Rested Arkansas women look to roll tide at Bud Walton Arena on Sunday afternoon

BY DUDLEY E. DAWSON

FAYETTEVILLE – Fresh off a bye week, the Arkansas women’s basketball team hopes to return to the court rested and ready for a Sunday matinee.

The Razorbacks (8-11, 1-3) will host No. 19 Alabama (16-3, 3-2) in a 4 p.m. tip off at Bud Walton Arena in a game that will be televised by the SEC Network.

“We are coming off a bye week where the staff got a lot of recruiting done, the team got a little extra rest and we did go a little bit (of practice) every day,” Arkansas head coach Mike Neighbors said. “…We simulated yesterday (Thursday) with kind of a game day-like scrimmage against our guys (practice team).

“Everybody is healthy, everybody is available and hopefully we will come out rested and not rusted from the bye week.”

Neighbors is of the belief that his team is going into the game with its head up and not down despite having lost three of its last four games, including a 93-63 home loss to No. 16 Tennessee last Sunday.

“With our group, it is not a fine line,” Neighbors said. “It is one or the other. It is either (chin) on the chest or head up in the air. We don’t have that middlin’ thing. But it has been good.”

Arkansas’ opening SEC stretch included losses to No. 6 LSU, No. 5 Texas and against visiting Tennessee as well as a win at Auburn.

“…I think our team, because we keep them as informed as we possibly can, we don’t try to hide information from them, they know who we play,” Neighbors said.” I think a lot of teams are going to go 1-3 against the people we went against.

“I hope that has kept our kids at least pointing at the up part of it. There is enough good happening that it is not fake. We don’t have to fake it to keep their head up. I know some of them probably watched games last night and saw some teams that were on our schedule, that if we play as we have, the scoreboard might reflect something different.

“There are moments we have played with everybody we have played so far for a period of time. I think you see that and you go to Texas and play them like you did then you see them dismantle other teams, it has to give your kids confidence.”

Alabama comes into the contest off a 76-58 home loss to No. 2 South Carolina on Thursday.

The Crimson Tide were within 54-48 heading into the final quarter before the defending national champion Gamecocks went on a 22-10 blitz.

Zaay Green (16.8) – a 6-2 senior guard who has played at Tennessee, Texas A&M, UAPB and now Alabama – and Essence Cody led Alabama with 15 points while Aaliyah Nye added 12.

Neighbors is familiar with Green, who had 21 points and 9 rebounds in UAPB’s 74-70 win at Arkansas last season.

“I think this is fourth school that we have played against her with,” Neighbors said. “…I do feel like we know her…and she is as good as anybody out there.”

The Tide played Thursday without team captain Sarah Ashlee Barker, who missed her third consecutive game with a lower leg injury.

Alabama head coach Kristy Curry saw both good and bad in her team’s loss.

“We just got beat by a very good South Carolina team tonight,” Curry said. “I think they do a good job of making you pay for mistakes. We did a good job of taking care of the basketball, with nine turnovers and nine assists, but I thought we had some errors as far as our execution.

“I thought they got to the free throw line late and converted, (10 of 10) so credit them. I thought our kids competed and battled.

“The perspective on this is that they all count the same, and our response is always what we talk about – the good, bad, happy and sad. I know that our response will be with toughness and grit on the road at Arkansas.”

Alabama’s other two losses were an early season one at California (69-65) and a blowout road loss at Texas (84-40) last week.

“I am not surprised,” Neighbors said of Alabama hanging with South Carolina. “They are really good at home. They have got size around the rim to bother others. I think they have been shooting the ball really well…The score wasn’t necessary indicative of the game. They cut it to three of five in the third quarter with a big run.

“It is what you expect out of a team with a lot of veterans. I know they are missing Sarah Ashley and that has forced Zaay to have the ball in her hands a lot more. And they are shooting the ball as well as anybody in the country.”

Photo by John D. James