FAYETTEVILLE — Davonte “Devo” Davis has gone from being a starter to a finisher for the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Davis, a 6-4 sophomore guard from Jacksonville, has played off the bench in the last 13 games, but he usually is on the court in the final minutes.
That was the case again on Saturday when Davis keyed a late run that lifted the No. 23 Razorbacks to a 58-48 victory over No. 16 Tennessee in Walton Arena.
With the Vols leading 41-40, Davis hit two three-point baskets and had an assist to Au’Diese Toney for a layup during an 11-1 run that put the Razorbacks ahead 51-42 with 5:17 left.
The run started with a three-pointer from Davis that gave the University of Arkansas a 43-41 lead.
Davis hit another three-pointer to make it 47-42 after JD Notae — the Razorbacks’ leading scorer — went to the bench after picking up his fourth foul.
Davis combined to hit 6 of 9 three-pointers in victories over No. 1 Auburn (80-76 in overtime), at Missouri (76-57) and against Tennessee.
In Arkansas’ 63-55 home victory over Mississippi State, he missed his only three-point attempt, but knocked down a long jumper to stretch the Razorbacks’ lead to 58-54 with 1:01 left.
“I think he’s playing with great confidence,” Arkansas Coach Eric Musselman said. “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.”
Davis has shown a flair for hitting clutch shots in helping the Razorbacks (21-6, 10-4 SEC) go 11-1 in their last 12 games to get back in the NCAA Tournament projections and be in position to earn a double bye in the SEC Tournament.
“When Devo is a confident player, we believe in him,” Arkansas sophomore forward Jaylin Williams said. “We believe in him to do whatever Devo can do.
“He can defend, he can shoot those threes, he can shoot the mid-range, finish layups, whatever it is. When he’s a confident player, he’s one of the best players in the country.”
Davis started the final 14 games last season when the Razorbacks advanced to their first NCAA Tournament Elite Eight appearance since 1995. This season he started 13 of the first 14 games.
With the team struggling and having lost four of five games, Musselman decided to bring Davis off the bench at Texas A&M.
The Aggies won 86-81 to drop the Razorbacks to 0-3 in SEC play, but Davis had 13 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists in 37 minutes.
Arkansas beat Missouri 87-43 in the next game, and Davis had 15 points as the Razorbacks (21-6, 10-3 SEC) rattled off nine consecutive victories.
“Just being ready to play no matter if I’m the first man off the bench or the third,” Davis said of his mindset adjustment after starting 27 of 28 games. “Just being ready to play.
“That’s something I can control, is always be ready to play, and when I’m on the court do whatever I can and whatever it takes to win.”
Playing off the bench, Davis has averaged 7.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.1 steals in 27.1 minutes.
“He’s handling it like a pro,” Williams said. “We all know Devo could probably start for every team in our league. Being able to have such great offense and defensive talent is really big for us.
“Him coming off the bench and doing what he’s doing is incredible for us.”
Davis has played 30 or more minutes in three of the previous four games. He was limited to 18 minutes against Tennessee after picking up two fouls in the first half.
“I think Devo knows how I feel about him and how the coaching staff feels about him,” Musselman said. “I love coaching him. I love being around him off the floor. I mean, we need him.”
Davis is now filling the role Notae did last season, when he was voted by SEC coaches as the conference’s sixth man of the year.
“JD was more than a starter,” Musselman said. “He was one of our top three or four players, even though he wasn’t starting.
“That’s how I look at Davonte Davis. He’s one of our top three or four guys because he’s such a great defender, he’s a great rebounder for his position. He’s made some big-time three balls for us of late, especially when we needed a shot to fall.
“So whether he hears his name for introductions or not, he’s a starter in my mind.”
Davis often tweets photos of himself working in the practice facility late at night.
“Every shot that goes up, I think it’s going to go in,” Davis said. “I continue to put in the work around the arc to continue to make shots like that.”