Arkansas
HawgBeat – How Nick Smith Jr. fared for Arkansas in return
Arkansas star freshman Nick Smith Jr. suited as much as play for the Arkansas Razorbacks (17-8, 6-6) for simply the sixth time this season and the primary time since Dec. 17 throughout Saturday’s 70-64 loss to Mississippi State.
The McDonald’s All-American out of North Little Rock Excessive College missed 14 straight video games resulting from proper knee administration, however he performed underneath no minutes restriction in opposition to the Bulldogs on Saturday, in accordance with head coach Eric Musselman.
Smith scored 5 factors on 2-of-7 taking pictures from the sphere. He knocked down a mid-range jumper shortly after his first examine in of the second half and he drained a 3 with 13 seconds left within the sport — the Hogs’ final bucket of the sport.
Alongside along with his 5 factors, Smith had one rebound, one help and he tied for a team-best plus-3 in his 17 minutes performed.
After being held out for such a protracted time period, an adjustment interval was anticipated for Smith and the remainder of the standard lineup. Fellow five-star freshman Anthony Black mentioned he preferred what he noticed from Smith Saturday.
“I believe he did an excellent job along with his minutes,” Black mentioned. “He performed actually exhausting on protection. With me, what you do on offense, so long as you play exhausting on protection and simply take delight in it, I can stay with you possibly lacking some photographs or doing one thing. It wasn’t unhealthy for his first outing. We’re joyful to have him again. We’ve received to begin working him again in now.”
Musselman mentioned integrating Smith into the lineup goes to be a problem for the workers/crew transferring ahead.
“That is a dilemma that we’ve to strive to determine and remedy attempting to combine him in,” Musselman mentioned. “I assumed he performed effective. However we’ve to play higher as a crew for certain.”
In response to KenPom, Smith had an offensive ranking of 78%, which was the third worst mark of any Arkansas participant on Saturday.
Smith’s look got here after Musselman revealed Wednesday that Smith had began to observe with the crew and he was hopeful that Smith might play for the Hogs quickly.
“Nick, he has practiced the previous few days with us,” Musselman mentioned. “Clearly he didn’t go on the street journey (to Kentucky) so he might proceed to remain again right here and work on his conditioning. We’re optimistic and hopeful that Nick will be capable to play someday right here within the close to future.”
The fact of Smith enjoying in opposition to the Bulldogs grew to become obvious when rumors began swirling late within the week that he went on an Instagram stay video with different gamers and mentioned he was going play in opposition to the Bulldogs. No recording was posted of the video and the crew did not difficulty an official assertion, however respected studies got here out Friday and Saturday that Smith could be out there for the Hogs.
Smith hasn’t seen the court docket since exiting within the second half of the Dec. 17 sport in opposition to Bradley in North Little Rock. Musselman mentioned on Jan. 5 that the crew was anticipating Smith to overlook the remainder of January and he was seeing a specialist in Los Angeles at that time.
Smith has been bothered by the knee damage ever because the finish of the crew’s European tour over the summer season. He missed the primary six video games of the 12 months to rehab the knee earlier than he made his season debut on Nov. 28 in opposition to Troy, who he performed simply 5 minutes in opposition to.
Through the three-game stretch the place Smith was not restricted, he appeared just like the highly-touted five-star prospect that Hog followers raved over. The 6-foot-5-inch guard averaged 19.7 factors, 2.3 rebounds and three assists per contest. He scored a season-high 22 factors and performed 39 minutes in a win over UNC Greensboro on Dec. 6.
ESPN’s newest NBA mock draft has Smith projected to go No. 6 total to the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder.
Arkansas will journey to Texas A&M on Wednesday for an 8 p.m. CT tipoff in opposition to the Aggies. The sport might be broadcast on ESPN2.
Arkansas
Fed report: Arkansas’ economic expansion continued in December | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Arkansas’ economic expansion continued in the last months of 2024 and positions the state to continue building momentum as the year opens, according to a regional economic analysis released Wednesday.
Nevertheless, rising prices could hinder growth and business executives are worried about persisting inflation and the potential economic hurdles that tariff increases could create. Christmas holiday sales were uplifting, coming in better than expected and brightening the outlook for 2025.
Sales were helped by a late Thanksgiving that fueled a spending spree and delivered a kickstart to the year, the Federal Reserve Bank reported Wednesday in its Beige Book economic analysis. The report covers 12 regional districts, including Arkansas and surrounding states in the St. Louis district.
