Tag: Nick smith

Nick Smith was so hyped for an Arkansas put-back he shoved his teammate to the floor mid-game

When hyping up a teammate goes wrong

It’s hard to blame any team, or any player, for having too much energy during March Madness.

If playing in this tournament doesn’t get your heart pumping, you probably shouldn’t be on the floor. That said, you shouldn’t shove your teammates to the floor, either. Even if it comes from a place of excitement and pure adrenaline.

Arkansas’ Nick Smith learned this mid-game as the No. 8 Razorbacks took down No. 9  Illinois, 73-63, in the first round on Thursday. After teammate Kamani Johnson finished off a tough put-back just before halftime, Smith’s attempt at a celebration accidentally put Johnson on his back.

These are the type of things you can laugh about when you’re winning.

Arkansas will try to keep those vibes going on Saturday against No. 1 Kansas in the Second Round.

A March Madness men’s bracket prediction based on the best NBA talent in the tourney

Do you want to see as many NBA players play as many games as possible? Here is how!

March Madness is almost underway, and with the games beginning soon, you’re probably scrambling to get your bracket filled out.

It’s always great to follow along for Cinderella stories and potential upsets. Maybe you don’t want to fill out a bracket, and that’s perfectly okay. The odds of getting a perfect bracket are virtually impossible, anyway.

There are plenty of alternatives you can try to a traditional bracket, like a survivor pool. However, assuming you do want to fill out a bracket, we’ve got some tips!

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My pal, Charles Curtis, offered his bracket based on just 20 minutes of research. You can check out our brilliant staff’s actual predictions for March Madness, too.

But allow me to show you what a bracket would look like if we based it entirely on what would be the best-case scenario for NBA draft scouting. If you want to take a closer look and zoom in, you can click here.

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The goal here was to get as many lottery picks playing as many games as possible. Here are some takeaways:

  1. Arkansas is the No. 8 seed in the West and they have a tough first-round opponent with Illinois. But they also have two likely lottery picks, Nick Smith Jr. and Anthony Black, and two other potential first-rounders with Ricky Council IV and Jordan Walsh. Let me see them play as many games as possible!
  2. Over the last few days, we’ve heard a buzz that Alabama’s Brandon Miller has “closed the gap” on projected No. 2 overall pick Scoot Henderson. If he continues to dominate during the Big Dance, we could see actual movement at the top of the draft.
  3. Duke is a No. 5 seed in the East and they have one of the toughest roads to the Final Four, especially with a challenging opening game against Oral Roberts. But they have three likely first-rounders here (Dariq Whitehead, Kyle Filipowski, and Dereck Lively II) and two more draftable prospects (Tyrese Proctor and Mark Mitchell) as well.
  4. Jarace Walker (Houston), Keyonte George (Baylor), Cason Wallace (Kentucky), Jalen Hood-Schifino (Indiana), Colby Jones (Xavier), Jordan Hawkins (UConn), Kris Murray (Iowa), Terquavion Smith (NC State), and Julian Phillips (Tennessee) are additionally notable prospects who will be dancing.

If you’re curious about these players, you can learn more about why these prospects are the best in the tournament on our rankings published earlier this week.

My best advice when you’re filling out a bracket is that the eventual winner who will tear down the nets is almost definitely going to be one of these eight teams.

But if you’re an NBA fan and just want to see as many future NBA players play as often as possible, this is the way you need to fill out your bracket instead.

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Ranking the 15 top NBA draft prospects (Jarace Walker!) who are playing in March Madness

These are the future NBA guys you need to know.

March Madness is back, which means basketball fans are going to get a closer look at the next generation of NBA players.

The top-3 prospects in our latest 2023 NBA Mock Draft are not playing college basketball this season. Victor Wembanyama is an MVP candidate in France’s top-tier league, Scoot Henderson is playing his second professional campaign in the G League and the Thompson twins won a championship in the Overtime Elite.

While the NCAA men’s selection committee was far from perfect, over the course of the next few weeks, we will see several notable prospects play on the biggest stage in college basketball.

If you want to prepare yourself for the draft, below are the prospects you need to familiarize yourself with before the tournament begins.

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2023 NBA Mock Draft 4.0: Predicting all 58 picks before March Madness begins

Let’s check the temperature before March Madness shakes everything up.

