Preview – Top 25 Matchup on Deck for No. 21/22 Razorbacks at No. 16 Creighton

FAYETTEVILLE – The No. 21/22 Arkansas women’s basketball team (12-0) has approached its biggest test of the season, as the team is set to play at No. 16 Creighton (8-1) on Saturday afternoon. Arkansas is off to its best start since 2013 and will look to keep it rolling against a talented Bluejays team who is coming off an Elite 8 finish in the NCAA Tournament last season.

GAME INFORMATION

Date: Saturday, Dec. 17
Time: 1 p.m.
Opponent: No. 16 Creighton
Location: D.J. Sokol Arena (Omaha, Neb.)
Watch: FloHoops
Listen: Razorback Sports Network from Learfield
Arkansas Game Notes
Live Stats

 

STORYLINES

• Arkansas women’s basketball stays put in the national rankings, coming in at No. 21 in the AP Poll for the past two weeks. The Razorbacks were tabbed to No. 22 in the WBCA Coaches Poll for the second consecutive week as well
• The Razorbacks are 12-0, which continues to be the best start in the Mike Neighbors era at Arkansas and best for the program since 2013 (when that team started the year 13-0)
• Arkansas’ 12 wins is the most among any NCAA DI women’s basketball program and now the program is one of 12 undefeated teams in the country
• Arkansas is also one of three unbeaten teams in the SEC (South Carolina and LSU the other two)
• The Arkansas athletic department is just one of seven in the country to have their men’s and women’s basketball programs in the top 25 and their football team bowl eligible
• Saturday’s game at Creighton is Arkansas’ first top 25 matchup of the year. The last time Arkansas was ranked and played another top 25 team was against Texas A&M on Feb. 7, 2021 (loss, 69-67)
• For just the third time in program history, the Razorbacks have started a season 12-0
• With a win, Arkansas will begin the year 13-0 for the first time since 2013 and third time in program history
• Arkansas beat all four in-state opponents for the second straight season following a 77-63 victory over Arkansas State last Sunday to extend the Razorbacks’ home-game winning streak to seven games
• Samara Spencer leads Arkansas with 15.8 points per game and 53 total assists. She is third in free throw attempts in the NCAA
• Saylor Poffenbarger attacks the glass like nobody’s business, leading the team with 8.1 rebounds per game. She also leads the team in blocks (15)
• Erynn Barnum and Makayla Daniels tie for the most steals on the team with 19. Both are averaging double digits in scoring with 14.9 points and 13.3 points per game, respectively
• Barnum’s field goal percentage continues to lead the SEC at .693, as well as No. 4 in the country
• Chrissy Carr is the fourth Razorback in double digits in scoring with 13.0 points per game, while leading the team with 30 3-pointers
• Arkansas leads the SEC in defensive rebounding percentage, which is probably the most impressive stat the team leads the league in, holding a .768 percentage
• In the SEC, Arkansas is No. 2 in defensive rebounds per game (33.17) and 3-pointers per game (8.08)
• Nobody in the country gets to the free throw line like the Razorbacks, as the team is leading the country in free throw attempts per game (28.25)
• Neighbors’ teams in the past few years have not been known for rebounding the ball effectively, but that has changed, as the Razorbacks have outrebounded opponents in 11 of 12 games. The team’s 33.2 defensive rebounds per game is the fourth most in the country

SCOUTING CREIGHTON

• Creighton is No. 16 in the country, coming into this weekend 8-1
• The Bluejays have defeated three ranked opponents (W, 78-69 vs. No. 23 South Dakota State; W, 77-51 vs. No. 22 Nebraska; and W, 67-46 vs. No. 25 Villanova)
• Lauren Jensen leads the Bluejays with 17.2 points per game, being one of four players averaging double digits in scoring on the team
• Morgan Maly pulls down a team’s most 6.1 rebounds per game, while also averaging 17.0 points per game and leading the team with 12 total steals
• Molly Morgensen has a team’s most 34 assists and averages 10.4 points per game
• Emma Ronsiek also averages double digits in scoring with 12.1 points per game
• Creighton came in at No. 2 in the Big East Preseason Coaches Poll, returning 84 percent of players from its 21-10 season that ended in an Elite 8 appearance last year
• The Bluejays had three players honored by the Big East this preseason. Jensen and Ronsiek (unanimous choice) were picked to the Preseason All-Big East Team, while Maly was selected as an honorable mention choice
• Head coach Jim Flanery is Creighton’s all-time wins leader with 387, while in his 21st season with the Bluejays

HISTORY AGAINST THE BLUEJAYS

• This will mark the third game of the series between these two teams, as the series is tied 1-1
• The first game of this series was Feb. 25, 1985, where Arkansas won, 84-56, in Fayetteville
• Last season, Arkansas dropped the game, 81-72. Daniels led the team with a career-high 34 points, while Sasha Goforth and Spencer logged 11 and 10 points, respectively

LAST TIME OUT

• Arkansas improved to 12-0 on the season, its best start since 2013, following a 77-63 victory over Arkansas State
• With the win, the Razorbacks were able to come out victorious in all seven of its home non-conference matchups this season
• Five Razorbacks reached double digits in scoring for the second time this season, led by Spencer’s 19 points, four assists and four rebounds
• Barnum was a perfect 8-of-8 from the field to tally 16 points
• Jersey Wolfenbarger tallied 15 points and six rebounds, while leading the way in +/- with 15
• Maryam Dauda logged a career-high 11 points and eight rebounds off the bench, while Carr registered 10 points
• Arkansas outrebounded Arkansas State, 42-34, which marks the 11th time the Razorbacks have outrebounded its opponent

UPCOMING

The Razorbacks will head straight Southern California to play at the San Diego Invitational. Arkansas is set to play Oregon on Tuesday, Dec. 20 for a 3 p.m. CT tipoff, and will play either Ohio State or USF on Wednesday, Dec. 21 at 3 or 5:30 p.m. CT at Pechanga Arena. Coverage of the tournament will be broadcast on FloHoops.

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.