“Retailers in our district indicated that December sales were stronger than in previous years,” Charles Gascon, the Fed economist for the Arkansas region, said Wednesday.
Arkansas
Diggs '100% cleared' for big return to Arkansas lineup
Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn gave a long-awaited update Wednesday on the status of senior outfielder Kendall Diggs, who suffered a torn labrum during the 2024 season.
Diggs, who exited a game against McNeese State in March with the injury, was hitting .357 at the time before finishing the year with a lowly .229 batting average.
It seems, after an offseason of recovery, the SEC veteran is on track for a major return for the Diamond Hogs.
“He’s 100% cleared to do everything now,” Van Horn said Wednesday. “Now, it’s all about timing at the plate. Getting that bat speed back that he’s had in the past. Seeing live pitching and just feeling confident…now it’s not about him being part of the team, because he’s going to be a big part of the team. It’s just a matter of how soon. We know what he can do when he’s full-go.”
A 6-foot-0, 210-pound lefty hitter from Olathe, Kansas, Diggs was named to the All-SEC Second Team in 2023 after slashing .299/.436/.547 with 12 home runs and a team-high 63 RBIs.
“You look at what (Kendall) has done in the past, he played 50-some games last year with major tears,” Van Horn said. “He’s swinging the bat, he’s going to hit live pitching tomorrow. When I say live pitching, not just batting practice, we’re talking live pitching. So, we’ll see how that goes. He’s a little bit behind, but he’ll get there.”
Even after his 2024 injury, many expected Diggs to be selected in the 2024 MLB Draft, and his return gave Arkansas another competitive piece in a loaded outfield full of transfer portal additions.
“He’s stronger than ever, even with the shoulder injury,” Van Horn said. “He’s had a chance to work on his lower half and he’s a full-grown man now. It’s time to go, and I think he’s excited about being out there.”
The Razorbacks will open their season Friday, Feb. 14, against Washington State at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville.
Arkansas
New address, same issues: Why John Calipari's dismal start at Arkansas mirrors his fall from favor at Kentucky
Give John Calipari credit for stumbling upon a foolproof way to avoid extending his streak of early-round NCAA tournament flameouts.
You can’t get Gohlked again if you’re watching from the couch.
Arkansas is in major jeopardy of missing the NCAA tournament in Calipari’s highly anticipated debut season after an unremarkable non-league showing and a nightmare start to SEC play. The preseason No. 16 Razorbacks lost 78-74 at previously struggling LSU on Tuesday night to fall to 11-6 overall and 0-4 in the SEC.
It was concerning when then-No. 1 Tennessee outclassed Arkansas by 24 in Knoxville on the first Saturday of January. The warning signs grew more ominous when the Razorbacks followed that with back-to-back home losses against nationally ranked Ole Miss and Florida last week. Now it’s full-blown panic time in Hog Country after Arkansas went to Baton Rouge for an apparent get-right game against one of the SEC’s only non-NCAA tournament contenders and somehow lost that too.
Despite playing without its third- and fourth-leading scorers due to injury, LSU erased deficits of 12 points late in the first half and eight points a few minutes into the second half. The Tigers (12-5, 1-3) built a nine-point lead of their own with less than five minutes to go, then withstood full-court pressure and a late scoring flurry from standout Arkansas freshman Boogie Fland to close out the victory.
Calipari’s postgame news conference Tuesday night was reminiscent of many that he delivered after losses late in his Kentucky tenure. He shouldered the blame for not preparing his team well enough yet offered few specifics regarding adjustments he intended to make.
Twice, Calipari told reporters in Baton Rouge, “I’ve got to do a better job with my team.” Later, he described himself as disappointed he’s “not getting through to these guys” and claimed he “may have to drag them to the finish line in some of these close games.”
There’s still time for Arkansas to dig its way out of this midseason hole, but the Razorbacks’ road to the NCAA tournament is uphill and obstacle-laden. A neutral-court victory over Michigan is Arkansas’ lone Quadrant 1 or 2 victory this season in seven opportunities. The Razorbacks’ second-best win of the season is … Lipscomb? Troy? Maybe 4-13 ACC doormat Miami?
The historic strength of the SEC could be Arkansas’ salvation or demise. On one hand, plenty of chances for marquee victories remain in a league with nine teams in the current AP Top 25. On the other hand, per Ken Pomeroy, the Razorbacks will only be favored in five of their remaining 14 conference games. At this point, Arkansas is more likely to finish in the bottom third of the SEC than to make the NCAA tournament.
