Hogs guard Chris Lykes named to Naismith Trophy watch list

Arkansas’ new scoring guard Chris Lykes is considered one of the 50 best players in the country with this honor.

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Chris Lykes has yet to play in a true game for the Arkansas basketball team, but it hasn’t stopped him from earning accolades.

Lykes, a transfer guard from Miami (FL), was named to the Naismith Trophy Watch List on Monday. 

The 5-foot-7 combo guard is a scorer. In four seasons with the Hurricanes, Lykes averaged more than 15 points a game three times. Last year, he averaged 15.5 points, shot 45% from 3-point range and 91% from the free-throw line.

Lykes joined the team via the transfer portal in April. In the offseason, he was named the No. 20 returning player in college basketball by Andy Katz of March Madness, the No. 51 player in college basketball by CBSSports.com and the No. 1 impact transfer by Jon Rothstein of College Hoops Today.

He is one of seven transfer players on the roster and one of six who will be making their debut this season for Razorbacks. That debut comes Tuesday night. Arkansas opens its regular season against Mercer at Bud Walton Arena at 7 p.m.