'Confident' Hogs Heading to Baton Rouge to Start SEC Play

Nick Smith Jr. out indefinitely but Razorbacks inch ahead in polls before LSU game

Author:
Andy Hodges
Updated:
Dec 27, 2022 1:44 PM EST
Original:
Dec 26, 2022

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It won't be the team ninth-ranked Arkansas team fans expected to take the floor in Baton Rouge on Wednesday night.

Nobody appears too worried about it, though.

"We’re kind of changing our identity as the season is progressing because of the injuries, but I think our ball club is a confident team," Hogs coach Eric Musselman said Monday morning. "We like our roster a ton."

Eric Musselman-UNC-Asheville — Arkansas Razorbacks Eric Musselman during their win over UNC-Asheville on Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022, at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark. (Andy Hodges / allHOGS Images)

The Razorbacks will open the SEC schedule against LSU in Baton Rouge.

The game will be televised on the SEC Network and fuboTV.

You can hear the game at HitThatLine.com and on ESPN Arkansas 99.5 in Fayetteville, 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home.

The Hogs have had to make adjustments with Trevon Brazile going down for the season with a knee injury and Nick Smith Jr.'s wobbly knee situation but they have played that way a couple of times now.

"Different guys have stepped up at different moments," Musselman said. "Whether you go back to the San Diego State game in Maui when Kamani (Johnson) really stepped up.

"Or Jalen Graham last game really stepped up. Devo Davis has continued to play at a really, really high level.

"And Anthony Black, when we’ve been down scorers, Anthony has proven that he can step up and score the basketball."

Jalen Graham-UNC Asheville — Arkansas Razorbacks forward Jalen Graham (11) drives against UNC Asheville Bulldogs forward Jamon Battle (1) during the second half at Bud Walton Arena. Arkansas won 85-51. (Nelson Chenault / USA TODAY Sports)

Musselman can go deep into the bench. The Hogs can keep playing at a high level throughout the lineup.

Or at least they have in the non-conference schedule. Now everything picks up with league games starting and six of the 14 teams in the Top 25.

Musselman used the word "opportunity" a lot.

"Our ball club is a confident team," he said. Wwe understand that we only have so many limited opportunities to play on the road, and this is one of those opportunities.

"We’re playing against a team that’s 8-0 at home, playing against a star player, an All-League type player in No. 12, KJ Williams."

Leading scorer Ricky Council IV said the team has played with the guys out and it's really not something they can control.

"When he’s ready he’ll be back," Council said about Smith. "We did it the first couple games. We came up short against Creighton, but other than that we’ve [won] without him. He’s a really good player and added to our team in a majority of ways.

"We’ve just got adjust. People have to step up. We’ll be ready to go."

He wasn't really expected to say anything different, but the attitude has remained the same.

So have the wins. Now they'll just mean a little more.