That Calipari’s former program is flourishing in his absence only highlights Arkansas’ struggles. Kentucky coach Mark Pope didn’t inherit a single returning player from Calipari, yet the roster he rebuilt on the fly via the transfer portal is 14-3 overall and 3-1 in the SEC. Fueled by its sleek, modern offense, Kentucky boasts impressive victories over Duke, Gonzaga, Louisville, Florida, Mississippi State and Texas A&M. If the season ended today, the Wildcats would be no worse than a No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament.
Deep-pocketed Arkansas boosters envisioned a similar outcome when they plunked down big money to lure Calipari from Kentucky last spring. The fresh start appeared to be a win-win for both parties with Calipari in need of an offramp out of Lexington and Arkansas in search of a jolt of excitement.
Calipari’s tenure at Kentucky was perfect, until it wasn’t. For almost a decade, he fulfilled Big Blue Nation’s wildest dreams. The revolving door of one-and-done talent he recruited won SEC titles, made deep NCAA tournament runs and even captured the 2012 national title. But the program that was two wins away from a historic 40-0 season in 2015 never approached those heights again. The atmosphere in Lexington turned especially toxic after Calipari’s Wildcats lost to 15th-seeded St. Peters in the first round of the 2022 NCAA tournament and to 14th-seeded Oakland last year.
What observers have since learned is that a fresh start requires more than a change of address and an influx of red blazers and quarter-zip pullovers. You can’t hire a 65-year-old coach, allow him to bring over an assortment of longtime assistants and then expect different results.
Armed with a war chest of NIL money that few other programs could match, Calipari assembled a roster that doesn’t mesh well with one-another or fit the modern game. Fland and fellow perimeter players DJ Wagner, Johnell Davis and Karter Knox can all hit a 3-pointer but are best with the ball in their hands attacking downhill. The spacing gets worse with forward Adou Thiero and center Jonas Aidoo in the frontcourt together, as neither are a threat from 3-point range.
Arkansas is shooting 33.7% from behind the arc as a team and is 248th nationally in percentage of points scored from 3-point range. Opposing defenses can afford to clog driving lanes, pack the paint and dare the Razorbacks to hoist contested jumpers early in the shot clock.
The hallmark of Calipari’s best Kentucky teams were long, athletic defenses that aggressively hounded 3-point shooters yet surrendered nothing easy at the rim. This Arkansas team is better defensively than some of Calipari’s most recent Kentucky teams, but it commits too many fouls and surrenders too many second-chance points to make up for the Razorbacks’ offensive woes.
Against LSU, it also didn’t help that a tough call went against Arkansas at a key juncture of the second half. LSU led 53-52 when referees called this a flagrant foul on Arkansas’ Trevon Brazile. The Razorbacks trailed 58-52 by the time they got the ball back.
How will Arkansas respond to a dismal SEC start made worse by the LSU loss? With effort and energy, Calipari says, despite a difficult upcoming schedule. Arkansas visits Missouri on Saturday, then hosts Georgia and Oklahoma. Matchups with Kentucky, Alabama, Auburn, Texas and Texas A&M await in February.
“I told them after the game, ‘I’m not cracking so let’s just keep going,’” Calipari said Tuesday.
The Razorbacks have no choice.
Either they turn their disappointing season around now, or Calipari’s debut campaign in Fayetteville will end shy of the NCAA tournament.
-
Technology7 days ago
Meta is highlighting a splintering global approach to online speech
-
Science5 days ago
Metro will offer free rides in L.A. through Sunday due to fires
-
Technology1 week ago
Las Vegas police release ChatGPT logs from the suspect in the Cybertruck explosion
-
Movie Reviews1 week ago
‘How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies’ Review: Thai Oscar Entry Is a Disarmingly Sentimental Tear-Jerker
-
Health1 week ago
Michael J. Fox honored with Presidential Medal of Freedom for Parkinson’s research efforts
-
Movie Reviews1 week ago
Movie Review: Millennials try to buy-in or opt-out of the “American Meltdown”
-
News1 week ago
Photos: Pacific Palisades Wildfire Engulfs Homes in an L.A. Neighborhood
-
World1 week ago
Trial Starts for Nicolas Sarkozy in Libya Election Case