As college basketball fans gear up for conference tournaments and March Madness, NBA scouts are busier than ever in their evaluation process.

Prospects are beginning to separate themselves as lottery picks and first-round talents, while others are fighting and clawing their way up big boards to find themselves in a draftable range.

While we can expect a ton of movement after the tournament is over, it is always helpful to take a barometer read of where things stood before all of the March Madness chaos.

Some of the players who were excluded from these projections were not listed because we project they will go back to school. We will have a much clearer picture of who is actually declaring for the draft after the early entry deadline on April 13.

Our draft order is from Tankathon and is accurate as of March 3. We will have an official draft order after the lottery on May 16. It is one of the most anticipated lotteries in recent memory as the winner will, in all likelihood, select Victor Wembanyama. But what comes next?

The best takes and the sharpest bets on all the hoops storylines you need to know. Sign up for our Layup Lines newsletter, hitting your inbox on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Nick Smith Jr. named SEC Freshman of the Week for second time

It seems like yesterday when critics were hounding Smith Jr. on Twitter. 

It seems like yesterday when critics were hounding Smith Jr. on Twitter. 

How quickly things can change.

While the Hogs didn’t get the exact result they needed to get closer to an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament, the star freshman found his groove.

Against Georgia and Alabama, Smith averaged 25 points a game and played 35+ minutes for the first time since December 6 against UNC-Greensboro. Smith came up big against Georgia, going 5-8 from behind the line of scrimmage and scoring a season-high 26 points.

Despite the loss, Smith Jr. looked good in front of a hostile crowd. His 24 points led the team, but it was his worst shooting performance of the season.

This is Smith’s second time this season being honored with Freshman of the Week accolades; ironically, it is also the second time he has started two games in the same week. So it is appropriate to say that Nick Smith Jr. is officially back.

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Pre-game social media buzz for Arkansas-Georgia

These are the best pre-game tweets for Arkansas’ game Tuesday against Georgia.

I don’t think anyone wants to be Eric Musselman right now.

The stress levels he has reached this season after season-ending injuries, and late-game collapses have turned the Arkansas Razorbacks season into a stressful situation.

The Hogs will be in a “must-win” situation for the rest of the season if they want to be a part of the 2023 NCAA Tournament because right now, they look like a high-seed team in the NIT.

And this is not to discredit the prestige of the NIT, but when you’ve built one of the best programs in the country, it becomes NCAA Tournament or bust.

It’s a few reason to why Eric Musselman may be the most stressed-out coach in the SEC. While nobody may want his current situation, not many coaches could take these situations and still find ways to keep the squad in March Madness conversations.

Arkansas basketball vs. Troy: How to watch, stream, listen

Arkansas returns to action after an entertaining Maui trip, here’s some important details to get you ready for tonight’s game against Troy.

After an exciting Feast Week in Maui, Arkansas basketball is back home in Bud Walton Arena tonight. The Troy Trojans (6-1) come to town and look to take advantage of a possible Hawaii hangover for the Hogs.

“I’ve talked to other people who have played in Maui. I think that’s one of the concerns is coming back and playing your first game,” Musselman said ahead of Monday’s game. “So, that is of concern. I know sleep patterns are a little bit messed up right now for all of us. But hopefully by (Sunday) night we’ll be a little bit more adjusted timeframe-wise.”

Arkansas will need to be well-adjusted against a Troy team that has road victories over Florida State and Montana as part of an unusual early season schedule.

Troy is forcing 20 turnovers per game while holding opponents to just 62 points per game. They also are really good at keeping opponents away from the offensive glass, ranking 4th in the country in defensive offensive rebounding percentage.

KenPom is giving Arkansas a 96% chance to win tonight’s contest, and that’s not factoring in the possibility of Nick Smith making his debut for the Hogs. While it might be unlikely, the talented point guard has made significant progress recovering from a knee injury and is nearing his freshman debut.

Here’s how you can catch all of tonight’s action from Fayetteville.

Opinion: Resilient Razorbacks show March potential in Maui

The Maui experience for Arkansas basketball showed us that they’re right on schedule to be ready for March.

The three days of basketball from the Maui Invitational were filled with a March-like tournament electricity and intensity.

