Arkansas ran Kentucky off the court last month. The Razorbacks look a lot different now.
The first meeting between Kentucky and Arkansas did not go well for the Wildcats, to put it kindly.
The Razorbacks beat the Wildcats 88-73 on Feb. 7, ending UK’s six-game winning streak in the Southeastern Conference. Arkansas outscored UK 47-33 after halftime, turning a one-point game at the break into a rout well before the final buzzer. The Hogs shot 62.7 percent from the floor. They made 20 of their 24 free throws. And they did all of this in Rupp Arena.
It was an embarrassing result for a Kentucky team that had seemingly found its way following a disappointing start to the 2022-23 college basketball season.
Things went from bad to worse a few days later in Athens, where Kentucky dropped another game to a middling Georgia team. The Cats got on the right track after that, and they’ll get a rematch with the Razorbacks in Saturday’s regular-season finale in Fayetteville.
A different Arkansas team will be waiting for them that afternoon.
Nick Smith Jr. didn’t play against Kentucky the first time around, and UK fans who haven’t followed the Hogs closely might not be overly familiar with his game.
That’s because he’s barely played at all this season.
Smith, who once had a UK scholarship offer, ended up as the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2022 class, one of three incoming McDonald’s All-Americans for Arkansas. He was the only freshman named to the preseason All-SEC team, and he came to college already projected as a top-five pick in this year’s NBA Draft.
A knee injury kept Smith out of the Razorbacks’ first six games. When he finally got onto the court, he averaged 19.7 points over his first three full games. And then he was sidelined again, even leaving the program and traveling to Los Angeles to see a knee specialist, according to Coach Eric Musselman.
The day after Arkansas ran Kentucky off the court, Musselman confirmed that Smith had returned to the team and was practicing again. Four days later, he made his first appearance in a game in nearly two months. A week after that, he played major minutes for the first time — 32, in an 84-65 win over Florida.
And then his game exploded.
First, 26 points in 29 minutes in a 97-65 blowout of Georgia. Then, 24 points in 40 minutes in an 86-83 loss at SEC juggernaut Alabama. On Monday, he was named the league’s freshman of the week due to those two performances.
“We’re a lot different with Nick back, obviously,” fellow freshman Anthony Black said after that Georgia win. “He’s one of the best scorers in the country. His spacing on offense helps out a lot, with Nick on the court. Because you can’t really leave a guy like Nick. And the stuff he can do with the ball in his hands also helps us be more well-rounded on offense. We got a lot of different ways to attack now on offense.”
Those final words are enough to send a shudder down the collective spine of Big Blue Nation, given what Arkansas did to the Cats with Smith not even in the gym the last time they played.
Smith was asked after that same Georgia game how he was able to get loose so much on offense against the Bulldogs. He pointed in Black’s direction. “Him. For sure,” Smith said. “He pushed the pace. He makes a lot of good passes. … We had a lot of assists. Like 50-something? Something like that?”
Black laughed and shook his head. Arkansas had 23 assists that night (not 50-something), and it was a sign that this Razorbacks team is getting closer to the expectations that followed them into the season, which was accompanied by a top-10 national ranking and Final Four hype.
Sophomore forward Trevon Brazile — a potential breakout star this season — went down with a torn ACL in early December, so Arkansas won’t get to see what life would’ve been like with its full complement of players, but getting Smith back for the stretch run gets the Hogs closer to full strength.
“I came back, and the team has put confidence in me just to go out there and play my game, especially Coach Muss,” Smith said.
Musselman said it makes it easier for him to sub players with the 6-foot-5 Smith back in the lineup. It also allows the Hogs to get in transition and thrive there, with the way he runs the floor. He spreads the court on offense, and his coach said that can help limit the team’s turnovers. Arkansas had just 11 of those against Alabama. Smith had zero despite playing all 40 minutes.
And Smith is also a “really sound” defender who fits well and shows discipline in Arkansas’ team defense, Musselman said.
Smith was 1-for-8 from three-point range over his first three games back from injury last month. He then went 5-for-8 from deep against Georgia and 2-for-3 on threes at Alabama. Before those games, he was 7-for-28 from long range on the season. That didn’t faze him
“Make or miss, I’m gonna shoot the same shot,” Smith said.
Black grinned and nodded. He knows his teammate’s confidence level in that area.
“I work on it each and every day. All day,” Smith continued. “So, why not shoot it?”
Musselman confirmed that Smith has been showing up to Bud Walton Arena on his own at night to put up shots. “And I think that’s how you get your rhythm back,” he said. “You can’t just rely on practice time. … It was really important for Nick to take it upon himself to get the extra reps, which he has been doing, for sure.”
Smith’s momentum was halted Tuesday night in Knoxville, where he made just three of 13 shots — and went 1-for-6 on threes — scoring 12 points as No. 12 Tennessee topped Arkansas 75-57. The Volunteers do have the No. 1-rated defense in the country, however. Kentucky is No. 76 in defensive efficiency, according to the KenPom ratings. And the Cats’ ranking hasn’t been much better amid their recent hot streak. (The Torvik ratings had UK as 50th in defensive efficiency over the past two weeks, accounting for that four-game winning streak going into Wednesday’s game against Vanderbilt.)
Kentucky is still susceptible to defensive breakdowns. And Smith — almost always in motion on offense, forever hunting shots — can exploit such lapses.
The up-and-down freshman season hasn’t done much to hurt Smith’s pro stock. He’s still projected as a lottery pick by ESPN, Yahoo Sports and The Athletic, among other national websites. ESPN ranks him as the No. 6 overall prospect for the 2023 NBA Draft.
Now that he’s back on the court, he could go higher than that. And once he gets fully settled in, Smith’s return could lift Arkansas to new heights once the postseason begins.
Before that, he gets a shot at Kentucky.
“The team that we’ve had for much of the season — that’s not exactly the team that we built,” Musselman said last week. “You can see the impact that Nick had. … The guys that have played — I give them a ton of credit, because they kept hanging around and they competed every night. And then you add Nick, and now we’re a much better — and a way more well-rounded — offensive team.”
Saturday
No. 23 Kentucky at Arkansas
When: 2 p.m. EST
TV: CBS-27
