By: Paul Boyd
Published: Monday 18 January 2021
University of Arkansas women’s basketball coach Mike Neighbors gave his team a day off after the 84-80 victory over Florida on Thursday, but he knows the significant challenge that awaits him today.
Razorbacks # 17 hit the road to face # 5 in South Carolina. Delivery is scheduled for 6 pm central time, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
Gamecocks (9-1, 4-0 SEC) have won six consecutive games and have a strong internal combination with 6-5 Aliyah Boston and 6-2 junior Victoria Saxton, which is difficult for the smaller Razorbacks to match.
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They are third in the country in rebounds per game (52.4) and second in rebound margin (plus-19.8), which puts even more pressure on Arkansas’s high-octane attack.
“A style of play that forces us to be really good in attack,” said Neighbors. “We are not going to be able to recover with them. We know that.
“So, we have to be able to overcome other things with them. That means shooting, not turning, winning moves that are below 2.7 meters. “
The Gamecocks defeated Vanderbilt 106-43 on Thursday, keeping the Commodores goalless in the second quarter. Boston, which averaged twice and shared the SEC Player of the Week honors last week, has been a thorn in the side of Razorbacks. She averaged 16.7 points and 17.7 rebounds in three games a year ago against Arkansas.
Arkansas will focus more on itself than on the opponent. Neighbors often say that the Razorbacks’ fast-paced style of play is what gives them a chance against anyone in the country. To its point, Arkansas defeated the Gamecocks on their way to the SEC tournament finals in 2019.
“Just knowing what they will do is of no use if you can’t do anything about it,” Neighbors said. “So let’s focus on being the best version of ourselves that we can be, because that gives us the chance for a punch.”
“It will depend on our ability to make a few shots and make a few stops, whether to get a hard rebound or a lucky rebound or maybe one that you hit on the ground instead of in the air.”
Arkansas (11-4, 2-3) suffered a two-game skid on Thursday, behind a big Chelsea Dungee night. The guard from 5 to 11 accumulated 33 points, the team’s highest score, including a school record of 17 out of 17 on the free throw line. She drew her own brand of 17 brands, but lost two in that game against Auburn on February 7, 2019. That effort also outperformed Christy Smith’s 15 out of 15 attempt against Ohio on November 19, 1995, to most made in a game without losing.
Free throws were the difference against the Gators, as Arkansas scored 24 of 27 as a team. Getting to the foul line is the key to success for Arkansas. The Dungee, which averages 25.8 points per game at the SEC, leads the country in free throws made and tried, as well as Razorbacks.
Neighbors said the Razorbacks tried to focus on some of the advantages of the confrontation against Florida, which led to reaching the free throw line.
“We decided to start with three direct jumpers and I was not happy,” said Neighbors. “So we went back to directing it, so I felt it would be what they did. I felt that we needed to do exactly the same thing to start the game ”.
The victory was great for the team’s confidence, after losing three of four to start the league game, Neighbors added.
“I said this was an important game,” said Neighbors. “Everyone wanted to say, ‘Oh, it’s a must win.’ There is no such thing really, but it was important, very important for your psyche, very important for everyone’s trust in the program. And then keep playing well.
“We had some areas that we played very, very well and others not, but the confidence is definitely there and the preparation was very different in these three days, if the result had been different”.