FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas guard Nick Smith practiced Monday and should be ready to play when the No. 10 Razorbacks take on Bradley on Saturday in North Little Rock, Coach Eric Musselman said.
“Nick’s doing good,” Musselman said.
Smith, a 6-5 freshman from Jacksonville, took himself out of Arkansas’ 88-78 victory over Oklahoma at the BOK Center in Tulsa last Saturday with 5:32 left and didn’t play the rest of the game.
Musselman said Smith experienced some soreness in his right knee and didn’t play at the end of the game as a precaution. After going to the locker room, Smith returned to the Arkansas bench.
The Razorbacks (9-1) led 71-61 when Smith left the game, and Oklahoma didn’t pull closer than nine points the rest of way.
“When Nick came back to the bench, it was a situation where we could have put him back in the game if we had needed him,” Musselman said. “But at that point, we had the game pretty much under control.”
Smith, who missed the first six games this season recovering from a right knee injury, had an encouraging post about his health on his Twitter account after the Oklahoma game.
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“WPS!!! See you in Little Rock,” Smith wrote.
Smith averaged 21.5 points, 2.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds in his last two games and on Monday was named SEC Co-Freshman of the Week along with Alabama’s Noah Clowney, a 6-10 forward.
Clowney averaged 19.0 points and 11.0 rebounds in two games last week when the Crimson Tide beat South Dakota State 78-65 at home and won 71-65 at then-No. 1 Houston 71-65. He had 16 points and 11 rebounds against Houston.
In Smith’s third game back from his injury, he scored a season-high 22 points and hit 6 of 14 shots and 9 of 11 free throws in 39 minutes in the Razorbacks’ 65-58 victory over North Carolina-Greensboro last Tuesday night in Walton Arena.
“I thought Nick was really good offensively,” Musselman said after the game. “The 11 free throws attempted were really important on a night that we struggled [shooting 33.3% from the field].
“If he doesn’t have a good scoring night, then we probably don’t win.”
Smith scored 21 points against Oklahoma and hit 8 of 16 shots and 4 of 4 free throws in 29 minutes.
“Nick can score at the rim, he can score mid-range and he can score from three,” Sooners Coach Porter Moser said.
Smith is averaging 14.8 points on the season, but 19.7 in the last three games after he was scoreless in six minutes off the bench in his college debut against Jose Jose State. He scored 16 points against Troy in his second game.
“Nick’s got a great pull-up game, great at attacking the rim,” Musselman said Monday night on his radio show. “He has the ability to stretch the defense with three-balls.
“He can be a high assist player as well. He’s a willing passer. Certainly we needed his points last week.”
This is the third consecutive week a Razorback has been honored by the SEC. Point guard Anthony Black was named SEC co-Freshman of the Week on Nov. 28 along with Ole Miss guard Amaree Abram. Razorbacks junior guard Ricky Council, a transfer from Wichita State, was named SEC Player of the Week on Dec. 5.
Despite the Razorbacks going 2-0 last week, they fell one spot in The Associated Press poll released on Monday after being No. 9.
Arizona traded spots with Arkansas and moved from No. 10 to No. 9 after beating Indiana 89-75 in Las Vegas last Saturday.
Arkansas is one of six SEC teams ranked along with No. 4 Alabama, No. 7 Tennessee, No. 13 Kentucky, No. 17 Mississippi State and No. 19 Auburn.
“This is our fourth year in the SEC, and I think the league’s as good as it’s been any of the years we’ve been here,” Musselman said on his radio show. “Mississippi State’s defense is phenomenal. They play really, really hard.
“Tennessee’s defense is phenomenal as well. [Alabama Coach] Nate Oats has his team playing as well as any team in the country when you look at them knocking off two No. 1 teams.”
Earlier this season Alabama beat then-No. 1 North Carolina 103-101 in four overtimes in Portland, Ore.
“It’s going to be really, really challenging in the SEC,” Musselman said on his radio show.
The Arkansas-Bradley game, which starts at 3 p.m. in Simmons Bank Arena in North Little Rock, was announced Monday as a sellout.
It will be a homecoming to Central Arkansas for Smith and Razorbacks junior guard Davonte “Devo” Davis, who is from Jacksonville. Arkansas freshman guards Derrian Ford, from Magnolia, and Joseph Pinion, from Morrilton, also will be close to home.
“Certainly for guys like Devo and Nick, it’ll be real meaningful, as it will be for Joseph and Derrian as well,” Musselman said. “The guys seem really excited this year to be going to North Little Rock.”
When Arkansas lost to Hofstra 89-81 in Simmons Bank Arena last season, the game had an announced crowd of 14,685.
“The environment’s really cool there,” Musselman said. “The energy and the enthusiasm in that building is awesome.”