Eric Musselman calls Davonte Davis 'unbelievable' in Bradley win

Arkansas‘ dominant 76-57 win over Bradley on Saturday was headlined by a strong defensive showing for the Razorbacks led by junior guard Davonte Davis who stuffed the stat sheet. Davis was active on both ends of the floor for Arkansas, which head coach Eric Musselman spoke about following the team’s tenth victory of the season.

“I thought he was unbelievable, just his effort, his energy, how he attacked both passes, and five steals, that’s a lot of steals for one player,” Musselman said.

Davis’ had five of Arkansas’ 16 steals on the night in a dominant defensive performance where the Razorbacks forced 27 total turnovers. He also ended the game with seven points, seven rebounds, and three assists on the night making an impact on the offensive end of the floor as well.

“And obviously his defensive rebounding, he led us in defensive rebounds, he led us in steals, knocked down a three, second on the team in assists,” Mussleman said. “So I thought his contribution was really at a high level.”

Davis started the first six games of the season for the Razorbacks before missing his first game of the season against Troy. He has come off the bench ever since, but has thrived in the role as the sixth man, averaging the third most minutes on the team and providing a veteran presence when on the floor to a relatively young roster.

He’s certainly been an impact player for the Razorbacks this season, and it will intriguing to see how his role continues to evolve throughout the season.

Eric Musselman shares how Arkansas forced more turnovers against Bradley

Arkansas handled business on Saturday when they faced Bradley from the Missouri Valley Conference, defeating the Braves 76-57. The Razorbacks dominated the game in a variety of different ways, and one that stood out the most was on the defensive end forcing turnovers, which head coach Eric Musselman discussed after the game.

“I hope that defensive tenacity, active hands, we’ve talked a lot about it,” Musselman said. “Trying to attack the dribble when the ball hits the floor and is coming back up to the palm of the ball handler to try to be really aggressive with your digs on the dribble.”

The Razorbacks forced Bradley into 27 turnovers on Saturday, getting their hands on an impressive 16 steals in the contest. Arkansas currently has six players on their roster averaging a steal or more per game, but Musselman still believes there’s room for even more improvement in that department.

“And then I think the next part of that is how do you get deflections when your man passes?” Musselman asked. “I think we’ve always been a good team jumping in passing lanes, but I think we’ve added attacking the dribble a little bit better and trying to attack the pass with deflection. And then when you’re long and athletic, that certainly helps.”

Arkansas does boast a tall and long roster, with a starting lineup featuring 6-foot-5 guard Nick Smith Jr. as their shortest starting player. They definitely have a lot of defensive potential, which was clearly on display for them Saturday, and it will be interesting to see if they can continue to make it a calling card of theirs moving forward.