Eric Musselman values impact of Davonte Davis' maturity on the floor

Arkansas managed to take down Kentucky in Rupp Arena in pretty convincing fashion on Tuesday night and the maturity of Davonte Davis was one of the major reasons why.

The Razorbacks guard was lethal with his efficiency, turning in what was the best outing he’s ever had in the eyes of his coach.

“Devo’s passing tonight, his seven assists, you know, he’s been shooting the ball so well and I can’t tell you from a shot selection standpoint how proud I am of him playing to win tonight,” coach Eric Musselman said. “Because he’s been shooting the three at a really high level and he took what the defense gave him. He was 1-of-2 from three.”

Davis chipped in 15 points, seven assists, three rebounds and two steals in a stat-sheet-stuffing performance on Tuesday night.

But it’s how he went about it that earned him rave reviews from his coach.

It was methodical. It was smart. It was on point.

Davonte Davis’ maturity is something that all of his Arkansas teammates can now shoot to emulate.

“Sometimes when somebody takes 10 threes and makes four, the next game they come out and they hunt for that shot,” Musselman said. “Just really proud of his maturity and his game management tonight. He’s defending at an incredible level, I thought his basketball decision-making was probably the best since I’ve been around him. He played to win the game and he tried to do every possible thing that he could to help us come out of Rupp with a W.”

Nick Smith Jr. set to make his return

It’s been a bummer of a freshman season for phenom Nick Smith Jr., having played in just five games to date while saddled with injury.

But according to a report from Jonathan Givony at DraftExpress, Smith will return to the Arkansas lineup on Saturday against Mississippi State. Smith hasn’t played since Dec. 17 due to a knee injury, but he returned to Arkansas’ practices this week.

On the season Smith is averaging 12.8 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game, but he has appeared in only five games for the Razorbacks so far, limited by injury most of the year.

As Givony notes, ESPN has Smith pegged as the No. 6 overall prospect in the 2023 NBA Draft class.

Arkansas will tip off against Mississippi State at 6 p.m. ET with a broadcast on ESPNU.