Arkansas geared up for UConn
FAYETTEVILLE — University of Arkansas women’s basketball Coach Mike Neighbors knows his team can’t afford a slow start today on the road against 11-time national champion Connecticut.
The Razorbacks (20) shook off a bad beginning and rolled over Arkansas-Pine Bluff 9653 on Friday afternoon.
But the outcome will likely be different if they don’t get going early against the Huskies.
“Well, if you’re not ready to play up there, you won’t be up five. I can assure you that,” Neighbors said. “I don’t know what the number would be but you wouldn’t be up five if we come out are either intimidated by the banners or the names on the back of the jerseys or the history.”
“UConn is notorious for knocking you out in the first round. They’ve made it to where they can knock you out. The game can be over in those first five minutes.”
Arkansas fans will be able to stream today’s game through SNY at no additional cost to authenticated subscribers who have Fox as part of their television package. Users will need to sign in with their TV provider credentials.
The game is the official season-opener for the Huskies, who rolled over Fort Hays State 111-47 in an exhibition game a week ago.
It’s a rematch of last year’s hastily thrown together matchup that Arkansas won 90-87 in Walton Arena. That game came about when both teams had games canceled because of covid-19 issues with their opponents. The Razorbacks notched wins over UConn and Baylor, a pair of top-5 ranked teams, for the first time in school history.
But this Arkansas team is quite different from the one that knocked off the Huskies. It graduated three starters, including two who are now playing professionally and almost half of the roster is new.
But Neighbors acknowledged the nature of the challenge. But he said his expectation hasn’t changed.
“That we go in, just like last time, and have fun,” Neighbors said. “It was pretty well documented behind the scenes [last year], that’s how we approached that game. That’s how we prepped for it. That’s how we played it. And yeah, we do have different faces but these kids have all played against those kids.
“Obviously, a sold-out Hartford Arena will not be the friendly confines of what the Bud Walton Arena was for us. … Plus they’ve added. They didn’t really graduate a substantial amount of points or rebounds.
“It will be very much of a test for us to see exactly what we need to work on before SEC rolls around.”
Neighbors has used a slightly different starting lineup in each of the Razorbacks’ first three games, including the exhibition against Arkansas-Fort Smith. True freshman Samara Spencer is the only player to score in double figures in each of the three games. She made her first start on Friday.
Connecticut Coach Geno Auriemma said the season-ending loss in the Final Four to Arizona was likely the worst moment of last season. But the returnees also remember that game in Fayetteville, which was one of only two losses for the Huskies, he said.
“I’ve reminded them for a long time now how they got their butts kicked on the defensive end that we couldn’t guard them,” Auriemma said. “So even though maybe they thought the Final Four game was a worse loss, they’ve come to understand watching film that that game was a bad representation of who we are and that Arkansas played so well and they did everything they wanted to do and thoroughly kicked our butt.
“No fluke. No excuses. No nothing. They just outplayed us for about the entire 40 minutes.”
Arkansas native Christyn Williams gets another shot at the premier team from her home state.
The 5-11 senior guard, who finished with a team-high 20 points in UConn’s exhibition win, has enjoyed a stellar career for the Huskies, missing just one game in the last three seasons and starting 98 of 100. She was ranked as the No. 1 recruit in the country by ESPN in 2018 and earned multiple national player of the year awards.
Williams, who starred at Central Arkansas Christian, finished with 16 points in last year’s game. The Razorbacks will have to contend again with sophomore guard Paige Bueckers, a preseason Associated Press All-American. She scored 15 of her team-high 27 points in the fourth quarter against Arkansas.