Will Arkansas have four players selected in NBA Draft?
The Arkansas basketball program has the chance to accomplish something that's only happened one other time in school history on Thursday.
Since 1950, the Razorbacks have had four players selected in the same draft just one time.
Back in the 1992 NBA Draft, Arkansas saw Todd Day, Oliver Miller and Lee Mayberry all selected in the first round, while Isaiah Morris went in the second round to make it the most Hoop Hogs ever taken in a single draft. Arkansas had previously seen three players selected in the same draft on two occasions (1979, 1982), but never four.
Things seems to be trending in the direction for the Razorbacks to have four players selected in the 2023 NBA Draft and one of them is looking at potentially being just the seventh top 10 pick in program history.
ESPN's latest mock draft — comprised by experts Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo — features Arkansas' four players with their names the draft all being selected in the two-round event set for Thursday evening.
The first Razorback off the board was freshman point guard Anthony Black, who was projected to go No. 8 overall to the Washington Wizards.
"Washington brass has kept its draft plans close to the vest over the past few weeks, but sources told ESPN Black traveled back to D.C. for a second workout over the weekend, and is strongly in the mix as they eye long-term backcourt options to build around," Woo wrote.
Black's 6-foot-7 frame helps him at the point guard spot and his "unselfish mindset and ability to contribute as a playmaker and defender" is what draws teams to want to spend a top 10 pick on him, according to Woo.
The Wizards are a common landing spot in mock drafts for Black, who averaged 12.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.1 steals per game during his one season in Fayetteville.
Fellow freshman Nick Smith Jr. was the next to go at No. 18 to the Miami Heat, who just fell to the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals. After being a projected top 10 pick entering his freshman season, Smith's stock has dropped him out of the lottery in most projections.
"His creative on-ball chops and strong reputation coming out of high school has kept his name in all these conversations, but a difficult, injury-plagued freshman season at Arkansas ultimately made it difficult for him to build a ton of momentum," Woo wrote. "The Lakers are known to be a suitor for him at No. 17, but if he gets past L.A., there's a chance he might tumble a bit further, with several teams in the 18-25 range thought to be seeking experienced college talent."
The 6-foot-5, 185-pound guard played 17 total games for the Razorbacks this past season after a right knee injury limited his availability. Smith averaged 12.5 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game at Arkansas.
While Smith was projected to go to the Heat, the third McDonald's All-American Razorback to go in the mock draft was Jordan Walsh, who was projected to go No. 40 overall to Denver, which defeated the Heat to win the franchise's first ever NBA championship.
After a freshman season that wasn't as statistically impressive as he likely would've hoped, Walsh has crushed it with pre-draft workouts and a strong NBA Draft Combine showing. He is continuing to commonly show up in the early parts of the second round.
The fourth and final Arkansas player selected was junior Ricky Council IV, who was projected to go 55th to the Sacramento Kings. The Wichita State transfer led Arkansas in scoring this season with an average of 16.1 points per game. He earned Coaches and AP Second Team All-SEC honors after he scored in double figures in 31 of 36 games for Arkansas in 2022-23.
Arkansas is looking at having at least one player selected in the NBA Draft for the fifth year in a row, which is the second longest streak in program history. The longest was eight drafts in a row from 1978-1985.
The Razorbacks have had 41 total NBA draft picks in program history and 13 of those were first round selections. Since the lottery began in 1985, the Hogs have had six players drafted as lottery picks.
The NBA Draft will be held at 7 p.m. CT Thursday at the Barclays Center in New York. It will be broadcast on ABC and ESPN.