FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas freshman guard Nick Smith will not play when the ninth-ranked Razorbacks open SEC play at LSU.
The game between Arkansas (11-1) and LSU (11-1) is scheduled to tip off at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, La.
Smith will miss his eighth game this season with what has been described as right knee management.
“Nick’s status has not changed at all, out indefinitely,” Arkansas coach Eric Musselman said Monday. “There’s no updates on him at all.”
Musselman said he assumes Smith will travel with the team to LSU, just as he did when he sat out all three games the Razorbacks played at the Maui Invitational in November. Arkansas is 6-1 in games when Smith has not played this season.
Smith, a 5-star recruit from North Little Rock who is projected to be a high first-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, has averaged 12.8 points on 38.9% shooting and 30% from three-point range in 5 games, including 4 starts.
He scored 22 points in the Razorbacks’ 65-58 victory over North Carolina-Greensboro on Dec. 6 and 21 against Oklahoma in Tulsa on Dec. 10.
The 6-5 guard missed the first six games of the season before making his debut off the bench during a Nov. 28 game against Troy. He scored 5 points on 1-of-8 shooting in 20 minutes before leaving a Dec. 17 against Bradley early in the second half with what Musselman described as discomfort in his knee after having it taped at halftime. He has not played since.
Smith also exited the win over Oklahoma with less than six minutes remaining after appearing to aggravate the injury.
LSU will likely provide the toughest test since the Razorbacks were left shorthanded with Smith out and center Trevon Brazile on the shelf with a torn ACL. The Tigers are undefeated at home in their first season under coach Matt McMahon, who led Murray State to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in four postseasons earlier this year.
“With the makeup of our roster, with Nick and TB not playing, somebody has got to kind of step up and have a big game for us, for sure,” Musselman said.