The best Arkansas basketball team in decades, at least on paper, showed tantalizing glimpses of its potential in a four-game preseason stretch through Europe that concluded in mid August. See below for the summaries, statistics, highlights and interviews of each game played.
Arkansas Basketball Cumulative Stats
Game 1 – Arkansas 107, Valencia Seleccion 59
(NOTE: The score was reported as 108-59, but upon further review, the Razorbacks were given an extra point late in the second quarter.)
Arkansas wasted no time getting started, jumping out to a 10-0 lead and scoring 35 points while shooting a scorching 16 of 19 from the floor in the first quarter.
Eric Musselman used each of the 13 scholarship players, but freshmen Anthony Black, Joseph Pinion and Barry Dunning Jr., and transfers Ricky Council IV and Trevon Brazile were in the starting lineup. Heralded freshman Nick Smith Jr. came off the bench because he missed some practice time with a finger injury.
However, the injury didn’t seem to slow down Smith, who led the way with 17 points. Kamani Johnson and Brazile finished with 12 points apiece, with Brazile going a perfect 5 of 5 from the floor and Johnson going 5 of 6. Council (11 points) and Dunning (10 points) were the other Razorbacks in double figures.
Even though it was an exhibition game, Musselman was in midseason form as he received a technical late in the second quarter. “What I said was lost in translation,” Musselman joked on Twitter. “They heard how I said something, not what I said.”
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Unofficial Box Score
Highlights
Postgame Interviews
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Game 2 – Arkansas 99, Catalan Elite 86
(NOTE: Arkansas was originally scheduled to play a team called Barcelona Todo-Estrella, but the team changed shortly before the game.)
This was a much different game than Arkansas’ blowout win two days earlier. The Razorbacks turned it over on three of their first four possessions and quickly fell into a double-digit deficit.
It wasn’t until during the second quarter that Arkansas finally took the lead and then Catalan Elite hung around the rest of the day, largely thanks to 23 turnovers by the Razorbacks.
However, the veteran leadership and play of Kamani Johnson and Davonte Davis carried them to a victory. Johnson finished with a double-double and was particularly active on the offensive glass, with nine of his team-high 12 rebounds coming on that end of the floor. Davis scored 17 points on an efficient 7-of-9 shooting. Freshman phenom Nick Smith Jr. also had 17 points for a second straight game, but once again struggled with turnovers, especially early.
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Unofficial Box Score
Highlights
Postgame Interviews
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Game 3 – Arkansas 75, Orange1 Basket Bassano 54
For the third straight game, Arkansas played a different game than the previous two. The Razorbacks never trailed, like they did Thursday, but Orange1 hung close for about a half. It was just an 11-point game through two quarters, so it wasn’t a complete blowout like Tuesday.
A dominant third quarter in which Arkansas held Orange1 to only nine points and outscored them by 15 was when it separated for a comfortable victory. The Razorbacks scored about one-third of their points – 27, to be exact – on fast break opportunities.
For a third straight game, Nick Smith Jr. led all Arkansas scorers with 20 points. He was the only player in double figures, but Anthony Black, Ricky Council IV and Trevon Brazile had nine points apiece. Kamani Johnson once again led the way on the boards, grabbing eight rebounds.
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Official Box Score
Highlights
Postgame Interviews
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(READ NEXT: Key Takeaways from Arkansas’ Two Wins in Spain)
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Game 4 – Arkansas 70, Bakken Bears 59
A suffocating defense helped Arkansas build an early lead against the Bakken Bears, who are a powerhouse in the top Danish professional league. The Razorbacks didn’t allow a field goal until there were 10 seconds left in the first quarter, holding the Bears to 1 of 13 shooting and forcing 11 turnovers in the game’s first 10 minutes.
Bakken eventually settled in and made it competitive, trailing by just nine entering the fourth quarter, but Arkansas proved to be too good for a comeback to happen.
Trevon Brazile turned in a monster performance, scoring 28 points on 13 of 15 shooting while also adding nine rebounds, four steals and two assists. Ricky Council IV and Davonte Davis were the only other Razorbacks in double figures, finishing with 10 points apiece.
Click here to read our live updates from the game.
Official Box Score
Highlights
Postgame Interviews
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