Passionate fans lambasting officials on social media, upset coaches yelling at opposing players and scuffles in the postgame handshake lines all stem from the intensity exhibited on the court over those three days last week. There’s arguably no better environment for a young, inexperienced Razorback team to grow and get better this early in the season.

Yes, Arkansas is still very young, inexperienced and have yet to play with one of their best players in Nick Smith, but they showcased that they’re deserving of some of the preseason hype and ready for primetime, heavyweight fights nonetheless.

In the two games against No. 10 Creighton and No. 17 San Diego State, the Hogs were up against teams whose rosters were filled with fifth and sixth-year seniors. Both teams play extremely good defense while moving the ball selflessly on the offensive end, which is a good recipe for beating this Arkansas team this early in the year.

Early on in each of those games Arkansas struggled offensively and faced a double-digit deficit. But to the credit of this young team they showed an incredible amount of resiliency to chip away and stay within striking distance until the end.

A lot of times you’ll see young teams shut down and check out, allowing a 10 or 11 point deficit double to 20+ in a matter of minutes. That’s what happened in Arkansas’ 90-60 preseason exhibition loss to Texas in October.

That never happened in Maui.

In their loss to Creighton on Tuesday, Arkansas trailed by 12 with 1:43 left in the first half. Over that final span, the Hogs used a flurry of quick layups, and one beautiful alley-oop from Anthony Black to Trevon Brazile, to cut the lead in half and head into the second half only down 40-34. Creighton never led by double digits again.

In the win over San Diego State on Wednesday, Arkansas trailed by double digits most of the game, but never let the Aztecs extend it more than 13 points. Despite being noticeably fatigued, the Hogs clawed back to erase an eight-point deficit with 5:32 to go in the game to force overtime and eventually win 78-74.

The ability to overcome fatigue and inexperience in an intense and competitive environment can’t be understated. Maui was the ideal learning experience for this Arkansas team, and Eric Musselman understands the value it holds.

“Sometimes even when you lose there are great learning lessons. Creighton, San Diego State, both teams are really well coached,” said Musselman. “So, certainly a huge challenge for us, and I thought our young team grew up over those three games. I think as we get into conference play, those games we will be able to reflect back on and use them as learning lessons.”

If we’ve learned anything from Eric Musselman’s tenure in Fayetteville, it’s that this team’s best basketball has yet to be played. Arkansas still has a lot of room for improvement, but after Maui it’s clear that the early season hype is warranted.

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Arkansas Basketball: Twitter pre-game reactions for Razorbacks season opener

Are you ready for Hogs on the court? Arkansas tips against North Dakota State at 7 p.m.

As we approach the end of the Razorbacks’ season on the football field, fans in Fayetteville have something else to get excited about.

The Hogs on the court.

Arkansas comes into the 2022-23 season ranked No. 10 in the preseason polls, with some experts predicting they will make it to the final four.

Eric Musselman brings in one of the best recruiting classes, highlighted by Nick Smith Jr., combined with some solid transfers. Smith will have to wait to make his debut, however. It was announced Monday afternoon he was being held out for precautionary reasons because of a knee injury.

Now that it is time for the real season, let’s see how fans prepare for the Razorbacks season on the hardwood.

Nick Smith named an ‘impact freshman’ by CBS Sports

Smith is called a skilled scorer by CBS Sports’ Kyle Boone.

Arkansas Basketball will not have a shortage of young talent on its roster for the 2022-23 season. There is one freshman, in particular, that is receiving a ton of buzz.

Freshman [autotag]Nick Smith[/autotag] is one of three McDonald’s All-Americans to sign with [autotag]Eric Musselman[/autotag]’s program for the 2022 recruiting cycle, joining [autotag]Jordan Walsh[/autotag] and [autotag]Anthony Black[/autotag]. Smith has already claimed SEC Preseason honors this week and has made another impressive list ahead of the season.

CBS Sports recently revealed their selections for the top 10 impact freshman for the season, and Smith checks in at No. 2.

CBS Sports’ Kyle Boone calls Smith one of the best scorers in this class.

Another candidate to lead the freshman class in scoring, Smith is perhaps the most skilled scorer entering college this season. Expect him to share the wealth with a loaded Arkansas roster, but he’ll be the No. 1 option in the end.

Arkansas signed the nation’s No. 2 class for the 2022 cycle. The class was loaded with three five-stars, three four-stars, and five players enrolled from the transfer portal.

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