The Arkansas Razorbacks were reprieved following the reintroduction of forward Trevon Brazile in a loss to Vanderbilt on Tuesday, but the redshirt sophomore still needs to find a rhythm with the Hogs after spending time on the bench with knee soreness since a Jan. 24 loss to Ole Miss.
Heralded as a Preseason All-SEC member by the league's coaches, Brazile hasn't had the season that everyone hoped. Even prior to his injury, the 6-foot-10 rim-runner had only scored double-digit points once in conference play.
Against the Commodores, Brazile played just 17 minutes and finished with seven points, six rebounds and block on efficient shooting numbers. He did foul out of the matchup, a sign of some rustiness that needs to be shaken off.
"I thought he played really well," head coach Eric Musselman said on Thursday. "You look at what he did against Duke, when he was able to make threes and rebound the ball at a high level. Certainly we did not have him last time we played Kentucky. He’s also a player who’s… He’s really only got one extended minutes, meaning last game, so he’s still working his way into shape. He’s still working his way into rhythm. All those things are still a work in progress."
Along with Brazile, the Razorbacks have been dealing with injuries to forward Jalen Graham and guard Keyon Menifield Jr. In their absences, Musselman has shifted to a four-guard starting lineup that's seen some success. With Graham set to return for a matchup against Kentucky this Saturday, Arkansas will have to readjust its rotation.
"I think we’ll end up playing a little bit bigger down the stretch than the four guards," Musselman said. "That happened out of necessity. I think we played well in some games. But certainly we went with a little bit bigger lineup when we made that run late game the other night.
"So I think that you’ll see … We’ll try to get (Brazile) more involved in the next few games. So I think we’ll have a little bit more of a traditional look. It doesn’t mean based on the way a game is going, or the matchups, that we won’t go back to four guards."
Through 21 games this season, Brazile is averaging 8.4 points, 6.2 rebuonds and 0.5 assists per game while shooting 46.8% from the field, 35.8% from beyond the arch and 68.4% from the charity stripe. Once he's transitioned back into regular playing time, Brazile could make the Hogs a more well-rounded team to close the season.
"Yeah, like I mentioned, he can add offensive rebounding to our team, which is an area we’ve lacked," Musselman said. "I think he can be a perimeter threat for us from three. He’s got the ability to tip dunk. He can run the floor and get some easy baskets in transition based on his ability to run.
"Then, defensively, we’ve been a really good shot-blocking team all year, with the exception maybe of a few games like last game. He can add shot-blocking to us as well from a defensive standpoint, and he’s one of our better defensive rebounders."
Up next, Arkansas (14-14, 5-10 SEC) will travel to Rupp Arena this Saturday to take on the No. 16 Kentucky Wildcats (20-8, 10-5 SEC). The game will tip off at 12:30 p.m. CT and will broadcast on CBS.
