Preview – 24/23 Razorbacks Ring in New Year at Kentucky

FAYETTEVILLE – The No. 24/23 Arkansas women’s basketball team (13-3) will look to start the new year on a high note with a road matchup at Kentucky (8-5) on New Year’s Day. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. Central Time at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Kentucky with the game being broadcast on SEC Network+.

GAME INFORMATION

Date: Sunday, Jan. 1
Time: 1 p.m. CT
Opponent: Kentucky
Location: Memorial Coliseum (Lexington, Ky.)
Watch: SECN+
Listen: Razorback Sports Network from Learfield
Arkansas Game Notes
Live Stats

STORYLINES

• Arkansas is looking to accomplish something it hasn’t been able to do in a while, win in Lexington. The last time Arkansas won at Kentucky was Feb. 13, 2003 (W, 70-60)
• The Razorbacks are 3-16 overall in Lexington
• Arkansas is going into Sunday’s game on a three-game losing streak
• The Razorbacks are currently No. 24 in the AP Poll and No. 23 in the WBCA Coaches Poll. Arkansas has been ranked for four straight weeks with its highest ranking being No. 17 following the team’s big win at then No. 16 Creighton
• Arkansas is looking to pick up its first SEC win after losing its first league game vs. LSU on Thursday, 69-45
• The Razorbacks finished the non-conference slate at 13-2, with its win total leading the country for majority of the non-conference season
• The team is 3-0 in true road games this season
• Arkansas played the maximum allotted games in the non-conference season with 15
• The team has a well-balanced offensive attack with four players averaging double digits in scoring
• Samara Spencer leads Arkansas with 16.3 points per game and 71 total assists. She is fourth in free throw attempts in the NCAA (107)
• Saylor Poffenbarger has brought a huge defensive presence to the team, leading the way in rebounding with 8.1 per game, as 114 of her 129 rebounds coming on the defensive side. She also leads the team with 17 blocks
• Makayla Daniels leads the team in steals with 25, while also averaging 13.6 points per game
• Erynn Barnum is the second leading scorer with 15.3 points per game, while leading the SEC in field goal percentage (.621) for majority of the season
• Chrissy Carr puts up 11.2 points per game and leads the squad with 33 3-pointers
• Arkansas gets to the line 25.81 times per game, which is fourth in the country, second in the SEC behind LSU
• In the SEC, Arkansas leads in 3-point attempts per game (26.9) and is No. 2 in 3-pointers per game (8.38)
• The Razorbacks have outrebounded opponents in 11 games. The team’s 31.44 defensive rebounds per game is the 12th most in the country

SCOUTING KENTUCKY

• This is the first time in four years, an Arkansas women’s basketball team will face a Kentucky team without 2022 WNBA No. 1 pick Rhyne Howard (Atlanta Dream)
• Kentucky was projected to finish seventh in the SEC Media Preseason Poll, as well as 10th in the Coaches Poll
• The Wildcats are coming off a 19-12 season in 2021-22, which was highlighted by being crowned SEC Tournament Champions following a 64-62 win over South Carolina
• Kentucky’s NCAA Tournament stay was short-lived following a 69-62 loss to Princeton
• This season, Kentucky is 8-5, coming off a tough 74-71 loss at Missouri to open SEC play
• Robyn Benton leads the Wildcats with 16.5 points per game
• Ajae Petty is the team’s leading rebounder with 5.7 boards per game
• Maddie Scherr has a team’s most 69 assists, while Jada Walker leads with 34 steals
• Kentucky native Kiyra Elzy is in year No. 3 at the helm after previously serving as an assistant and associate head coach for the Wildcats for eight seasons

HISTORY AGAINST THE WILDCATS

• Kentucky owns a 26-14 advantage over Arkansas in the all-time series going back to 1983
• Arkansas is 3-16 in Lexington with the Razorbacks’ last win at Kentucky being in 2003 (2/13/03 with 70-60 win)
• The series has seen a myriad of tight losses for the Razorbacks
• Arkansas is 1-9 against Kentucky in the last 10 games with Arkansas’ last win vs. the Wildcats coming on Feb. 9, 2020, in a 103-85 victory
• The Razorbacks dropped its senior day game vs. Kentucky, 78-55, last season in front of a crowd of 8,292, which was the No. 8 crowd in program history. Sasha Goforth logged nine points and pulled down seven rebounds, with her board total leading the team. Barnum logged eight points off the bench while Spencer had eight points and five assists

 LAST TIME OUT

• Arkansas lost its third straight game, dropping its league opener to No. 9/9 LSU, 69-45
• Spencer led Arkansas with 17 points
• Daniels logged 10 points, six rebounds three assists and three steals
• Jersey Wolfenbarger pulled down six rebounds
• Arkansas held the best scoring offense in the country in LSU to 69 points, while holding the team to 33.8 percent shooting (22-65) from the field
• The difference in the game was the rebounding, with LSU outrebounding Arkansas, 62-30

UPCOMING

Arkansas is set to host Florida next Thursday, Jan. 5 at 7 p.m. at Bud Walton Arena. Coverage of the game will be broadcast on SEC Network+.

 MORE INFORMATION

For more information about Arkansas Women’s Basketball, follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @RazorbackWBB and on Facebook at Facebook.com/RazorbackWBB. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel, “Kickin’ It In The Neighborhood” for an inside look at the Razorback women’s basketball program and check out The Neighborhood podcasts at CoachNeighbors.com.