FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It was a moment Arkansas fans and players alike had anticipated for months. Freshman guard Nick Smith Jr. made his first start in a Razorback uniform Saturday afternoon at Bud Walton Arena, introducing another dynamic asset to a team already versatile and dangerous.
In 24 minutes, Smith led the team with 14 field goal attempts, of which he sank six. Three of them came from beyond the arc, and he added a free throw to bring his total to 16 points. He picked up five assists, a rebound and a foul, all without turning the ball over.
“It felt good,” Smith said. “Obviously I’ve been waiting on this moment ever since I made the decision to come here. I feel like it was great for us as a team, you know, just to have our whole team playing.”
Although Saturday marked Smith’s first career start, it was his second appearance. The North Little Rock graduate debuted Monday, but not at full strength. He missed the first six games of the 2022-23 campaign with a right knee injury, so Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman opted to limit his time on the court.
“It was tough on him, the minutes restriction,” Musselman said. “I know he didn’t like it. Also, I think that first game for any player is a challenge. Tonight he played with great freedom, I think, even mentally.”
Smith shone the brightest in the first half, which was a much tighter affair than the second. Arkansas led by just five points at the break, compared to the 41-point margin of victory, and his 11 points and four assists were critical to holding onto the slim advantage.
He broke a 2-2 tie with a 3-pointer two minutes into the contest, and his other triple closed the San Jose State lead to one point.
Two of Smith’s first half assists set up fellow McDonald’s All-American Anthony Black — an alley-oop and a 3-pointer — and the other two went to Missouri transfer Trevon Brazile in the paint.
“Building up to this week, we all knew he was excited to get out there,” Brazile said. “Going into it, we always know Nick brings a lot of energy. That first three, it was good to see one of our players come back, first game back and hit that three. You just love to see him get back on the court and do his thing.”
Brazile was also the recipient of Smith’s fifth helper, which he turned into a 3-pointer to stretch the lead to 14. The freshman checked out for the rest of the contest at the next timeout, as the Hogs were well on their way to their seventh victory in eight games.
“As long as I continue to work hard, continue to build chemistry on the court with my team, I feel like I can be a key piece to this puzzle,” Smith said. “I feel like this team, like I’ve said before, this team complements each other. They allow me to play my game. I feel like we can do a lot of good stuff this year.”
The Razorbacks have four more non-conference games on the slate before SEC play tips off at the end of this month. Musselman said it has not been easy for Smith coming back with the injury, but when healthy, he changes the offensive outlook for the Hogs.
“I think Nick will just keep getting better,” Musselman said. “He’ll keep getting more comfortable. His teammates will start understanding his tendencies.”
Smith and the Razorbacks are scheduled to return to action at 6 p.m. CT Tuesday against UNC Greensboro. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network and stream live on the ESPN app.
