulda acquired caught in that probably. I”d have been a little bit far more anxious about it, but given that Georgia has overwhelmed us the previous time we performed and they’re actively playing perfectly this calendar year.”

Arkansas, which hasn’t received in Athens given that 2009, is coming off a 104-82 reduction at No. 4 South Carolina final Monday. The Razorbacks stayed near for most of 3 quarters before the Gamecocks pulled away.

This will be the sixth rated opponent for the Razorbacks this season and that would not contain Tennessee, which was not in the Best 25 when the Razorbacks performed the Girl Vols but has due to the fact damaged into the poll. There are also now 7 SEC teams ranked in The Affiliated Press poll.

“The league is as deep as it really is been since perhaps the late 90s,” Neighbors explained. “I could make a situation for 10 teams to get in the NCAA Match this year, likely.”

The Bulldogs held Arkansas to 32% shooting, including 3 of 16 from three-position selection, in their earn in Fayetteville previous calendar year. The Razorbacks will never ignore that, Neighbors explained.

“We felt like they experienced totally taken us out of what we do,” Neighbors reported. “Little ones have a limited-term memory when it comes to certain factors, but they have got the skill to keep in mind how things felt.”

Senior Chelsea Dungee has started out league perform on a tear and prospects the league with a 25.2 issue per-game regular in SEC enjoy. The 5-11 guard has also manufactured a league-finest 15 three-tips.

The Razorbacks and the Bulldogs have one particular detail in popular. Equally groups were being beaten soundly not long ago by the Gamecocks and dominated by 6-5 sophomore Aliyah Boston. She experienced a double-double by halftime and concluded with 26 points, 16 rebounds and 6 blocked shots towards Arkansas, but managed a triple-double (16-11-10) towards Georgia on Thursday.

Georgia was meant to be coming off an open day like Arkansas but had its activity towards South Carolina postponed earlier in the season due to the fact of covid-19 troubles within the Gamecocks’ application. That could engage in in the Razorbacks’ favor since they are perfectly-rested, Neighbors stated.

The emergence offensively of senior guard Que Morrison is just one motive why Ga is a far better workforce this time, Neighbor said.

Morrison was chosen to the SEC All-Defensive crew a calendar year in the past, but she’s averaging 10 factors a recreation this calendar year to go with getting a lock-down defender.

“Now you gotta guard this kid,” Neighbors reported. “Employed to you might be capable to double-workforce off her and not return as promptly. I think that speaks to her maturity.”

Jenna Staiti, a 6-4 senior, has also been strong offensively and defensively for the Bulldogs. She qualified prospects the crew in scoring (14.3) and rebounding (7.5), but also ranks second in the league in blocked photographs (2.7) driving Boston and sixth in area objective share (52.5%).

Managing Georgia’s large center will be a essential for Arkansas, according to Neighbors.

“We’ve bought to make her score more than us, not around us, and a small little bit even further out than she would like to,” Neighbors stated.