Growth of freshmen evident in win at Kentucky

Arkansas guard Davonte Davis dribbles out the clock after stealing a pass during the closing seconds of a game against Kentucky on Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2021, in Lexington, Ky. (Elliott Hess, UK Athletics via SEC Pool)

College coaches have been known to say freshmen can begin to showcase traits typically found in older players at a certain point during a season.

Arkansas has three who fit that mold in Moses Moody, Davonte Davis and Jaylin Williams.

The Razorbacks’ freshman trio was vital in the team’s thrilling 81-80 victory over Kentucky at Rupp Arena on Tuesday. They combined for 27 points on 8 of 18 shooting and 16 rebounds, and routinely made winning plays in key moments.

“(They’re) not just playing but having a big impact," Arkansas coach Eric Musselman said. "I think that all of us can see the growth that’s been made with all of them.”

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Moody finished with 14 points — second on the team to Jalen Tate’s 15 — on 4 of 9 shooting. All of his buckets came from beyond the 3-point line, and his seven rebounds tied for the team lead.

Davis added four points on 2 of 5 shooting, but they were critical scores and his presence on the floor defensively gave the Razorbacks a lift. In his 17 minutes on the floor, Arkansas outscored Kentucky by nine points.

Williams pitched in 9 points — 5 at the free throw line — and and 7 rebounds. He and Moody both tallied six defensive rebounds and one offensive board.

“I think those three guys continue to get better and better. I really do,” Musselman said. “You think about three freshmen and the minutes that they’re out there and they’re contributing, and then you add in that Connor (Vanover is) only a sophomore. That’s a lot of young players out there that are playing in big games on the road."

Perhaps most impressive about the play of the freshmen is the fact they did not turn the ball over in their collective 69 minutes on the floor. For Davis, who handed out three assists, it was his first turnover-free game since Jan. 16. It was Moody's first since Jan. 6.

Moody scored 11 of his 14 in the second half. He hit 3 of 6 shots from the floor and 3 of 5 from deep, and he was the only player on either side who did not come off the floor after halftime.

Davis did not finish with a second-half bucket, but he would have had there been two more seconds on the clock at the end of the game. His steal in the game’s closing moments capped the Razorbacks’ fifth consecutive win in SEC play after Tate’s go-ahead free throws with 4.3 seconds remaining.

If basketball ultimately does not work out for Davis, he might have a future in predicting the future.

“I told Jaylin Williams that before Jalen Tate shot his second free throw that I was going to get a steal, which is a crazy part,” Davis said. “I got the steal and sealed it. Before (Tate) shot his first (free throw) I told him, ‘You’ve been in this position before.’

“He got a couple rings at his old school (Northern Kentucky), so I told him to go up there, knock them down and the rest, just leave it to me.”

Davis also made a pair of brilliant passes on a broken floor, delivering on-the-money bounce passes to Justin Smith for layups. Moody was also on the receiving end of a Davis pass that led to his first 3-pointer of the second half.

“(Musselman is) just giving me freedom. That’s how I like to play,” Davis said of his role offensively. “He’s given me a lot of freedom, and as the year progresses and as he gives me more and more leeway I’m going to continue to take advantage, but make the right plays as well.”

Williams was maybe the unsung hero of the game for Arkansas. The freshman, battling a bone bruise to his right knee, gave the Razorbacks 23 minutes. He had played 24 minutes in the last three games combined.

Six of his nine points came in the final 6:11 of the game. He added a key putback with 3:06 remaining to end Arkansas' four-and-a-half minute stretch without a field goal. More than one minute later he knocked down two pressure-packed free throws.

“Jaylin Williams was really, really good down the stretch in the second half,” Davis said. “I really feel like as the season goes, Jaylin Williams gets better, for sure.”

The Razorbacks’ best lineup in the win included Smith, Tate, Vanover, Moody and Davis. The group outscored the Wildcats 20-12 over 7:10 and tallied 3 steals and 4 assists against no turnovers.

“We were coming in executing our plays and executing on defense. That’s what we do,” Davis said. “We’re going to try to help the team in every aspect and every way we can. That’s what we did, and we found a way, and whatever we did to help the team out, it had to be done.

“We got that job done and won the game.”