It’s going to be strength against strength when the No. 16 Oregon Ducks meet the No. 17 Arkansas Razorbacks on on Tuesday at 4 p.m. in the San Diego Invitational. Per Her Hoop Stats, Arkansas is first in the nation in free throw rate (27.6 percent) and Oregon is second in opponent free throw rate (10.3).
The Razorbacks are coming off a big win over now-No. 21 Creighton, 83-75 this past Saturday. Sophomore leading scorer and leading distributor Samara Spencer had 26 points (5-of-7 from three) and four assists.
That win, along with a 69-53 win over then-No. 25 Kansas State (now receiving three voting points), gives Arkansas a better resume than Oregon. The Ducks, who unlike the Razorbacks were ranked in the preseason, don’t have a ranked win or a win against a team currently receiving votes. They do have three wins against Power 5 opponents (Northwestern, Michigan State and bitter Pac-12 rival Oregon State). They also had a good showing against now-No. 6 UNC on Thanksgiving, only losing by six. Because of that experience against the Tar Heels, it’s hard to say the Ducks aren’t battled-tested, but the three Power 5 victims have a combined record of just 20-14 (0-4 conference play). At least Oregon has dominated its competition, sporting a scoring margin 10 points…
