Tag: Samara Spencer

32 Razorbacks named to Winter SEC Academic Honor Roll

Of the 742 Southeastern Conference honor roll student-athletes announced by SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey, 32 walks the University of Arkansas campus. The winter SEC Academic Honor Roll includes the sports of basketball, equestrian, gymnastics, and …

Of the 742 Southeastern Conference honor roll student-athletes announced by SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey, 32 walks the University of Arkansas campus.

The winter SEC Academic Honor Roll includes the sports of basketball, equestrian, gymnastics, and swimming & diving. Student-athletes are selected based on their 2022 fall, summer, and fall semesters grades.

Two essential criteria are based on a grade point average of 3.00 or above for the preceding academic year. The student-athlete must have been a varsity team member for the sport’s entire NCAA Championship segment.

Davonte Davis is the most notable name on the list as a Sport Management major.

While Davis was killing the classrooms, he became the leader of the men’s basketball team, having a breakout season that hit its pinnacle during the Razorbacks’ run to the Sweet Sixteen in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

Samara Spencer is another name that pops off the screen. Spencer was the SEC Freshman of the Year in her first season with the Hogs. As a sophomore, she averaged 14 points a game and was one of the leaders on the women’s basketball team.

Here is a complete list of the honor roll student-athletes. 

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Arkansas’ season ended at Kansas, but where are Hogs next year?

Arkansas may be considered just behind SEC stalwarts South Carolina, Tennessee and LSU next year.

The Arkansas women’s basketball team saw its season come to end Sunday in the final eight of the WNIT against Kansas.

That’s hardly expected to be the high point for the Hogs, though.

Coach Mike Neighbors should return three starters, three key bench players and he’s also bringing a recruiting class that holds both the No. 11 and No. 61 players in the country.

In other words, an NCAA Tournament looks like it’s on the agenda on 2023-24.

Guard Makayla Daniels was a senior this season, but her freshman year was the COVID season, so she has an option to return for another collegiate season if she chooses. And while All-SEC forward Erynn Barnum and guard Chrissy Carr are out of eligibility, everyone else should be back in the sport next year, too.

Taliah Scott, that No. 11-ranked player, is set to join McDonald’s All-Americans Maryam Dauda and Jersey Wolfenbarger to provide the Hogs with three such players.

Defensive specialist Rylee Langerman and power forward Saylor Poffenbarger are set to be back alongside All-SEC guard Samara Spencer and possibly Daniels, as well.

Joining Scott in the recruiting class are forward Jenna Lawrence, No. 61 in the class, and three-star Maryam Archer, a 3-point specialist who should find a role doing the same.

Neighbors will be entering his seventh season at the helm. He’s taken Arkansas to two NCAA Tournaments, though the Hogs haven’t escaped the first round yet. Next year’s team looks like, especially if Daniels returns, it could have the best chance yet.

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Razorbacks advance in SEC Tourney with late-rally against Missouri

Mike Neighbors and the Arkansas women’s basketball team needed a win to keep their postseason hopes alive.

Mike Neighbors and the Arkansas women’s basketball team needed a win to keep their postseason hopes alive.

And they delivered.

Arkansas defeated Missouri in the first round of the SEC tournament, 85-74. The Razorbacks went on a 16-0 run in the fourth quarter after trailing by 11 to end the third quarter.

Chrissy Carr was the star of the show, setting a new career-high 34 points, 11-of-14 shooting from the field. Her performance was also the second most points in SEC Tournament by an Arkansas player. Her previous season-high was 22 points against Little Rock back in November.

Samara Spencer also had a great night, scoring 19 points with five rebounds and four assists. Makayla Daniels also finished in double figures with 17.

Mike Neighbors claims his eighth win in the SEC Tournament. Neighbors said he was “absolutely numb” after the game-changing rally in the final quarter.

“I don’t know what happened,” Neighbors said about the run. “In practice all year [we’ve] just been a team that waits until the last drill or last set of the drill to get it done. That just may be who we are.”

The Razorbacks get the worse of the draw as the eighth seed, taking on South Carolina in the next round. Tipoff is at 11 a.m. Friday morning.

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Arkansas’ NCAA Tournament hanging by a thread after loss to Mississippi State

Arkansas has just two wins in its last 10 games and may have played themselves out of the NCAA Tournament.

The rough second half of January has turned into a rough six weeks for the Arkansas women’s basketball team.

The Razorbacks lost a third straight game and their eighth in their last 10 games on Thursday as Mississippi State strengthened its NCAA Tournament hopes instead with an 87-73 win in Starkville.

Arkansas was listed as the “First Team Out” in Charlie Creme’s Bracketology for ESPN earlier in the week. But the Razorbacks have just one regular-season game left to fix things. It comes Sunday at home against Texas A&M, the last-place team in the SEC, suggesting Arkansas would need at least a couple wins, if not three, in the conference tournament to make the Dance.

The Hogs didn’t look much like a Tournament team on Thursday as MSU jumped out to a 25-9 lead after the first quarter. Arkansas shot 35% from the floor and just 25% from 3-point range.

Bench play was one of the biggest issues. Samara Spencer had 26 for Arkansas to lead all scorers, but the Razorbacks reserves had just six points to the Bulldogs’ 26.

Arkansas isn’t cooked yet, though. The Razorbacks sit at 19-11 and 6-9 in the SEC. Last year they finished 18-13 and 7-9 in league play and still made the NCAA Tournament.

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Arkansas stays perfect after knocking off Northern Arizona on Thanksgiving night

Samara Spencer scored a career-high 27 points to lead Arkansas past Northern Arizona in the Paradise Jam.

