Tag: Davonte Davis

Texas A&M has been in contact with former Arkansas guard who recently entered the transfer portal

Head coach Buzz Williams has reportedly been in contact with former Arkansas guard Devo Davis, who recently entered the transfer portal

Texas A&M’s 2023-2024 is ongoing, as the Aggies will now face the No. 1-seed Houston Cougars in the NCAA Tournament’s round of 32 after blowing out Nebraska in the first round on Friday night.

While it may seem like head coach Buzz Williams’ attention is elsewhere, remember that recruiting through the transfer portal has become a 24/7 job, especially for a program that will lose several starters heading into next season. This week, former Arkansas guard Davonte “Devo” Davis entered the portal after four years with the Razorbacks, shocking the fan base.

Davis, who will have one more year of eligibility remaining, has reportedly been in contact with Williams and Texas A&M while surprisingly coming off his worst statistical season after averaging just 5.9 points per game while shooting an average of 36.3 % from the field and 24.2 % from 3-point range.

Knowing that veteran guard Tyrece Radford will run out of collegiate eligibility at the conclusion of the season, no one can replace what Radford brings instinctually, combined with his ability to finish consistently near the rim, but pairing another strong guard like Davis to pair with Wade Taylor IV and Manny Obaseki to provide a reliable paint presence and at least up above average outside shooting is pivotal prevent taking a step backward.

Standing at 6-4 and 185 pounds, Davis has the size and experience, while a season to improve under Buzz Williams’ guidance could result in a significant uptick in his play.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.

Missouri winless in SEC this season, but Hogs haven’t been much better

After a better showing in Saturday’s loss to No. 6 Kentucky, Arkansas is looking for needed win against Missouri.

The last time the Arkansas men’s basketball team sat at 10-10 after 20 games was in 2016 when the Razorbacks needed four wins in their last six games to finish a ho-hum 16-16 under former Head Coach Mike Anderson.

After a promising outlook this season, ranked No. 14 in the AP Preseason Top 25 poll, Arkansas (10-10, 1-6 SEC) has stumble hard, losing six of its first seven conference games out of the gate.

Hopefully for the Hogs, the best remedy for a struggling team may be playing a team who has struggled even more. Missouri (8-12, 0-7 SEC) eked out an 8-5 record in non-conference action this season and has since been unable to beat another SEC team. The Tigers did take South Carolina to overtime on Jan. 13, before taking a 71-69 loss at home.

Still, Arkansas Head Coach Eric Musselman isn’t taking anything for granted with the way his own team has flopped in January. He knows the Tigers will be motivated against their “Battle Line Rivalry” foe in Columbia on Wednesday night, and a win for the Hogs will take a better effort than what has been displayed so far.

“They’re gonna be hungry for the game on Wednesday and our guys have to realize how hungry they will be,” Musselman said. “If you look at Missouri’s games, a lot of close scores, like you look at the five-minute mark left in games of Missouri’s SEC games. It’s unbelievable how close they are and how hard they’ve played.”

The Razorbacks hold a 33-27 advantage over the Tigers, all-time, and 14-9 since Mizzou joined the SEC in 2012. Arkansas has won six of the last eight meetings between the two schools, including a home-and-home split last season.

Arkansas showed it’s best effort in SEC action last Saturday, leading No. 6 Kentucky at halftime in Bud Walton Arena, before falling to the Wildcats, 63-57. The did hold Big Blue to 27 points under their season scoring average.

“I have not been happy with the effort over the course of the last couple of weeks,” Musselman said following Saturday’s loss. “Tonight I have to go in the locker room and tell them we have to get ready for Missouri. I can’t fault their effort. We are not a good offensive team. All you have to do is watch the game. We struggle at taking care of the ball, but because of effort and defense tonight, we were in the game.”

The Razorbacks will again be without the services of senior guard Davante Davis, who has taken an undisclosed leave of absence from the team, and may still be without 6-foot-10 sophomore Trevon Brazile, who reinjured his surgically repaired knee in a 77-51 loss at Ole Miss a week ago.

Wednesday’s game will tipoff at 7:30 p.m. on the SEC Network, then the Hogs stay on the road with a trip to LSU on Saturday for an 11 a.m. tip, on ESPN2.

Arkansas men’s basketball to begin the season 14th in the Top 25 poll

After three straight trips to the Sweet 16, the Razorbacks men’s basketball team will begin this season ranked No. 14.

This marks the third straight year the Arkansas men’s basketball team will begin the season in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, under Head Coach Eric Musselman.

The Razorbacks will begin the season at No. 14, after starting out 10th in last season’s poll, and 16th in 2021-22, both following NCAA Elite 8 finishes. Arkansas is one of four programs, nationally, to have made it to the last three NCAA Sweet 16s, along with Houston, Gonzaga and UCLA.

