Eric Musselman compares Ricky Council to past Arkansas star off the bench

Ricky Council is getting praise from all angles as he continues to show out for Arkansas off the bench.

His teammates have raved about him, and now Eric Musselman is making some lofty comparisons for him to explain how good Council has been for the Razorbacks.

“It’s really important. I think we saw that a couple years ago with JD Notae. The importance of a guy that can come in and if you’re not scoring the ball, can change — it changes how people have to defend us, as well,” stated Musselman. “He’s such a good isolation player. He’s such a good free throw attempt player.

“It certainly changes who we are when he’s making perimeter shots to go along with his transition dunks, and transition points and free throw attempts.”

Moreover, Council has averaged 16.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists on the season thus far for Arkansas, and he’s helped the Razorbacks find their identity through a roller coaster season.

As we grow closer to March, Ricky Council will be one of the driving forces behind Arkansas’ attempt at another deep run in the NCAA Tournament.

Anthony Black, Nick Smith rave about impact of Ricky Council off the bench

Continuing, Arkansas is coming off one of its hottest shooting performances of the season, hitting on 63.8% of its looks in a 97-65 win over Georgia. But the impact of Ricky Council off the bench was one of the key storylines coming out of the game.

Council scored 22 points while stuffing the stat sheet with four assists, three rebounds, two steals and a block.

“Ricky, he’s an electric player. He gets downhill quick fast in a hurry,” star freshman guard Nick Smith said. “He can also shoot the mid-range. He can shoot the spot-up three. He’s a good player, and he’s one of the players we need on this team.”

Smith led all scorers with 26 points in the win over the Bulldogs, but Council drew just as much press.

He’s an integral part of the team, now working off the bench with Smith inserted into the starting lineup now that he’s healthy again. But having Council available off the bench has created some unique opportunities.

“I think he’s really good for us coming off the bench because it’s like a spark,” point guard Anthony Black said. “You don’t ever want to sub and go downhill, so we basically have like six, seven dudes who could start. So whenever he comes off the bench and scores like that it’s huge for us and it brings us a lot of energy, the second group.”