FAYETTEVILLE — Clint McDaniel likely has the most well-known non-counting basket in Arkansas history.
The speedy guard made a layup mere seconds after the final buzzer of the Razorbacks’ 76-72 victory over Duke in the 1994 national championship game. Jim Nantz, the game’s play-by-play broadcaster, said McDaniel capped the win “in style.”
Davonte Davis gave McDaniel a run for his money Tuesday.
After Jaylin Williams rebounded a missed three-point attempt by Auburn’s Wendell Green, he pitched ahead to Davis beyond half court. He proceeded to punctuate the program’s first win over the nation’s No. 1 team in Bud Walton Arena with an after-the-horn dunk in which he first bounced the ball hard and high off the floor to himself.
In a bit of frustration, Green rushed down the floor to try to prevent Davis’ moment. Davis spun his body around to face the floor as he hung on the rim, and Green made contact with two arms raised above his head, nearly falling backward. Pandemonium ensued as fans rushed Nolan Richardson Court.
Davis, in his career at Arkansas, has a knack for kicking off celebrations in similar fashion. It was at least the third time in his two seasons (at Kentucky in 2021, at LSU on Jan. 15) that the Jacksonville native finished off a momentous Razorbacks win with a dunk that did not count.
He deserved the shine, too, as one of the game’s central figures. Arkansas coach Eric Musselman heaped praise on his players following the win, and Davis was among those he singled out.
“Devo, that was probably his best game of the year for us,” he said.
"I think he's playing with great confidence. He went from one role to another role, and I think he's embraced it and is really competing at a high level on both sides of the ball."
In 32 minutes, his most in a game since Jan. 18 vs. South Carolina, Davis made more than a handful of key plays and shots to assist JD Notae in his 28-point night and Williams as he recorded a 13-point, 11-rebound double-double.
Davis finished with 10 points on 4 of 8 shooting and 4 rebounds.
Defensively, Davis was terrific, coming away with a career-best five steals and grabbing a number of loose balls. It was his first game with multiple steals since the 87-43 win over Missouri that began the team’s winning streak.
Auburn players defended by Davis attempted only two shots, making one.
Lineups including him against the Tigers allowed 0.81 points per possession, according to Hoop Lens analytics. The Razorbacks outscored Auburn 68-53 in Davis’ time on the floor.
“He played (like) confident Devo. That’s the Devo we all remember,” Williams said. “We know Devo can do that every single game, but he’s kind of just been playing his role for us this year. When Devo’s a confident player, confident in his three-point shot, confident in his mid-range, the defense comes with it.
“Devo was just a confident player and he did really good.”
Davis provided Arkansas a lift with his jump shooting. For the first time since the Dec. 11 loss to Oklahoma in Tulsa, he knocked down multiple threes in a game, finishing 2 of 3 against Auburn after a 0-of-7 stretch the previous 6 games.
The two three-pointers were more than he made the entire month of January when he was 1 of 14. His first was a catch-and-shoot attempt in the left corner assisted by Williams, and the second came in an isolation situation on the right wing.
Davis was previously 0 of 3 on off-the-dribble threes from the right wing this season.
"He's been playing really well for us," Stanley Umude said Thursday. "He works out all the time and he always works on his jumper, so we all have the ultimate trust in him. He shoots it, I think it's going in.
"You just tell him to keep shooting it and keep doing you and keep playing how you play, because he's a real big piece to our team."