Tag: Ricky Council

Arkansas basketball hosts VCU transfer Jamir Watkins on official visit

Arkansas hosted VCU transfer Jamir Watkins on Thursday, and he’s a name for fans to watch going forward.

On the same day that a roster spot opened up, Arkansas basketball hosted former VCU wing Jamir Watkins on an official visit in Fayetteville on Thursday afternoon.

Watkins, who entered the portal back in March, joined Temple transfer and former high school teammate Khalif Battle on his visit with the Razorbacks. The 6-7, 210-pound wing averaged 9.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.2 steals for the Rams last season. He managed to shoot 41.3% from the field, 34.0% from three and 72.1% from the free throw line while averaging nearly 24 minutes off the bench.

Arkansas has had numerous virtual meetings with potential transfer targets, but this will be the first round of on-campus visits since the NCAA-mandated dead period lifted on April 6.

Watkins could potentially fill the void left by [autotag]Ricky Council[/autotag] and [autotag]Jordan Walsh[/autotag] – if Walsh decides to move onto the NBA as well. Regardless, Watkins is a transfer target that Arkansas fans should keep a close eye on going forward.

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Arkansas basketball: Who is Eric Musselman targeting in the transfer portal?

Eric Musselman has officially contacted over 80 transfers so far. Here’s the type of players that Arkansas basketball is after.

Eric Musselman already has his first commitment of the offseason via the transfer portal in the form of Keyon Menifield Jr. While Menifield’s addition is big, Razorback fans know that it’s just the first of many dominos to fall for next season.

[autotag]Nick Smith Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Ricky Council[/autotag] have both played their last games as Razorbacks with Anthony Black expected to join them in the coming days. [autotag]Devo Davis[/autotag] announced he’d be testing the professional waters, but left the door open on a potential return to Fayetteville next season. That means Arkansas will need to replace 64% of the minutes played per game and 52.3 points per game if Davis decides not to come back.

As of this writing, Arkansas has officially contacted 83 players who have entered the transfer portal. The vast majority of those players are not being seriously pursued by Arkansas, but that long list of players gives us an idea the type of player [autotag]Eric Musselman[/autotag] is targeting to replace that lost production.

Arkansas had a successful season but also had a fair share of glaring issues with their roster construction that led to a plethora of issues in conference play. Primarily, the lack of outside shooting, free throw shooting and a dominant low-post presence.

Let’s take a closer look at those areas of need and who Arkansas is after right now to fill them.

Arkansas loses another to NBA Draft and Council is unlikely to remove his name

Council’s declaration wasn’t a surprise for Arkansas, but it did sting, as he’s a borderline selection on most projections.

The Arkansas basketball roster for 2022-23 continued to shrink on Tuesday. Guard Ricky Council announced his declaration for the NBA Draft.

A transfer from Wichita State, Council led Arkansas in scoring during his first and only season with the Razorbacks. He averaged 16.1 points per game in an average of 34 minutes a night.

A junior, Council became the third Razorbacks player to announce intentions to turn pro this offseason. Freshman guard Nick Smith Jr. declared eight days ago and junior guard Devo Davis declared the following day.

Smith is all but guaranteed as a first-round selection, though he is no longer considered a lock for the lottery. Davis is largely unlisted on NBA draft projections, suggesting a return to Arkansas is likely. Council fits somewhere in-between: most sites have him going in the mid-to-late second round, a la Daniel Gafford in 2019 and Isaiah Joe in 2020.

Arkansas coach Eric Musselman expected such announcements and has been active in the transfer portal. Two of the most highly-touted entrants into the portal announced the Razorbacks as a finalist earlier this week.

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Beyond the Box: Dominant UConn ends Arkansas’ tournament run

UConn dominated the Hogs from wire-to-wire on Thursday. Here’s a closer look at why Arkansas’ season ended in Vegas.

It’s officially the offseason for the Arkansas Razorbacks basketball team after the UConn Huskies ended their magical tournament run in the Sweet 16 with a dominant 88-65 win.

