FAYETTEVILLE — At least one losing streak will be snapped Sunday at Bud Walton Arena, and the Arkansas women’s basketball team hopes it won’t be two.
Arkansas (17-9, 5-6 SEC), losers of two consecutive games, is scheduled to host a reeling Missouri team at 3 p.m. on SEC Network.
The Tigers have lost six games in a row and will be looking to put their losing streak to rest along with an even lengthier skid.
The Razorbacks have beaten Missouri (11-13, 2-9) the past 11 times the teams have met, including a 67-58 victory Jan. 28 in Columbia, Mo.
“They're just on another level of familiarity,” Arkansas coach Mike Neighbors said. “Because they've been our double opponent every year since we've been here, and then we've drawn them in the last two years in the SEC Tournament as well.
“So there’s no need for us to [go to the film room] and show a bunch of clips of Hayley Frank stepping behind ball screens or curling ball screens, or Mama Dembele. We could literally skip all of our film sessions. We won't. We'll remind them, but it'll be fast. It helps.”
Arkansas is amid a crucial end-of-season stretch and is looking to earn at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. ESPN listed the Razorbacks as the fifth team left out of its most recent “Bracketology” projection.
Defeating the Tigers, who are tied with Georgia and Kentucky for last place in the SEC, is likely mandatory for Arkansas in its pursuit of its third NCAA Tournament appearance in four years.
“I think now my job and our job as coaches is to provide the proper perspective, because the information is out there,” Neighbors said. “We have all come to grips in this profession that we wake up with a number beside our name every day. Players, coaches, [sports information directors], we all live with that. We live with a number, a ranking, an evaluation every single morning."
The number Neighbors referred to was his team’s NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) ranking of No. 64. The seventh-year coach expressed his frustration with the metric following his team’s 81-55 loss at Tennessee on Monday, saying he has “lost respect for the NET” this year.
He reiterated some of his concerns ahead of the Missouri game.
“Vanderbilt went on the road and won at Texas A&M, who were 30 spots ahead of them in the NET, and dropped a spot,” Neighbors said. “Now, I don't have a good context for it or a good perspective for it, but it is what it is right now. None of us really understand on the women's side because of the lack of knowledge of the formula. We don't know how any of that's working.”
Arkansas is tied with Texas A&M and Vanderbilt, two teams it will face over the final five games, for eighth place in the SEC. All three team are in the NCAA Tournament conversation, but could fall into the league's bottom four.
“If you've looked at our league standings, it's nuts,” Neighbors said. “Like you could literally finish still anywhere from fourth to last. It’s crazy, somebody is going to play on [the first day of the SEC Tournament] this year in our league with five wins.
“I don't know that a five-win team has ever played on a Wednesday since we've expanded.”
Missouri forward Hayley Frank, a preseason All-SEC selection, has missed the past three games with an undisclosed day-to-day injury. Following her team’s most recent game, a 70-59 loss to Auburn last Sunday, Tigers coach Robin Pingeton indicated Frank may be ready for the game against the Razorbacks.
“The only thing I’ll tell you is I think we’re really close,” Pingeton said. “We thought there was a possibility [against Auburn], but I always want to put the student-athlete’s wellbeing first. There’s no guarantees, but I feel like we’re getting really, really close and with the bye week, we’re hoping to have her back for Arkansas.”
Arkansas may have guard Carly Keats back. Keats broke her nose during the first meeting against Missouri and has since missed four games.
“I do think the bye week was very helpful,” Neighbors said of not playing Thursday. “[There was] much-needed recovery for specifically Keats. She was able to practice [Thursday] without contact and [Friday she practiced] with contact. If everything goes well there, and she adjusts to having the mask on, she should be full-go for Sunday.”