FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas women’s Coach Tom Collen hopes the Razorbacks’ struggling offense gets a Kentucky kickstart.
If Arkansas’ struggles continue against the Wildcats, it could get ugly awfully fast - as Kentucky prefers - when the teams meet today at Memorial Gymnasium in Lexington.
No. 20 Kentucky (20-7, 9-5 SEC) tries to play at one of the fastest tempos in the country and averages more than 72 points a game. One of the main reasons for Kentucky’s success is the Wildcats’ plusseven turnover margin.
The Razorbacks (18-8, 6-8) have scored more than 72 points in five games this year and only once in SEC play, a 78-67 victory against then-No. 10 Kentucky on Jan. 6. Arkansas hasn’t scored more than 65 points since beating the Wildcats.
“It’s going to be up-tempo, there’s going to be more possessions,” Collen said. “That certainly allows both teams an opportunity to score more. Theirphilosophy is great defense is creating turnovers and creating tempo. Our job is to not turn the ball over.
“If you can take good care of the ball and get the ball through their pressure, you can find yourself some layups and some wide-open shots.”
The Razorbacks could use any easy baskets they can get. Starting guards C’eira Ricketts and Lyndsay Harris, the team’s main offensive weapons, have recently seen their offensive games tank.
Ricketts has made 15 of 68 shots (22 percent) and Harris 8 of 41 (19.5 percent) in the past four games. Stout defense has helped the Razorbacks go 2-2 during that span and keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive.
“No matter how well we play defensively, Kentucky is one of the top offensive teams in the country, so you’re not going to hold them in the 40s or the 50s,” Collen said.
Arkansas beat LSU 42-40 on Sunday behind center Sarah Watkins’ 19 points while Ricketts (4 of 21) and Harris (0 for 8) scored 12 points combined. Ricketts and Harris have more than 1,000 career points, so Collen is confident it’s just a matter of time before they regain their touch.
“I don’t think I’ve gone through a phase where I’ve had two of my three leading scorers not shoot the ball well for three straight games,” Collen said. “One side of me likes the odds they’re going to step back up and start making shots. It’s a crucial time to do it.
“Great players have to have short memories. They just have to be mentally tough and get through it.”
Collen believes the Razorbacks’ last two victorieshave restored the team’s confidence after a four-game losing streak. After Kentucky, Arkansas finishes its conference schedule Sunday against Alabama.
While nothing is certain, the Razorbacks are likely to make the NCAA Tournament field with an 8-8 conference mark and could be strongly considered with a 7-9 mark in league play and another victory against Kentucky on their resume.
“The tournament is right there and these two games could help us,” forward Ashley Daniels said. “Knowing that we do have that possibility of getting into the tournament based off these two games has really added fuel to our fire.”
Sports, Pages 17 on 02/24/2011