Kansas, who was the top-seed in last season’s NCAA Tournament when the Jayhawks were ousted by Arkansas in the second round, opens as the No. 1 team in the country, followed by Duke and Purdue. The Razorbacks will host the Boilermakers in a charity exhibition game on Oct. 28, then host the Blue Devils in a regular-season tilt on Nov. 29.

The SEC has five teams in the poll, most of any conference. Joining Arkansas is No. 9 Tennessee, No. 15 Texas A&M, No. 16 Kentucky, and No. 24 Alabama.

This marks the first time since the mid 1990s that Arkansas will begin the season in the preseason Top 25 for at least three consecutive years, dating back to 1993-94 to 1996-97, which included the 1994 National Championship season. It is just the fourth time in program history that the Hogs have achieved that feat, along with stretches from 1988-90 to 1991-92, and 1980-81 to 1984-85.

Arkansas will host the University of Texas-Tyler in an exhibition game this Friday at 6:30 p.m., in Bud Walton Arena. The Hogs will tip off the regular season on Nov. 6, hosting Alcorn State.

Nov 16, 2022; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks forward Trevon Brazile (2) dunks the ball in the second half over South Dakota State Jackrabbits forward Broden Lien (33) at Bud Walton Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

Arkansas’ Davonte Davis choked up while talking about defeating No. 1 Kansas

Davonte Davis was overwhelmed with emotion while talking about Arkansas upsetting Kansas.

Arkansas guard Davonte Davis knew how much his team upsetting No. 1 Kansas meant to everyone in Razorback nation.

Davis led his team with 25 points as No. 8 Arkansas toppled No. 1 Kansas in Saturday’s round of 32 contest in the the 2023 men’s NCAA tournament.

As he was being interviewed postgame by CBS reporter Allie LaForce, Davis became overwhelmed with emotions while considering all that his team did to get to this moment.

“I feel good; I’m glad we came out with the win,” an emotional Davis said after the huge victory. “This team’s been struggling, and we figured it out…I’m glad we did at the right time, and hopefully we continue to do it.”

As you could imagine, making the Sweet 16 as a No. 8 seed is never something you can take for granted.

Davis played a phenomenal game on Saturday, and it’s very understandable as to why he showed such emotion after the victory. It’s upward and onward for Arkansas, who will live to fight another day in this year’s tournament.

Where does Arkansas rank in the initial KenPom rankings?

Arkansas is expected to have a solid season according to the initial KenPom rankings.

Arkansas Basketball lost eight players from last season’s Elite 8 team. However, the Razorbacks should have nothing to worry about, as they bring in the nation’s No. 2 signing class from the 2022 recruiting cycle.

That is one reason why [autotag]Eric Musselman[/autotag]’s bunch will begin the season with high hopes. The KenPom rankings see a successful season for Arkansas as well, as the rankings based on analytics have placed Arkansas at the No. 15 spot in the initial rankings for the 2022-23 season.

Arkansas begins the season in the top 25 of both offensive and defensive efficiency. According to KenPom, Arkansas is projected to score 109.4 points per 100 possessions, which is No. 25 in the nation, while expecting to allow 86.6 points per 100 possessions, which ranks No. 7.

As far as possessions go, the Razorbacks are expected to have 74.1 possessions per game, which is No. 20 in all of college basketball.

Arkansas will be led by returners [autotag]Davonte Davis[/autotag] and [autotag]Kamani Johnson[/autotag], and by key freshmen such as [autotag]Anthony Black[/autotag], [autotag]Nick Smith Jr.[/autotag], and [autotag]Jordan Walsh[/autotag].

Arkansas Basketball will play two exhibition games, one against Rogers State on Oct. 24 and another at Texas on Oct. 29, before opening the season at Bud Walton Arena against North Dakota State on Nov. 7.

[mm-video type=video id=01g95kn82spevseb01dc playlist_id=01fc3h383th881vsf1 player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g95kn82spevseb01dc/01g95kn82spevseb01dc-225e50a96dc57846a8c96eb0dd01ee79.jpg]

[listicle id=13137]

Musselman likes the Hogs possible freshmen three-guard set

The Hogs three blue-chip guards offer Musselman a new luxury.

The Razorbacks’ European tour has created a great buzz as the fall nears, Arkansas finishing the trip 4-0.

The Eurotrip gave head coach Eric Musselman a chance to really see what his roster had to offer while testing some potential lineups.

Like three ball-handlers on the court at the same time.

This isn’t a new or innovative style in college basketball. Three-guard sets have been around since the early 90s. Jay Wright and Villanova became very successful using three guards in the starting lineup, sometimes even four.

Nick Smith Jr, Anthony Black, and Davonte Davis give Musselman that luxury.

“I really like how Devo, A.B., and Nick played together,” Musselman said after the Hogs 75-54 win over Orange1 Basket Bassano.

