Arkansas, Tulsa renew series after short break

FAYETTEVILLE — Mike Neighbors and the College of Arkansas girls’s basketball staff face a stiff non-conference problem at present when the Tulsa Golden Hurricane go to Walton Area at 7 p.m.

Tulsa (2-0) is recent off an 18-win 2021-22 season through which it certified for the Girls’s Nationwide Invitational Match. The Golden Hurricane have had no issues with the 2 opponents it has confronted this season, successful by a mixed 162-77.

“Tulsa could be very, superb,” Neighbors stated. “They went to the [W]NIT final 12 months and so they’ve obtained everyone again. I watched them slightly bit on movie final evening and so they’re spectacular. Angie [Nelp] does a heck of a job.”

Nelp is in her second season as head coach of the Golden Hurricane. Tulsa started the season 10-0 below her in 2021, which was the very best begin and longest successful streak in this system’s historical past. She started her school teaching profession as a graduate assistant for Arkansas below Tom Collen in the course of the 2007-08 season.

“She’s doing a extremely, actually good job over there,” Neighbors stated. “They’ve obtained some transfers in with some good returners. They’ve obtained depth…I feel it’s a staff that once you lookup on the finish of the 12 months, they’re going to be excessive within the win totals.”

Arkansas has performed Tulsa thrice below Neighbors, successful every time. The final outing between the applications was in 2019, a recreation which the Razorbacks gained 91-41. Neighbors is glad the collection is renewing after a brief pause.

“I’m glad that we have been in a position to get that Tulsa collection going once more,” he stated. “They’re such good regional video games for us. I haven’t checked out their schedule to see what else they’re doing in nonconference, however I do know they gained 18 final 12 months, and I do know they’re picked actually extremely. They’re extremely regarded of their league.”

One thing Nelp’s staff has performed properly early within the 12 months is defend the three-point line. Opponents have shot 9.7% from distance towards the Golden Hurricane, averaging 1.5 makes. Tulsa’s three-point protection might be put to the take a look at towards the Razorbacks. Arkansas shoots a excessive quantity of threes (21.5 per recreation), a standard trait of Neighbors-coached groups.

A battle to observe might be between forwards Temira Poindexter (Tulsa) and Erynn Barnum (Arkansas). Poindexter was an American Athletic Convention preseason first-team choice and has 17.5 factors per recreation via the staff’s early slate. Barnum is averaging a double-double (17 factors, 10 rebounds) and is recent off a recreation through which she went 9-of-9 from the free throw line.

It is going to be a homecoming for Tulsa senior guard Maya Mayberry, who graduated from Fayetteville Excessive Faculty in 2017 and gained two state championships below coach Vic Rimmer. She performed two seasons for Oral Roberts earlier than transferring to the Golden Hurricane. Mayberry has performed twice towards Arkansas, averaging 7.5 factors in these contests.

“She created a lot love for the sport for me,” stated Rimmer, who plans to be in attendance tonight. “To see her thrive, the truth that she’s nonetheless enjoying school basketball at a excessive degree, is nice to see. She’s such a candy individual. Nice child, nice household. Her mother, dad, sisters, they’re all only a candy, stunning household.”

Her father is Razorback males’s basketball nice Lee Mayberry, the third-leading scorer in program historical past, who was the Milwaukee Bucks’ first-round choose in 1992.

Tulsa freshman guard Caroline Lyles additionally performed at Fayetteville for Rimmer earlier than transferring to Argyle (Texas) Excessive Faculty earlier than her senior 12 months.