FAYETTEVILLE — Since University of Arkansas Coach Eric Musselman put Trey Wade in the starting lineup, the Razorbacks haven’t lost.
Arkansas extended its winning streak to five games with a 64-55 victory at Ole Miss on Wednesday night in which Wade had 12 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists without a turnover while playing 39 minutes and 20 seconds.
Wade, a 6-6 senior forward who transferred from Wichita State, also has helped the Razorbacks (15-5, 5-3 SEC) hold their last five opponents under 40% shooting.
“I’m just trying to be the energy on the defensive end every time down,” Wade said. “I’m talking every single time.
“And really, my focus is just on winning. I really don’t care about anything else. Whatever it takes to win, that’s what I’m trying to do.”
In Arkansas’ two games prior to the winning streak, Wade combined for nine minutes in losses to Vanderbilt and at Texas A&M and didn’t attempt a shot.
“Obviously I was a little frustrated with it, but it’s my last year,” Wade said. “I’ve got no room to complain. I’ve got no room to move around.
“The best thing I could do is stick it out and show Coach I can really help keying in on winning.
“Every day I had to come with it and prepare myself to try to make it more minutes out there.”
Musselman, a former NBA coach, said Wade — who in late December started back-to-back games against Elon and Mississippi State —has shown a professional attitude about his playing time.
“He’s a guy that has this steady approach every single day, and he understands that we value practice,” Musselman said. “That we value understanding the scouting report, and I think he’s just ultra tuned in.
“But he does remind me of NBA players that stay ready when they’re called upon.”
Given a shot to start in SEC play, Wade didn’t waste it.
“We talk to our team about, ‘When you go into a game, you take your first opportunity to do something well, and to help the team. Then the next opportunity,’ ” Musselman said. “All of a sudden, Trey goes from maybe playing seven minutes a night to playing 35 to now playing 40 where you just don’t take him off the floor.
“That’s what you want out of a guy that is trying to increase his role. You want productivity and you want a guy that’s unselfish on both sides of the ball that makes other people around him better.”
Musselman said that when Wade was playing sparingly earlier in the season, he still contributed.
“He’s the guy that unequivocally makes our practices better,” Musselman said. “He’s been an energy giver to his teammates and the coaching staff, whether he plays a minute or plays 40 minutes.
“That’s not always the case on teams where guys aren’t playing the role that they want, that they bring energy every single day.
“When guys do that, and then they don’t play, as a staff you feel for that guy that’s doing everything you ask, and that’s why Trey’s gotten several different opportunities to start this year.”
Wade has averaged 8.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 31.4 minutes during the winning streak with 4 total turnovers. He has shot 70.8% (17 of 24), including 5 of 6 three-pointers, and hit 5 of 7 free throws.
“He’s been great from an offensive standpoint, and it starts with he understands his role,” Musselman said. “He understands his strengths and weaknesses.
“He does not take bad shots, so therefore you see a really high three-point percentage.”
While Wade’s play on offense has been welcomed by the coaching staff, Musselman said his greatest contributions have been on defense.
In SEC games, opponents have shot 14 of 49 when guarded by Wade, including 0 of 12 on three-point attempts.
“Trey is doing an incredible job as a help defender and guarding his own guy,” Musselman said. “He’s a disciplined defender, meaning he doesn’t leave his feet at inopportune times. He doesn’t reach or gamble at the wrong times.
“He’s got a high basketball IQ. He’s a veteran. He’s got good experience to understand both on-ball defense and team defense.
“Because some guys are really, really good on-ball defenders and then they might not be great help defenders.”
Wade can match up defensively, Musselman said, with any opposing player.
“You talk about just the versatility and his ability to guard 1 through 5,” Musselman said. “That’s how we look at him — that he can guard five positions.”
Wade said playing defense is about moving his feet, following instructions and scouting the opponent.
“I’m staying in front of the ball,” Wade said. “I’m doing all the things Coach is teaching.
“But also, I know my personnel, who I’m guarding. When my guy gets the ball, I know the right way to contain him.
“I know what he’s going to do. It’s just a matter of focus. It’s a matter of effort.”
Senior forward Au’Diese Toney, a transfer from Pittsburgh, said Wade has been a vocal leader, especially on defense.
“It’s very important, because during the midst of the game, you need somebody with a [loud] voice like Trey,” Toney said. “Somebody who’s been playing basketball for a long time, to be able to step up and point out the things that he sees out on the court going on that other people didn’t see and being able to keep the team in order.”
Wade, Toney, JD Notae, Jaylin Williams and Stanley Umude have been Arkansas’ starters the last four games. Umude replaced Kamani Johnson, who suffered an ankle injury in the Razorbacks’ 87-43 victory over Missouri that started their winning streak with Wade scoring a season-high 17 points.
The Razorbacks have started nine different combinations in 20 games. Eleven players have started at least one game.
“I never got down on any of our lineups,” Wade said. "Every time Coach put up the lineup, I was like ‘This is the lineup.’
“It was just a matter of which one was going to work the best, and this is working for us. I think we’ve got a lot of junkyard dogs in there, which is helping us a lot.”