“When we had them in, one of the first things I said was ‘Hey, you guys just share the point guard position…Whoever is closest to an outlet pass (take the point),’ and they did a phenomenal job of sharing it and running different things for each other. I’m really happy with how they executed together.”

Having three freshmen on the court who can manage to bring the ball up is very underrated in college basketball, where sometimes teams might try to set up a press, like West Virginia or VCU.

But all three offer other qualities. Smith Jr. led the three-man group in scoring, averaging 18 points. Black and Davis led the team in assists (4.0), Davis even leading the team in steals per game (2.3).

It isn’t a guarantee that we will often see this exact three-man lineup on the court, but Musselman has a good problem to figure out.

Razorbacks kick off European exhibitions on Tuesday

Spend lunchtime with the Razorbacks as they take on Valencia Seleccion at 12:30 CT.

After spending a few days traveling and taking in the sites of Spain, the Arkansas Razorbacks basketball team is set to begin their European tour on Tuesday.

First on the docket is Valencia Seleccion on Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. CDT in Valencia, Spain.

Tuesday’s game marks the first of four exhibition games that Arkansas will play over the span of two countries in six days. While there, head coach [autotag]Eric Musselman[/autotag] will get the chance to examine where his team is at ahead of the season opener in November.

The Razorbacks will return just four players from last season’s Elite Eight roster, with [autotag]Davonte Davis[/autotag] and [autotag]Kamani Johnson[/autotag] returning with the most experience with 15 starts between the two.

Despite the need for cohesion, Arkansas will not lack in the talent department. Arkansas signed six high school players that were ranked as a four-star or higher by 247Sports, and added five additional players through the transfer portal.

Game One Info:

  • Date: Tuesday, August 9
  • Time: 12:30 p.m. CDT
  • Opponent: Valencia Seleccion
  • Watch: FloHoops

[listicle id=10644]

Top Candidates to replace Jaylin Williams at forward

How does Arkansas replace a top talent in Jaylin Williams? Eric Musselman has a few ideas.

One of the main items on Eric Musselman’s agenda while in Europe will be to examine how everyone will fit into certain roles.

Arkansas only returns four players from last season’s roster, with [autotag]Davonte Davis[/autotag] having the most experience among returners. One of the key holes that Arkansas will need to fill will be at the two, the spot filled last season by [autotag]Jaylin Williams[/autotag].

Williams averaged 10.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per contest last season and had a knack for creating possessions on defense by drawing 54 charges. He has since departed from the program after being selected with the 34th overall pick of the NBA Draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Out of all the new faces, who has the best possibility of filling Williams’ shoes? Musselman says that five players have the capability.

“We have a lot of guys that kind of offer different things,” Musselman said during a recent press conference. “[autotag]Jalen Graham[/autotag] is a player that is kind of a go to guy. He’s a scorer innately with his back to the basket. [autotag]Makhi Mitchell[/autotag] is really, really explosive and really strong. [autotag]Makhel[/autotag] (Mitchell) is a bigger, physical player inside. Obviously, [autotag]Kamani[/autotag] (Johnson’s) a great offensive rebounder and a high free throw attempt player. (Trevon) [autotag]Brazile[/autotag] is a really, really unique player.”

Those five players will have the chance to compete for that role next week, when Arkansas travels to Spain and Italy for a four-game European tour. Game one of the expedition is set for August 9.

[listicle id=10644]

Devo Davis receives the key to his hometown

A great ambassador to the city of Jacksonville, Ark. Davonte Davis now has the key to the city.

One of Arkansas Basketball’s returning stars was recently recognized by his hometown.

[autotag]Davonte Davis[/autotag], known by Razorback fans simply as “Devo” recently received the key to Jacksonville, Ark. for how well he has represented his hometown at the University of Arkansas and by playing basketball for the Razorbacks.

“Since I’ve been little and have been playing sports, I have always represented Jacksonville, Arkansas,” said Davis in a video that he released on Twitter. “Through the good and the bad, (Jacksonville) always has my back. That’s why I love it.”

In two seasons at Arkansas, Davis has averaged 8.4 points while bringing down four rebounds per game. In 2021-22, Davis competed in 37 games while starting 14. Davis scored at least ten points in 15 games this season, headlined by his 26-point outing against Oklahoma on December 11.

Davis is probably best remembered for his “icing on the cake” dunk in Arkansas’ 80-76 win over then-no. 1 Auburn on February 8 at Bud Walton Arena.

Feb 8, 2022; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Davonte Davis (4) dunks the ball after the clock expired in overtime as Auburn Tigers guard Wendell Green Jr. (1) defends at Bud Walton Arena. Arkansas won 80-76. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

Click below to view the video of Davis receiving the key to Jacksonville, Ark.

[listicle id=8712]

[lawrence-related id=8248]