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Arkansas’ recent successful run can be attributed to many things, one of those being the proficient shooting of graduate senior Stanley Umude.
The South Dakota transfer is averaging 14.2 points, shooting 48.9% from the field and 43.3% from 3-point range over the team's 13 SEC games.
Umude is not always a go-to scorer for the Razorbacks, but he continues to prove that he can fill it up if needed. Over the past two games, he has shot 15 of 24 (62.6%) from the field, averaging 21 points and seven rebounds.
“I’ve just been keeping my confidence in my teammates and coaches keep doing a good job finding me in the right spots, putting me in the right spots and knocking down shots,” Umude said after Tuesday’s win at Missouri.
There is no consistency to Umude’s successful outings. One night he will play nearly 40 minutes and the next he will play 24. One night he will score 20-plus and the next he will score in the single digits.
Luckily for the Razorbacks, the defense has been so superb lately that they do not need to heavily rely on Umude’s scoring. That said, it was Umude’s team-high 23 points Tuesday that helped power Arkansas over Missouri. He said that they are a hard team to beat when everyone — including himself — is clicking.
“I think we’re real tough to beat when we’re clicking like that,” Umude said. “We have a lot of talent and when we’re trusting each other, believe in each other and we’re moving the ball like that offensively, we’re going to be hard to beat, especially if we’re playing defense at a high level.”
The scoring aspect of his game is what led to the hype around Umude entering this season. There is no question that he can score at-will, but like Umude said, it seems to be more of a trust factor with him and the team.
“Stanley is a scorer,” Arkansas forward Trey Wade said. “We rely on him, and if he can keep that going, it's a great help to our team. It helps us win. I look forward to him doing that every game. It's nothing new to me."
Prior to conference play, Umude had hit just five 3-pointers all season. Since the start of SEC play, he has evolved his game to provide a threat behind the arc.
Over the past five games, in particular, Umude has shot 51.5% from deep. In road games at Georgia and Missouri, he sank six 3-pointers after never making that many in his first 122 career games.
“He’s a really tough cover because he can shoot the ball and he can also score inside,” Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman said. “And then you add the fact that he’s really stroking the ball at a high percentage from 3, he opens up dribble-drive angles for other players.”
While Umude will not hesitate to iso a man at the mid-range level, he is not a pull-up type player from behind the arc. His success has come from his teammates finding him for open shots. All of his 3-pointers against the Tigers came off assists, Umude said.
When the offense is stagnant — like it was for about seven minutes in the second half against Missouri — players like Umude can provide a spark. After senior guard JD Notae hit a 3-pointer to end the long scoring drought, Umude hit one of his own to extend the Razorbacks' lead to 17 and close the door on any hopes of a comeback victory for Missouri.
“Stan has been having a lot of good games in a row,” Arkansas forward Jaylin Williams said on the SEC Network after the Missouri win. “He’s really shooting the ball good, scoring in the paint, rebounding for us. He gives us a lot of momentum on the offensive side and plays hard.”
Umude will need to continue to shoot the ball well when No. 16 Tennessee comes to Fayetteville this Saturday. Tip off is set for 3 p.m. CT and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.
