FAYETTEVILLE -- Can Arkansas make the No. 13 unlucky for another ranked opponent at home?
That's the goal for the Razorbacks, who'll face Tennessee at 8 p.m. today at Bud Walton Arena. The Lady Vols (11-4, 2-1) are ranked No. 13 by the Associated Press after defeating Auburn 79-52.
Tennessee at Arkansas
WHEN 8 p.m. tonight
WHERE Bud Walton Arena
RECORDS Arkansas 6-10, 1-2 SEC; Tennessee, 11-4, 2-1 SEC
SERIES Tennessee leads series 26-2.
RADIO KABZ-FM 103.7 in Little Rock; KQSM-FM 92.1 in Fayetteville; KFPW-AM 1230 and KFPW-FM 94.5 in Fort Smith; KURM-AM 790 and KURM-FM 100.3 in Rogers.
ONLINE ArkansasRazorbacks.…
TELEVISION SEC Network
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS
ARKANSAS
POS^NAME^HT.^YR.^PPG^RPG
G^Kelsey Brooks^5-9^Jr.^6.4^2.0
G^Devin Cosper^5-10^So.^7.6^3.1
F^Jessica Jackson^6-3^Jr.^17.0^7.1
F^Meslissa Wolf^6-0^Sr.^6.0^7.9
P^Alecia Cooley^6-3^Jr.^6.9^4.9
COACH Jimmy Dykes (24-24 in second season at Arkansas)
TENNESSEE
POS^NAME^HT.^YR.^PPG^RPG
G Andraya Carter^5-9^Jr.^5.5^2.3
G Diamond DeShields^6-1^So.^15.3^5.5
F Jaime Nared^6-2^So.^8.5^4.2
F Bashaara Graves^6-2^Sr.^11.1^8.7
C Mercedes Russell^6-6^So.^11.2^8.5
COACH Holly Warlick (97-24)
TEAM COMPARISON
Arkansas^Tennessee
62.0^Points Scored Per Game^80.0
61.1^Points Allowed Per Game^52.1
42.5^Rebounds Per Game^44.2
14.5^Turnovers Per Game^14.4
.365^FG pct.^.422
.242^3-pt FG pct.^.321
CHALK TALK Tennessee is 26-2 against Arkansas, including 13-1 in Fayetteville. Arkansas beat Tennessee, 77-75, at home in 1996 when the Lady Vols were ranked No. 6 in the nation. … Arkansas is 6-2 at home and 0-8 in games away from Bud Walton Arena. … Jessica Jackson has scored at least 10 points in 13 of the past 15 games she’s played. … Diamond DeShields has scored 20 points or more four times this season for Tennessee.
— Rick Fires
Arkansas (6-10, 1-2) lost badly at No. 7 Mississippi State, 80-55, but it was a much different outcome for the Razorbacks in their last home game on Jan. 7. That's when Arkansas defeated then-No. 13 Texas A&M, 67-61, behind 18 points from sophomore Devin Cosper and 17 points by junior Jessica Jackson.
The victory stopped a five-game losing streak against the Aggies and former Arkansas coach Gary Blair.
Arkansas coach Jimmy Dykes is more focused on the quality of tonight's opponent rather than any numbers or statistics in the Razorbacks' favor.
"Tennessee is one of the top programs every year, and it doesn't change this year," said Dykes, who is 24-24 in two seasons at Arkansas. "When you're dealing with young kids like we are, you don't even talk about rankings. I want them focused on what we have to do to win the game. I don't want them distracted by a ranking our how many national titles Tennessee has won, their average attendance, or how many Vols fans will be in the building (tonight). We can't control that."
Against Texas A&M, Arkansas jumped to a double-digit lead then made free throws down the stretch to secure its biggest win of the year. That win followed an 85-32 loss to powerhouse South Carolina. Arkansas is hopeful of another turnaround at home after trailing throughout at Mississippi State.
Tennessee is coming off its best shooting performance of the season against Auburn. Diamond DeShields scored 25 points for the Lady Vols, who shot 59.6 percent (34 of 57) against the Lady Tigers. DeShields leads Tennessee with a 15.3 scoring average.
"Diamond DeShields is a terrific talent who transferred from North Carolina after one year," Dykes said. "She's phenomenal in the open floor. She's a classic 'hard-to-guard" player like Eddie Sutton used to talk about."
Jackson leads Arkansas with a 17.0 scoring average. She had 20 in the loss to Mississippi State.
Tonight will make the fifth consecutive game Arkansas has faced a team ranked in the Top 25 in the AP poll.
"Man,we need our fans in a huge way," Dykes said. "Tennessee (fans) travels and their program is where we're going to be someday. In all my heart, I know we're going to be there someday."
Sports on 01/14/2016