Nothern Arizona made a fourth-quarter run, but Arkansas held strong to win, its opening game, 82-73, in the Paradise Jam from Virgin Islands on Thursday night.

The Lumberjacks actually led the game for 10 minutes in the first half. But Arkansas outscored NAU by 13 points in the middle two quarters to take a 15-point lead into the fourth quarter. Razorbacks sophomore guard Samara Spencer scored a career-high 28 points to lead all scorers.

Saylor Poffenbarger had career-high 13 points for Arkansas, as well, while Makayla Daniels added 18 points and drew eight fouls.

The victory provided the Hogs (6-0) with their best start in the Mike Neighbors era and provided Neighbors with the 200th win of his career.

Arkansas will play Clemson in the next game from the tournament on Friday. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT.

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Arkansas basketball women open with 20-point victory

Arkansas women’s basketball opens season with win over Arkansas Pine-Bluff.

Four starters finished in double figures for Arkansas in its 70-50 win over Arkansas Pine Bluff.

Samara Spencer led all scorers with 15 points. We could see a star-studded season from the former SEC freshman of the year.

Erynm Barnum, provided 14 points, followed by Saylor Poffenbarger 12 points in her debut after transferring from Connecticut.

The game was the season opener for Arkansas, which is coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance last year. The team depth is combined with experience and high-praised freshman, although guard Sasha Goforth, a starter last year, retired in the offseason to focus on her health.

No. 21 Creighton is the team’s first ranked opponent. That game is scheduled for December 17, so they’ll have enough time to rack up the wins. January 22 they travel to play powerhouse No. 1 South Carolina.

And Fayetteville should get ready for the matchup with No. 5 Tennessee inside Bud Walton Arena.

Next game up for the Razorbacks is a home game against Central Arkansas on Friday.

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Arkansas picked to finish fourth in preseason SEC poll

Arkansas’ preseason spot of No. 4 is the team’s highest since 1995-96.

It’s been almost three decades since the expectations for the Arkansas women’s basketball team were as high as they are in 2022-23.

The last time the Razorbacks to finish fourth-or-better in the SEC was 1995-96. On Tuesday, the SEC media selected Arkansas to be fourth in this year’s preseason poll.

Coach Mike Neighbors’ team is coming off an 18-13 (7-9) season in which the Razorbacks finished tied for eighth in the SEC. They made the NCAA Tournment as a No. 10 seed but lost to Utah in the first round.

Arkansas returns a bulk of its rotation from last season, only having lost guards Amber Ramirez and Sasha Goforth, both starters. Ramirez exhausted her eligibility while Goforth, a Fayetteville native, retired because of health issues.

Guards Makayla Daniels and Samara Spencer will head the offense as the two returning starters who averaged double figures in scoring last year.

See the entire preseason 14 below.

Arkansas basketball vs. Utah NCAA Tournament: How to watch, stream, listen

The Arkansas women’s basketball team is set for its first round game in the NCAA Tournament against Utah on Friday. The Razorbacks are the 10-seed in the Spokane Region where they’ll tip against 7th-seeded Utes at 4:30 p.m. CT. The trip to the NCAA …

The Arkansas women’s basketball team is set for its first round game in the NCAA Tournament against Utah on Friday.

The Razorbacks are the 10-seed in the Spokane Region where they’ll tip against 7th-seeded Utes at 4:30 p.m. CT. The trip to the NCAA Tournament is the second straight for Arkansas, which fell in the first round last year.

Arkansas went 18-13 in coach Mike Neighbors’ fifth season. Utah went to the PAC 12 Championship game and went 20-11, falling in the title game to No. 1-seed Stanford.

The winner of the game will play the winner of 2-seed Texas and 15-seed Fairfield.

You can find out complete information on how to watch, who to watch and where to watch the Hogs and Utes below.

Arkansas women’s basketball a 10-seed, will play Utah in NCAA Tournament

Arkansas and Utah are set to meet in a 7-10 matchup in the first round of the NCAA Women’s Tournament.

Coach Mike Neighbors and the Arkansas women’s basketball team are back in the NCAA Tournament.

The Razorbacks are the 10-seed in the Spokane where their opponent will be 7-seed Utah. The game is set for Friday in Austin, Texas.

Arkansas stumbled a bit down the stretch, losing four of its last five regular-season games, but beat Mississippi State in the finale and bubble team Missouri in the 8/9 game of the SEC Tournament.

Utah finished sixth in the PAC 12 but made the tournament championship game where the Utes fell to No. 1-seed Stanford.

The Hogs are led by sixth-year senior Amber Ramirez and SEC Freshman of the Year Samara Spencer. Ramirez led the team with 15.1 points per game this year, while Spencer averaged 12 and doled out a team-high 93 assists.

Ramirez named All-SEC, Spencer Freshman of the Year, Wolfenbarger All-Freshman

Samara Spencer, Amber Ramirez and Jersey Wolfenbarger all hauled in SEC honors for Arkansas.

A few hours after Arkansas guard Samara Spencer was named SEC Newcomer of the Year, she made it official by the league.

Arkansas’ first-year guard from Florida was named SEC Freshman of the Year on Tuesday. Joining her with SEC honors were senior Amber Ramirez and fellow freshman Jersey Wolfenbarger. Ramirez, a sixth-year senior, was second-team All-SEC, while Wolfenbarger was on the All-Freshman team.

Spencer was third on the Razorbacks in scoring, averaging 12.1 points per game this year. Ramirez led the Hogs with 15.3 a game. Wolfenbarger, from Fort Smith, averaged 8.1 points and 4.3 rebounds.

The Razorbacks’ season continues Thursday in the SEC Tournament. Arkansas is the No. 8 seed. It will play Missouri, the 9-seed, a team the Hogs swept in two games during the regular season.

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