Don't Expect Big Senior Night Because There Won't Be One
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Pump the brakes on showing up early Wednesday night at Bud Walton Arena for a senior celebration.
There won't be one.
Stanley Umude, Chris Lykes and Trey Wade are all graduate transfers and they had a senior night at their previous stops.
"We’re all just going to focus on LSU," Arkansas coach Eric Musselman said Monday afternoon. "That’s where we are right now. It’s a huge game, as are both games, and then the remainder of what happens after. We’ve done a great job as a group of focusing on one game at a time."
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That has been the mantra all through this streak of 13 wins in the last 14 games. Nobody should really expect anything to change now.
Musselman didn't just make the change on his own.
"Their eligibility is up so I thought it was really important to talk to those three because this truly is those three’s last — not matter what — it’s their last home game," he said. "They’ve all experienced a senior night. So we’re going to worry about and focus on that LSU game and then the framed jerseys and all those things, those guys will receive and be able to have for the rest of their life."
The Hogs have JD Notae and Au'Diese Toney that could potentially return for a bonus year due to COVID. Notae said Monday he hasn't thought about whether he's coming back or not and won't until after the season.
All of the guys that could be in a Senior Night really can't have folks there to celebrate with them. They were at the Kentucky game Saturday.
"With this being a midweek game, almost all of their family members and stuff have gone home as well," Musselman said.
As for Notae and Toney, conversations about their future will come whenever the season ends.
"That’s the appropriate time to have those discussions," Musselman said. "There’s still a body of work ahead of us. There’s still evaluations going on for people at the next level. It’s not an open and closed door until the year is over, then you have those conversations."
Right now the focus is on LSU.
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