College Students, get a year of HawgBeat coverage for just $11.95. Request details via email from your school account (.edu) to nchavanelle@yahoo.com.

Not a subscriber? Subscribe for free for 30 days w/code HAWGS30
NEW USERS | RETURNING USERS

It wasn’t until he got hurt and missed four games that the importance of Justin Smith’s presence for Arkansas was fully recognized.

In their first game after he had ankle surgery last month, the Razorbacks laid an egg in an ugly 13-point loss to Missouri. With Smith in the lineup Saturday, they got some revenge with an 86-81 overtime win over the No. 10 Tigers.

Smith played a key role in the upset, scoring a team-high 19 points on 6 of 10 shooting in what head coach Eric Musselman described as his “best game as a Razorback.”

All but two of his points came after halftime, plus he had six rebounds, three assists and two steals. Smith also sealed the victory with a pair of free throws in the closing seconds that made him 6 of 7 at the charity stripe.

“His first shot was a layup that he kind of scuffed and then after that, I thought offensively he was great,” Musselman said. “He was aggressive. He went 1 of 3 from three. He knocked down his free throws. He did not have one turnover in 38 minutes of play against an aggressive team.”

On two separate occasions, Smith threw down impressive alley-oop dunks after halftime. The 19-point effort also put him over 1,000 career points, including his time at Indiana.

After watching the loss to Missouri on Jan. 2 from the sideline, he was motivated to get through his rehab and get back on the court. Playing the Tigers again was an opportunity his teammates noticed he didn’t want to let slip by.

“He just came back with a vengeance this time,” Moses Moody said. “He had a different look in his eye and he was determined to get us this Quad 1 win, and that’s what we did.”

Here are a few other tidbit, notes and stats from the Razorbacks’ big overtime win at Missouri…

Shirtless Muss Celebration

Presented without comment: