After earning his second start in as many games, Arkansas freshman phenom Nick Smith Jr. let the college basketball world know that he's back with a 26-point performance during Arkansas' 97-65 win over Georgia on Tuesday.
The McDonald's All-American was 9-of-14 from the floor and 5-of-8 from three in the contest and he also added a rebound and two assists. Of his 26 points, 18 came in the second half and 12 of those came off four made threes.
"Nick was phenomenal," Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman said. "Not just offensively. Obviously the 9-of-14 and the 5-of-8 from three and his 26 points, but I thought he did a really good job defensively as well."
Smith's offensive performance was impressive, and his three point barrage in the second half was a spectacle. He earned a season-best 142 offensive rating from KenPom, and the 26 points and five made threes are both a new career-high.
"It was really no surprise to me," Smith said. "I worked hard ever since I was gone. I came back, and the team has put confidence in me just to go out there and play my game, especially Coach Muss."
After missing 13-straight games with right knee management, Smith is back at just the right time for Arkansas. With four games played in a row, including back-to-back big wins, Smith is playing at the level that Hog fans, college basketball fans and pro scouts expected.
Adding an offensive threat like Smith would benefit any team, but especially a team like Arkansas that has been without two of its best scorers for a significant period of the season. Smith missed an extended period of time and star forward Trevon Brazile tore his ACL back in December.
"You can see the impact that Nick had," Musselman said. "The guys that have played, I give them a ton of credit, because they kept hanging around and they competed every night. And then you add Nick, and we’re a much better and a way more well-rounded offensive team."
Coming back and performing at such a high level wasn't a piece of cake for the native of Jacksonville. He had to put in the extra work just like anyone else, and now it's paying off.
"We see him every day from a shooting standpoint," Musselman said. "He’s been coming to Bud Walton on his own at night. I think that’s how you get your rhythm back.
"You can’t just rely on practice time, because we’ve can’t practice just for Nick when we’ve got guys like AB and Ricky and those guys that have been practicing and grinding. So it was really important for Nick to take it on himself to get the extra reps, which he has been doing for sure."
Defensively, Smith was a pest to Georgia players. He plays with high intensity and energy at all times and he is no walk in the park to try and score on.
Musselman said that Smith's ability to be in gaps and be a help defender is what sets him apart.
"I thought Nick did a phenomenal job in his rearview mirror pick-and-roll coverage and continuing to pursue even when he was behind the ball," Musselman said. "Which our guards get behind the ball with the way that we play it and our bigs do a good job protecting for a second or two, so just really sound, Nick was, defensively for us."
With an extremely difficult upcoming three-game stretch — at Alabama, at Tennessee and Kentucky at home — it was important to get Smith extra conditioning in Tuesday's win over the Bulldogs.
Though the Hogs were up big, Musselman left his star freshman in and Smith continued to dominate, even going on an 8-0 run by himself that included back-to-back threes near the five minute mark in the second half.
"I think that every game that Nick gets to play, I think he’s going to feel more and more comfortable," Musselman said. "I probably left him out there tonight an extra four minutes in the second half late because I wanted him to continue to get conditioning and rhythm and confidence. Again, I think he’s a player that changes our spacing and how people have to guard us."
The next challenge for the Hogs will be at No. 2 Alabama at 1 p.m. CT Saturday at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
