Victory today key for Arkansas women's NCAA bid

Arkansas forward Jessica Jackson, right, drives to the basket as Kentucky guard Jennifer O'Neill, left, pursues during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Feb. 26, 2015, in Fayetteville, Ark. Kentucky won 56-51. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)
Arkansas forward Jessica Jackson, right, drives to the basket as Kentucky guard Jennifer O'Neill, left, pursues during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Feb. 26, 2015, in Fayetteville, Ark. Kentucky won 56-51. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)

FAYETTEVILLE -- If Arkansas can extend its dominance over Missouri by one more game, it could be the tipping point that nails down a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the Razorbacks.

Arkansas (16-11, 6-9 SEC) and Missouri (16-12, 6-9) will break a tie for eighth place in the SEC standings in their 2 p.m. regular-season finale today at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Mo.

"If what they're saying about us is true, that if we get to seven conference wins we'll make the [NCAA] tournament, then this is a must-win," Arkansas Coach Jimmy Dykes said.

The Razorbacks have won five consecutive games in the series, all since the Tigers joined the conference in 2012. Dykes presided over the last of those victories, a 73-55 decision for the Razorbacks at Walton Arena on Jan. 18.

The Razorbacks had to cancel their flight to Columbia on Saturday because of winter weather, forcing the team into a long bus ride on snowy roads.

"It would've been our shortest flight of the year, about 40 minutes, and now we're on a seven-hour bus ride," Dykes said Saturday afternoon.

The Razorbacks will have two forwards playing at less than 100 percent. Jhasmin Bowen rolled an ankle in Thursday's loss to Kentucky, and Melissa Wolff has a sore hip.

"Whether we have six healthy bodies or nine healthy bodies, we're going to be there fighting," Dykes said.

Arkansas went on a mid-conference surge with five victories in a six-game stretch to be move into ESPN.com's projections for the NCAA Tournament field. The Razorbacks have been sparked by sophomore Jessica Jackson, who is averaging 18 points a game over the past seven games.

Arkansas has lost two of its past three games, to No. 2 South Carolina and No. 13 Kentucky, but pounded LSU 63-41 in between those losses.

Missouri has been even hotter, having won three consecutive games, including back-to-back road upsets of Vanderbilt (54-51) and No. 12 Texas A&M (70-69) in its past two games.

Guard Maddie Stock made a three-pointer with 0.1 second left on a pass from Sierra Michaelis to complete the victory at Texas A&M. Forward Jordan Frericks had 25 points for the Tigers.

The Razorbacks, who rank seventh in the SEC by holding opponents to 28.3 percent shooting from three-point range, will have to contend with the league's most frequent three-point shooting team. Missouri's 642 three-point attempts lead the SEC by 124 over Mississippi State. The Tigers rank sixth in the league with 32.1 percent shooting beyond the arc.

"They're a very good offensive team, and they play a unique style," Dykes said. "They shoot a lot of threes and make a lot of back-door cuts. We beat them in January, but they missed a lot of shots. They had some open shots."

Sports on 03/01/2015

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