Whole Hog: How Arkansas Maintained Top Form Through Nick Smith’s Injury
Since joining Arkansas’ basketball program in 2019, Head Coach Eric Musselman has led the Razorbacks to the Elite 8 in every NCAA tournament. Only Houston’s Kelvin Sampson can say the same. Simply put, Musselman has shoved himself into the conversation for the best coaches in the sport by force since joining the Power 5 level. Arkansas sports a great roster this year commanded by young talent, and could be a contender for the SEC title, SEC tournament title, and more.
Entering the season, freshman guard Nick Smith was the most exciting name on the Hogs’ roster by far. Analysts heralded Smith as one of the premier freshmen entering the sport, and he projected as a “one-and-done” player. Unfortunately for Hogs fans, Smith was absent from the initial starting roster due to injury. In fact, the injury persisted for a surprisingly long time, which meant the Hogs entered the Maui Invitational without their strongest player. Unfortunately, this meant they took a brutally close loss to Creighton - a loss which looks worse in hindsight, as Creighton has lost 6 games in a row - and they did not live up to their “favorite” status.
Despite not having Nick Smith, they managed to stay competitive against Creighton through the firepower freshman Anthony Black and Wichita State transfer Ricky Council IV provided. Combined, they went an astonishing 19/37, which included a fair amount of 3-point attempts of which they went 3/9. Unfortunately, they lost by the slimmest of margins, but looked to exit Maui on a high note with a win against the defensive behemoth of San Diego State University.
It turns out that Musselman’s squad did not perform well to start the game. In fact, the entered 2nd half down 9 points, and did little to correct that throughout the game. They looked completely out of the game against SDSU down 8 points with just 5 minutes left. How did the Razorbacks come back from such a deficit? Through the unsung hero of the Razorbacks’ roster: Trevon Brazile.
Brazile came off the bench in this game, just as he did for all the other games he played for the Hogs this season. Despite not starting, he not only scored the most points for the Razorbacks, but he played the most minutes. Brazile made 100% of the 3-pointers Arkansas scored in the game - perhaps a testament to the Aztecs’ great defense - but nonetheless, this sophomore played incredibly well in this match. The Missouri transfer was averaging 11.8 points per game while coming off the bench, and had potential for SEC 6th man of the year.
Musselman’s team has remained undefeated since the close Creighton loss, and they are just coming off of a double digit win against Oklahoma. Considering their ability to remain competitive without their best player, Arkansas fans are extremely excited for what they are capable of now that they have him back. Musselman himself is also very excited: he was extraordinarily passionate after their win against SDSU, and is telling Hogs fans to expect big things in 2023.
Unfortunately, one man’s vulgarity is another man’s lyric, and the world had to take from Arkansas as they gave back Nick Smith. Brazile tore his ACL, and will not be playing for the Hogs for the rest of the season. Despite this, Musselman should hope to rely on the nation’s 10th ranked defense and 32nd ranked offense to make a push for great things in the postseason!
From Downtown will be on break for next Wednesday’s Article. Expect an article next Sunday, and for regularly scheduled articles to follow alongside a new announcement afterwards! Happy holidays!
