Council provides spark off Arkansas bench
During Arkansas' back-to-back blowout wins over Florida and Georgia, junior guard Ricky Council IV has come off the bench and provided the team with a big-time spark.
Last season, Council was named the 2021-22 American Athletic Conference Sixth Man of the Year for his efforts with the Wichita State Shockers. He started just eight of the 28 games, but he ranked second on the team in scoring, averaging 12 points per game. Council scored in double figures in 17 games, including three with 20-plus points.
A native of Durham, North Carolina, Council has started 25 of 28 games so far this season in Fayetteville. Two of those games he didn't start were the most recent contests against the Gators and Bulldogs, and the other came on Jan. 11 against Alabama, which Arkansas will face this weekend.
The likely cause for Council not being in the starting lineup is the return of freshman phenom Nick Smith Jr., who scored a career-high 26 points in the win over Georgia. With an elite scorer like Smith in the starting lineup, having a player like Council, who averages 16.6 points per game, coming off the bench provides the Hogs with no drop off when they have to sub.
"I think he’s doing good for us coming off the bench, because it’s like a spark," guard Anthony Black said after Tuesday's win over Georgia. "You don’t ever want to sub and then go downhill. We basically have like six, seven dudes who can start. Whenever he comes off the bench like that, it’s huge for us and it brings us a lot of energy."
Council scored 14 points and brought down seven rebounds in Saturday's 84-64 win over Florida, and he scored 22, recorded three rebounds and had four assists in Tuesday's beatdown of Georgia. Both outings resulted in him recording at least a 115 offensive rating on KenPom — 116 against Florida and 135 against Georgia.
The 6-foot-6-inch guard is a tough cover and he can come in and push the pace to ignite an otherwise sputtering offense. Head coach Eric Musselman said it's really important to have a guy that can bring "pop" off the bench.
"I think we saw that a couple years ago with JD Notae," Musselman said. "The importance of a guy that can come in if you're not scoring the ball. It changes the way people have to defend us as well because he's such a good isolation player. He's such a good free-throw attempt player. So, it changes who we are when he's making perimeter shots to go along with his transition dunks and transition points and free throws attempted."
After going through a lull during the middle of conference play, Council seems to be hitting his stride like he did during non-conference play, when he was the No. 1 scorer in the conference at times. He said after the Florida game that coming off the bench "definitely" was not the cause of his success, but rather it was his mindset following a tough personal challenge.
"Just trying to get back in my groove," Council said after the Florida game. "Lost a friend the other day. That’s kind of been on my mind lately. Just getting mentally prepared. My family being down here helped a lot. Just getting back in a groove and I think I’ll be good moving forward."
Sure enough, Council was even better moving forward with his 22-point outing against the Bulldogs. He scored 14 points in the first half and added to his all-around game with eight points and three assists in the second half. Council also tied his season-high with three made 3-pointers, which Georgia head coach Mike White said after the game was a "huge factor" in the Bulldogs' loss.
"Ricky, he’s an electric player," Nick Smith Jr. said after the Georgia game. "He’s gets downhill quick, fast, in a hurry. He can also shoot the mid-range, shoot the spot-up three. He’s a good player. He’s one of the players we need on this team."
Expect to see Council off the bench once again for the Hogs on Saturday, when they will face the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The game will tipoff at 1 p.m. CT on ESPN2.