Arkansas Lady Razorbacks
SEC (22-8, 10-6)
C’eira Ricketts is one of the best point guards in the nation and she has led Arkansas into the postseason. The 5-9 senior does not put up eye popping numbers, but nobody does in Coach Tom Collen’s system. Ricketts dictates tempo, keeps the offense moving smoothly and finds her open teammates. Ricketts is a good scorer herself too. She can get to the basket and finish and she will take all of the big shots for the Lady Razorbacks.
Big Wins: 1/19 Vanderbilt (69-47), 1/22 at LSU (72-52), 2/23 at Tennessee (72-71)
Bad Losses: 11/11 vs Minnesota (60-68), 1/12 at Mississippi (54-60), 2/26 at South Carolina (47-53)
Coach: Tom Collen (5 seasons at Arkansas)
Why They Can Surprise:
With Ricketts keeping the turnovers down and the big frontcourt grabbing rebounds, Arkansas will get quite a few more possessions than their opponents. Coach Collen will usually start three players 6-0 or taller. Dominique Robinson is the most versatile forward who can score inside and out. She will also use her athleticism to grab quite a few rebounds and that is where the tide will turn in the rebounding margin since Arkansas usually has a player like Robinson hitting the glass hard from the small forward spot. Ashley Daniels is the strongest rebounder on the team and spends all of her time in the paint. She does not score a lot, but she does do the dirty work in the paint. Sarah Watkins, a 6-3 center, is very active on both ends of the floor. Offensively, she can bang in the paint and step outside and hit the outside jumper. On the other end of the floor, Watkins is a big time shot blocking threat and that is a big reason for the Lady Razorbacks great defense. With forwards Keira Peak, Jamesha Townsend and Quistelle Williams also on the squad, Arkansas has plenty of depth in the post.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The defense is good across the board, but Arkansas is not a good shooting team. Even the post players like Watkins shoot a surprisingly low percentage from the floor. Daniels and Ricketts are the best percentage shooters on the team since they rarely, or never, move beyond the arc. The biggest concern is at the shooting guard position. Senior Lyndsay Harris started the season as an offensive spark off of the bench, but as the most consistent outside shooter on the team, she worked her way into the starting lineup at times. Calli Berna is the only other guard who sees any significant action, but she is more of a secondary point guard than a shooting guard. Berna is a very valuable player to have when Ricketts needs a break or Arkansas needs another ball handler, but this group needs a shooter too. That puts a lot of pressure on Harris to hit some outside shots to open up the offense. If Harris’ shot is not falling, there are no other options at the shooting guard spot.
Probable Starters:
C’eira Ricketts, Senior, Guard, 11.4 ppg, 4.4 apg, 4.5 rpg, 2.7 spg
Lyndsay Harris, Senior, Guard, 9.2 ppg, 1.5 apg
Dominique Robinson, Sophomore, Forward, 6.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg
Ashley Daniels, Senior, Forward, 7.8 ppg, 6.2 rpg
Sarah Watkins, Junior, Center, 10.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.0 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Calli Berna, Freshman, Guard, 3.8 ppg, 2.6 apg
Keira Peak, Sophomore, Forward, 3.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg
Jamesha Townsend, Senior, Forward, 0.7 ppg, 1.2 rpg
Quistelle Williams, Junior, Forward, 4.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 62.2 (166th in nation, 6th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 52.9 (18, 3)
Field-Goal Percentage: 38.3 (187, 8)
Field-Goal Defense: 36.9 (79, 5)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.2 (136, 5)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 29.1 (190, 7)
Free-Throw Percentage: 63.7 (293, 8)
Rebound Margin: 3.2 (87, 6)
Assists Per Game: 13.0 (135, 6)
Turnovers Per Game: 15.4 (58, 3)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
Arkansas 2011 NIT Round of 64 win over Lamar
Arkansas 2011 NIT Round of 32 win over Missouri State
Arkansas 2011 NIT Regional Semifinal win over Oral Roberts
Arkansas 2011 NIT Regional Final loss to Illinois State
Arkansas 2009 NIT Second Round win over Oklahoma State
Arkansas 2009 NIT Third Round loss to Kansas
Arkansas 2005 NIT First Round win over UNLV
Arkansas 2005 NIT Second Round loss to Arkansas State
Arkansas 2003 NCAA Round of 64 win over Cincinnati
Arkansas 2003 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Texas
Arkansas 1996 NIT First Round win over Princeton
Arkansas 1996 NIT Semifinal loss to Arizona
*all team stats through 3/1
See All Women’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
