FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas had no issues scoring the basketball Tuesday in its 97-65 home victory over an overwhelmed Georgia team.
The Razorbacks, who moved to 19-9 overall and 8-7 in league play, shot their best percentage (63.8%) ever in an SEC game exactly two weeks after matching the previous mark (62.7%) in a road win at Kentucky.
The fact they did not miss more than two consecutive shots in the game is a reflection of the dominance displayed on that end of the floor.
And it only happened four times.
Freshman guard Nick Smith was at the center of it all. In his second start following a 13-game absence due to right knee management, he exploded for a season-high 26 points on an efficient 9 of 14 from the floor in 29 minutes.
Smith knocked down 4 of 6 attempts inside the arc and burned the Bulldogs with a 5-of-8 night from three-point range. With 5:59 to play, Smith hit a runner in the lane, then back-to-back threes to send Bud Walton Arena into a frenzy and put Arkansas up 85-51.
Entering Tuesday’s game, Smith was 1 of 8 beyond the arc against Mississippi State, Texas A&M and Florida.
“We see him every day from a shooting standpoint,” Arkansas coach Eric Musselman said. “He’s been coming to Bud Walton on his own at night. I think that’s how you get your rhythm back. You can’t just rely on practice time.
More from WholeHogSports: Razorbacks rout Georgia to move above .500 in SEC play
“It was really important for Nick to take it on himself to get the extra reps, which he has been doing, for sure.”
Smith was lights out against Georgia during 12 second-half minutes. He scored 18 points on 6 of 7 from the floor, including 4 of 5 from deep, and had 2 assists that created 5 points.
“I mean, make or miss, I’m going to shoot the same shot,” Smith said. “I work on it each and every day, all day, so why not shoot it, you know?”
The guard’s impressive night began on the Razorbacks’ first defensive possession. Arkansas forced a shot clock violation 50 seconds into the game, and it was Smith’s matchup who was unable to get off a shot in time.
Smith said he knew the Razorbacks were going to have a good defensive game at that point. Arkansas wound up outscoring the Bulldogs by 24 points with him in the lineup.
During his opening statement following the win, Musselman credited Smith for his play on the defensive end.
“Being in the gaps, being able to be a help defender and recover back to his own (matchup),” Musselman said of what stood out. “Our guards, because they go over (screens) a lot in those defensive situations, they’re pursuing in rearview mirroring, as we call it. I thought Nick did a phenomenal job in his rearview mirror pick-and-roll coverage and continuing to pursue even when he was behind the ball.
“Our guards get behind the ball with the way that we play it and our bigs do a good job protecting for a second or two, so just really sound, Nick was, defensively for us.”
Since Smith's return, Arkansas has outscored opponents by 49 points in his run and 50 in the team’s three home games. The Razorbacks were minus-1 when he played against the Aggies.
More from WholeHogSports: Musselman, Smith, Black discuss win over Georgia on Tuesday
On Tuesday, they turned in their second-best offensive efficiency rating of the season (138.3), according to KenPom data. Two of the team’s top seven OERs of 2022-23 have come since last weekend.
Ricky Council and freshman guard Anthony Black were standouts alongside Smith.
Council finished with 22 points on 9 of 16 from the floor, including 3 of 6 from deep. He has made 6 two-point field goals in each of the last 2 games, and added 3 threes against Georgia. It was the first time he knocked down 3 threes since Jan. 14 at Vanderbilt.
In three games off the bench this season, the wing is averaging 17.3 points on 52.8% from the field.
“He’s an electric player,” Smith said of Council. “He gets downhill quick, fast, in a hurry. He can also shoot the midrange, shoot the spot-up three. He’s a good player. He’s one of the players we need on this team.”
Black had his fingerprints all over the win, too, finishing with 10 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals. The guard also did not have a turnover for the first time this season.
He is the first Razorback guard with at least 10 points, 8 assists and 0 turnovers in an SEC game since Jalen Harris in January 2019. Black spearheaded Arkansas finishing the game with 266 passes, according to Musselman, and a season-high 26 assists against 5 turnovers.
“He’s got such great court vision, and he’s so unselfish,” Musselman said.
Defensively, the Razorbacks were sharp yet again and held a third straight opponent to an offensive efficiency rating of 96.0 or lower, per KenPom. Georgia shot 36.7% as a team and leading scorer Terry Roberts (14.2 points per game) finished with 4 points on 2 of 9 from the floor.
Arkansas junior guard Davonte "Devo" Davis received credit for Roberts’ poor showing. Musselman said Davis recently asked assistant coach Anthony Ruta for clips of all of the guard’s scores this season to better prepare him for the matchup.
“It’s hard not to defend when you’re playing with Devo, because he’s putting forth so much effort,” Musselman said. “Devo is a leader for us. I feel like player-coach relationship with Devo, he and I kind of think alike. He’s got incredible competitive nature.
“The guys in the locker room all feed off his defense.”