Arkansas hosts No. 6 Georgia Sunday
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The University of Arkansas women’s basketball team continues Southeastern Conference play hosting No. 6 Georgia in Bud Walton Arena Sunday.
The Razorbacks (8-9, 0-4 SEC) face their highest ranked opponent of the year in the Lady Bulldogs (16-1, 3-1 SEC) in a 2 p.m. start.
“The thing about Georgia is that they are not a complicated team to scout,” Arkansas head coach Tom Collen said, “but they do a lot of simple things very well. Georgia has probably the best point guard in the league and a player who is probably the top candidate for freshman of the year. They start three seniors, one of whom in a four-year starter and they don’t score a lot of points in their games.”
Arkansas doesn’t mind the low scoring part of the equation either and has been around the 20-point mark at the half of in each of the first four conference games. Keeping the games close is one of the keys for Collen’s Razorbacks.
“We need to stay close from start to finish,” he said. “We don’t want to have to rally or expend all that energy on a comeback. We want to be close at the end.”
Arkansas has battled some very talented teams in the league already this season opening with Florida, No. 11 LSU, Mississippi and Mississippi State. In addition, the Razorbacks have had the luxury of playing four of the first five league games at home.
But the schedule and travel only gets tougher as the season progresses and to prove that point Arkansas travels to Kentucky and Alabama Thursday and Sunday next week in search of wins.
“Our attention and work ethic is pretty good,” Collen said. “We are working on fighting through the day-to-day challenges and we know we have to bring a lot of intensity to the floor when we play. This team fights everyday. They even took the time to try and lift me up this week and I appreciate that.”
Arkansas is young. The Razorbacks have been starting three sophomores in C’eira Ricketts, Lyndsay Harris and Ashley Daniels alongside senior Charity Ford in every game this year. Collen started senior Ashley McCray, a second-year player, in most of the games but subs in freshman Sarah Watkins for a new look when needed.
“This team is young even though it may feel like some of these players have been around for a while,” Collen said. “We are still looking for the right combinations and for a leader to emerge on the floor.”
The Arkansas-Georgia game is scheduled for a 2 p.m. tip in Bud Walton. There are only four regular season home games remaining following Sunday’s contest.
