SEC WOMEN’S MEDIA DAY

No sweat for Dykes over poll

Arkansas coach Jimmy Dykes answers a question during the Southeastern Conference women's NCAA college basketball media day, Thursday, Oct. 20, 2016, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Arkansas Coach Jimmy Dykes isn't worried about his women's basketball team being picked to finish 11th in the SEC in a preseason media poll.

"We haven't talked about it, and we won't talk about it," Dykes said Thursday at SEC media day. "That has no bearing whatsoever on what we do and how we go about it.

"You could have picked us first or 14th -- it doesn't matter. It's a cliche answer, but all we're concerned about is what are we doing today to get better."

Maybe being 11th in the preseason poll is a good omen for Arkansas, considering that's where the Razorbacks were picked two years ago when they went to the NCAA Tournament and finished 18-12 in Dykes' first season.

Last season, Arkansas was picked ninth in the SEC preseason poll but finished 12-18, although the Razorbacks improved their conference record from 6-10 to 7-9.

Two of Arkansas' SEC losses last year were in overtime at Auburn and to Florida at home.

"We were two overtime losses away from being 9-7, and we've got a lot of guys back," Dykes said. "I like where we are. That's fine to pick us 11th."

The Razorbacks return six of their top eight scorers, led by forward Jessica Jackson, a 6-3 senior from Jacksonville who averaged 16.4 points and 6.3 rebounds last season.

"I think Arkansas's going to be better than they've been in a while," Texas A&M Coach Gary Blair said. "Jackson is arguably one of the top five players in our league. She'll be a first-round WNBA Draft choice next year. I think she's that good."

A media panel voting on All-SEC preseason honors didn't put Jackson on the five-player all-conference first team. The SEC didn't release a second team. Jackson was an All-SEC second-team pick after each of the previous three seasons.

"I think our league is really, really, really good if Jess isn't a first-team All-SEC player," Dykes said. "But not being picked will probably motivate Jess a little bit, and it should."

Jackson smiled when asked about being left off the preseason All-SEC team.

"It motivates me a lot," she said. "I guess I've got to work harder to get on there to make it after the season."

Jackson played the final two games last season against Ole Miss and Tennessee with a broken right hand she suffered against Georgia.

A cast was put on her hand two days after the Tennessee game, but it didn't require surgery.

"The hand feels good now," Jackson said. "There's just a little bit of pain here and there, because I was off for five months, so I've got to build the strength back up."

Dykes said Jackson has been practicing well.

"Jess is healthy now, and she's in really good shape," Dykes said. "Defensively is probably where she's made the most progress in her game since last year."

Freshman guard Aaliyah Wilson, a McDonald's All-American from Muskogee, Okla., isn't practicing because of an injury.

Dykes said he couldn't be specific about the injury, but it isn't serious. He said it's possible Wilson won't be ready to play the season opener against Sam Houston State on Nov. 11.

"It's an injury she's progressing from daily," Dykes said. "But we're getting her back pretty quick.

"She's working out with us now. We just don't have her out there full speed every day. When we get here back and she's full speed, you're going to see that she's pretty good."

Blair and Mississippi State Coach Vic Schaefer, who was Blair's assistant at Arkansas, said Wilson should be an impact player this season.

"She's a special talent, and she's going to be a great player in our league," Schaefer said. "She just fits right in with all the other McDonald's All-Americans that are on the rosters across the SEC."

Blair recruited Wilson.

"She's the real deal," he said.

Schaefer said he's also impressed with Arkansas sophomore guards Jordan Danberry from Conway and Malica Monk from North Little Rock.

"I have a lot of respect for Danberry and Monk," he said. "Look, those two aren't going to move over to the side for Wilson and say, 'Yeah, come in and take some of my playing time.'

"Those two kids I know are going to be a lot better. Not that they were bad as freshmen, because they weren't. But they'll be a lot better this season because they've been through the SEC schedule and know what to expect."

Danberry and Monk are among 10 Razorbacks who are sophomores or freshmen.

"We're still really young, so there's a lot of teaching going on in practice," Dykes said. "But I think from what we've seen so far, defensively we'll look this year like I want us to start looking. This year hopefully you're going to see a tough man-to-man defense that I was raised on with Eddie Sutton."

Dykes was a walk-on at Arkansas when Sutton coached the Razorbacks.

"We're still not a great offensive team," Dykes said, "but we've got a little bit more firepower."

Sports on 10/21/2016