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Davonte Davis’ stat line doesn’t exactly jump off the page, but he was a major key in arguably the most critical stretch of Arkansas’ SEC-opening win at Auburn on Wednesday.
On a night when the Razorbacks had five double-figure scorers, head coach Eric Musselman described the freshman’s 13 minutes - in which he notched 4 points on 2 of 3 shooting, 1 rebound, 1 assist and 2 steals - as “really, really important and vital.”
“I thought he did a great job,” Musselman said. “He goes 2 for 3, made all the right decisions tonight, was really, really, really good defensively for us. I thought he did a great job.”
Having already seen an uptick in minutes because of the first-half injury to Justin Smith, Davis checked into the game again when Jalen Tate picked up his fourth foul with 6:55 left and Arkansas clinging to a 76-74 lead.
The Tigers grabbed an offensive rebound on ensuing free throws, but the Razorbacks forced a shot clock violation and then Davis had an eventful three-minute stretch as they extended their lead to 10.
Moses Moody air balled a corner three on the other end of the court, but Davis made an incredible hustle play to keep the ball from going out of bounds. It eventually ended up back in Moody’s hands - after another save by Connor Vanover - and he knocked down a pair of free throws after getting fouled.
On the Razorbacks’ next trip down the floor, Desi Sills missed a couple of free throws, but Davis ensured it wasn’t an empty trip. Despite being boxed out by a player five inches taller than him, he managed to grab an offensive rebound and Arkansas turned the extra possession into a layup by JD Notae.
Davis was also tasked with guarding Auburn’s leading scorer, Justin Powell. He actually forced him to slip and lose the ball on the next defensive possession. Coming up with the loose ball, the Jacksonville product started a fast break and dished it to Vanover, who was fouled and knocked down both free throws.
The highlight of Davis’ night came with just under four minute remaining. With Arkansas leading 82-74, he fought through a screen and recovered in time to meet a driving Jaylin Williams under the basket. He knocked the ball loose and it went out of bounds off Auburn for a turnover.
ESPN2 color analyst Jimmy Dykes spent a lot of time praising Davis for the play, even going so far as to credit it for saving the game for Arkansas.
“That’s as good of a defensive as I have seen all year because the kid had a chance to give up and shrink and absorb the screen,” Dykes said. “He fought off of it, made a beeline for the basketball, had hot hands around it. Really well done.”
The effort was rewarded on the Razorbacks’ ensuing possession, as he hit a jumper late in the shot clock to give his team a 10-point lead.
A lot of what was described above doesn’t necessarily show up in the box score, but they are the things that Davis showcased throughout preseason workouts and earned him the respect of his teammates and coaches.
“I feel like Devo Davis did what Devo Davis does – come in, get loose balls, rebound and play hard,” Sills said. “I feel like he helped us out a lot in this win tonight, so big shoutout to Devo, and I hope he keeps it up going into Missouri next game.”
Arkansas will host the the Tigers, fresh off a 20-point loss - their first of the season - to Tennessee on Wednesday, at Bud Walton Arena this weekend. Tip off is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT Saturday and the game will be televised on CBS.
