FAYETTEVILLE — “Play man.”
Arkansas women’s Coach Jimmy Dykes said he repeated those words to himself for two days leading up to Sunday’s 64-52 victory against No. 24 Missouri in Bud Walton Arena. He said it again when he awoke at 2 a.m. and again at 6 a.m. on game day. But by the time the 2 p.m. tip rolled around, Dykes didn’t listen to himself.
Instead, the Razorbacks (8-10, 3-2 SEC) opened in a zone defense, resulting in a 14-4 deficit midway through the first quarter.
“I didn’t go with my gut,” Dykes said. “[We] started off in zone and I told them at halftime, the first 10 points are on me.