Arkansas was very much overmatched from the start as the Huskies didn’t trail a single time in Thursday night’s contest and led by as much as 29 points in the second half.

The Huskies were led by Jordan Hawkins’ 24 points and Adama Sanogo’s 18 points and 8 rebounds. The Razorbacks were led by [autotag]Anthony Black[/autotag]’s 20 points, 4 rebounds and 5 steals while [autotag]Ricky Council[/autotag] added 17 points of his own.

Despite the tough loss, Arkansas basketball capped off a tumultuous season with a tournament run that many didn’t see coming. For that reason, this season could be considered a success.

As for Thursday’s game, it was decided in a few areas that were predictably going to be factors in the outcome. Let’s take a closer look and examine what UConn did to end Arkansas’ season in Las Vegas.

Beyond the Box: Devo Davis, Ricky Council will Arkansas to third straight Sweet 16

How SWEET it is! Here’s a closer look at Arkansas’ dramatic win over the Kansas Jayhawks to advance to the Sweet 16.

The Arkansas Razorbacks are STILL DANCING!

Arkansas is headed to a third consecutive Sweet 16 after a dramatic, last-second victory over the defending national champion Kansas Jayhawks, 72-71.

Kansas led 35-27 at halftime after the Razorbacks struggled to get into a rhythm offensively and had four players in foul trouble. The Jayhawks also had history on their side as they were 47-0 when leading by eight or more at halftime in the NCAA Tournament.

Then, [autotag]Devo Davis[/autotag] and [autotag]Ricky Council[/autotag]in showed up in a legendary way over the final 20 minutes of action. The two combined for 32 of Arkansas’ 45 second half points and were able to keep the Razorbacks afloat at critical moments down the stretch.

Let’s go beyond the box to take a closer look at how the Hogs were able to overcome a double-digit deficit and keep dancing into the Sweet 16 of the [autotag]NCAA Tournament[/autotag] once again.

Beyond the Box: Devo Davis, defense lead Arkansas past Illinois in NCAA Tournament

Arkansas is still dancing! Here’s a closer look at how the Razorbacks were able to stifle Illinois and advance in the NCAA Tournament.

With 2:29 left to go in the game, Illinois had trimmed Arkansas’ lead from 17 points to just five, 62-57.

It was the same script that fans had grown accustomed to with this year’s team. Build a double-digit lead in the second half and then watch it evaporate as the opponent storms back to steal a win.

But shortly after the lead was cut to five, [autotag]Devo Davis[/autotag] recorded his fourth steal of the game on Illinois’ Coleman Hawkins, which led to a [autotag]Ricky Council[/autotag] layup in transition. That was all the breathing room the Razorbacks needed to put the Illini away and advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Devo Davis, smothering defense, tenacious rebounding and role players stepping up big were the difference in this game and the reasons why Arkansas will be playing on Saturday.

Let’s go beyond the box and take a closer look at how the Hogs earned their third straight first round win in the NCAA Tournament.

Twitter reacts: ‘March Devo’ keeps Arkansas dancing into second round

Arkansas handles Illinois and is moving on to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Here’s what they’re saying about the 73-63 win.

For the third straight season, the Arkansas Razorbacks advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a big win over No. 9 seed Illinois, 73-63.

[autotag]Devo Davis[/autotag] was the difference in the game, as he was able to conjure more March magic, going off for 16 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals to lead the way for Arkansas.

Arkansas was up by as many as 17 in the second half before Illinois went on an 8-0 run midway and cut the lead to nine points. That forced Eric Musselman to call a timeout just ahead of the media’s near the eight-minute mark, and gave many Razorback faithful flashbacks to countless losses we’ve seen this season.

Davis’ 3-pointer a couple minutes later lifted the lead back to double figures. By the time it was nine again, the final media timeout had sounded and too little time was left for an Illinois comeback. Both teams could feel it as the celebration began on the Arkansas sidelines.

[autotag]Anthony Black[/autotag] and [autotag]Ricky Council[/autotag] joined Devo Davis in double figures with 18 and 12, respectively. Council scored 11 of his from the free-throw line, where he went 11 of 12. Terrence Shannon Jr. led the Fighting Illini with 20. The Arkansas defense held Illinois’ to just 38% shooting from the field.

