FAYETTEVILLE — With guard Anton Beard (foot) and forward Trey Thompson (hamstring) questionable for Saturday's game against Ole Miss, Mike Anderson said freshman Gabe Osabuohien will play against the Rebels.
Osabuohien is yet to see the floor in six Southeastern Conference games and has not played more than five minutes since Arkansas' Dec. 5 win against Colorado State. Still, Anderson said the freshman can be an asset on the defensive end.
"Gabe is one of those guys that can move his feet and I think he's a great second line defender," Anderson said. "He's in position to read and help. I think he rebounds in traffic, I think he goes out and does some of that dirty work that you want.
"He's a blue collar player, and he plays with a little edge. I like that. He's a good passer, too. We'll see him play on Saturday. He'll play, without a doubt."
Osabuohien is averaging 1.3 points and 1.4 rebounds in eight games played.
Adrio Bailey, who started the first seven games of the season, is another player who could see a minutes increase if Thompson isn't 100 percent. The sophomore is 0 of 5 from the floor in 19 minutes in Arkansas' last three games.
"I'm looking forward to getting him back so he can have an impact on this basketball team," he said. "We've got some guys in position that can assume some of those minutes."