6 thoughts from Arkansas' basketball exhibition blowout in Spain

Arkansas forward Trevon Brazile dunks the ball Wednesday, July 27, 2022, during practice in the Eddie Sutton Men’s Basketball Practice Gym on the university campus in Fayetteville.

Here are six observations from the Razorbacks’ 108-59 win over Valencia Seleccion in Valencia, Spain, on Tuesday:

Nick Smith’s finger is just fine

Arkansas’ star guard was said to be day-to-day late last week with a deep bone bruise to the index finger on his non-shooting hand. Because he was forced to miss practice time because of the injury, he did not start Tuesday.

Smith checked in less than two minutes into the game. For segments, he stole the show and consistently displayed why he is a projected top-three pick in next year’s NBA Draft.

Smith led all scorers with 17 points and gave Arkansas a lift from deep with 3 three-pointers. His jump shot is a thing of beauty, his pull-up game inside the arc is pretty to watch, too, and I would imagine very difficult to defend.

Razorbacks coach Eric Musselman said Smith was a bit careless with the basketball on some turnovers, but he unofficially had six assists to offset the miscues. A number of his timely passes keyed alley oops and other big dunks, including on a baseline out-of-bounds play.

"Ever since we got on campus, I've thought the same thing about Nick: He's definitely a pro,” said Trevon Brazile, a transfer from Missouri. “And he showed that tonight. Coming off the pick and roll, playing defense, he’s active, he’s talking.

“Nick Smith is definitely a pro."

Brazile did what he’s supposed to do

The promising sophomore earned a start for the Razorbacks and added a bucket to get Arkansas out to an early 8-0 lead Tuesday. He also got a nod to begin the second half and he dominated for a stretch.

Brazile scored at least six consecutive points on an alley oop, a feed from freshman Jordan Walsh and a layup as he cleaned up a perimeter miss. Statistics were unofficial. 

It was the kind of sequence that had to make Musselman, who spoke glowingly last season of Brazile prior to games against Missouri, all the more thrilled that he is now on his side.

We did not get to see Brazile truly stretch the floor like he is capable of doing, but it was more a result of the way the game was trending. He did, however, have the most emphatic block of the day early on.

The rejection helped set the Razorbacks’ tone on the defensive end and let Valencia Seleccion know nothing was going to come easy around the rim.

Asked for thoughts on his own play, Brazile, in a way, shrugged off his 12-point outing. Musselman did not.

“Really active, really moved,” Musselman said. “(He) can change our transition game. (He is good) at keeping the ball and beating people off the bounce. Obviously a great, great lob threat.”

Kamani Johnson rebounded like a bull

With the influx of talent in the Razorbacks’ front court this offseason, Johnson is making sure no one — especially the coaching staff — forgets what he can bring to the floor.

Johnson led Arkansas’ charge on the glass, particularly on the offensive end. Unofficially, five of his eight rebounds in the game were off his own or a teammate’s miss.

“I thought Kamani did a fabulous job, for sure. He played hard,” Musselman said. “He came off the bench and played with great energy. I thought he played really, really well, which is what we need from a returning player.”

Johnson was among the team’s leading scorers with 12 points, mostly around the rim. His most impressive moment as a scorer came when he caught a pass in the left short corner against a zone, squared up, slipped along the baseline and added a reverse layup.

It was as smooth of a move as we’ve seen from him in a Razorback uniform.

Johnson should also be commended for his vision. He had four assists and did a solid job finding teammates in close quarters on the interior for scores.

Barry Dunning gets some praise

The freshman from Alabama, like Brazile, earned a start for the work he put in in team workouts leading up to the foreign tour. He took advantage.

After finishing with 10 points, 4 rebounds and 1 block, Dunning got a shoutout from Musselman. Dunning added a score in the Razorbacks’ quick first-quarter start and was active on both ends throughout.

The highlight of his day was a lob from Smith on a baseline out-of-bounds play.

“Not many people are going to talk about Barry Dunning,” Musselman said. “I thought Barry played really well.”

It is only early August, but Dunning appears to be in the best position among the 4-star freshmen to fight for rotation minutes. He simply does what Musselman and the coaching staff wants.

Defensive intensity was high, and pace of play was hectic

Smith, who has played basketball at high levels for years, said Tuesday’s first exhibition was the most uptempo game he has experienced. He said Musselman prepared the team for it, but he found himself gassed at times.

“They were playing crazy fast. We would get the ball and score it and they would just throw it across the court,” Smith said. “I was tired as heck, but Thursday is going to be better for us, for sure.”

Smith was likely tired, in part, because of missed practice time. The pace was back and forth throughout because the Razorbacks’ defense was relentless and chaotic. It was also undisciplined at times.

Musselman is hopeful that will improve the remainder of the trip.

“I thought defensively we just gambled way too much,” Musselman said. “We have to become way more solid. Our athleticism was obviously too much for our opponent, but having said that, we’ve got to understand when to gamble, when not to gamble.”

Six Razorbacks recorded a steal and many of the forced turnovers led to transition scores and rim-rattling dunks for the likes of Ricky Council, who had 11 points.

Smith believes Arkansas can be the best defensive team in the nation when disciplined.

“With our length and size and athleticism, I feel like why not be the best team in the nation? That’s definitely (possible with) the defensive schemes that we have with Coach Muss and what he’s taught us over the summer," he said.

“It’s going to be pretty key for us later on down the line because it has worked with him a couple years.”

Jordan Walsh did a little bit of everything

Prior to the team leaving for Europe, Arizona State transfer Jalen Graham said his player comparison for Walsh is Phoenix Suns wing Mikal Bridges, a player who can impact games in various ways and is a true two-way talent.

In his unofficial debut with the Razorbacks, Walsh showed the kind of impact he can have and player he can be. He turned in a stat line of 9 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals.

More of that — and aggressiveness both going to the rim offensively, and in general on the defensive end — can be expected of him in 2022-23. Walsh had a number of high-motor moments in the win and several times disrupted the rhythm of Valencia Seleccion’s half-court offense.

Asked for his thoughts on Walsh’s well-rounded performance, Smith said, “(He) came in and played hard.”