Here’s what they were saying on social media about Arkansas’ impressive victory over Illinois to advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Pregame tweets: Arkansas takes on Illinois in first round of NCAA Tournament

Here’s what they’re saying ahead of Arkansas’ first round game of the NCAA Tournament vs. Illinois.

The [autotag]Arkansas Razorbacks[/autotag] are just about ready to get underway in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against the Illinois Fighting Illini.

Arkansas is going to be starting [autotag]Anthony Black[/autotag], [autotag]Ricky Council[/autotag], [autotag]Nick Smith Jr.[/autotag], [autotag]Devo Davis[/autotag] and [autotag]Kamani Johnson[/autotag]. Illinois will be starting Terrence Shannon Jr., RJ Melendez, Matthew Mayer, Coleman Hawkins and Dain Dainja.

The Razorbacks are 0-5 all-time against the Illini but haven’t played since 2004 when Illinois defeated the Hogs, 72-60. Arkansas has won in the first round of the NCAA Tournament each of the past two seasons under [autotag]Eric Musselman[/autotag].

It should be a very close, nerve-racking game that comes down to the wire, but the Razorbacks have the talent to walk out with a huge win on Thursday. Here’s what fans are saying on social media ahead of the first round contest between the Hogs and Illini.

Did Arkansas deserve a first-team All-SEC selection? Examining the all-conference basketball teams

Arkansas has four NBA draft picks on its roster. None of them were first-team All-SEC. Were the Hogs hosed or was it deserved?

With four likely NBA players on its roster, Arkansas figured to have a dynamite shot at having a couple of All-SEC picks when the season began in November.

But just like most everything else in 2022-23, that didn’t go the Hogs’ way, either.

The media’s All-SEC teams were announced Monday and while the Razorbacks had one player listed, guard Ricky Council, even he was on the second team. Council was, at least, joined by Anthony Black in gaining SEC honors. The first-year guard made the All-Freshman team.

The reality is that Arkansas didn’t deserve any players on the top squad. Their most talented player, Nick Smith Jr., missed three-quarters of the season with a knee injury. Black’s well-rounded game wasn’t cracking others’. Council’s scoring makes him a bit of a one-trait guy. Devo Davis didn’t have the total numbers (Davis was named to the All-Defensive team).

In the grand scheme of all things Arkansas basketball, it doesn’t matter all that much, of course. But anyone who tells you Arkansas was hosed is probably lying. Or doesn’t know basketball.

Social media reacts to Arkansas getting dominated by No. 12 Tennessee, 75-57

Here’s what they’re saying after Arkansas’ brutal loss to No. 12 Tennessee on Tuesday night.

It was a long Tuesday night for the Arkansas Razorbacks as they were absolutely dominated by the No. 12 Tennessee Volunteers, 75-57.

Arkansas trailed the entire game and just never really looked comfortable on either side of the floor. Tennessee, on the other hand, showed why they have arguably the best defensive team in the country. They forced 16 turnovers and held the Hogs to just 36.7% (18-49) shooting from the floor.

“I’d say it’s the best defensive team that we’ve played. “They were physical and we were not able to withstand the physicality taking care of the basketball,” said Eric Musselman after the game. “Unfortunately we’ve got one regular season game and still a lot of areas we still need to teach.”

[autotag]Anthony Black[/autotag] and [autotag]Devo Davis[/autotag] led the team in scoring with 13 points each. [autotag]Nick Smith Jr.[/autotag] was able to score 12 points, but only shot 3-13 from the floor (1-6 3PT). [autotag]Ricky Council[/autotag] added 11 points. The Razorbacks had four guys in double-figures, but as you can see it wasn’t as impressive as it sounds.

It was a tough game for Razorback fans to have to sit through and watch for  two hours. As usual, many took to social media and their were some really good reactions. Here’s what they’re saying about Arkansas getting trounced by No. 12 Tennessee.