Diminished Kentucky Ends Regular Season Against Nick Smith Jr, Upgraded Arkansas Backcourt

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Much like Kentucky, Arkansas was pegged as one of the favorites to come out of the SEC and make a run in the NCAA Tournament before the season started.

Then...the season started. Quite a bit changed, both in Lexington and Fayetteville.

The Wildcats struggled mightily in their high-profile non-conference matchups, while the Razorbacks cruised, entering SEC play with just one loss. Despite that, there were still some major concerns for coach Eric Musselman and his team.

Projected NBA draft lottery pick and 5-star freshman Nick Smith Jr missed the first six games of the season, returned to play the next five, then sat for nearly two months, dealing with a knee injury.

Some Arkansas fans thought there was no chance that the 6-foot-5 guard would make a return, instead opting to sit out and get ready to move onto the pros. Big Blue Nation will be getting flashbacks to the Shaedon Sharpe saga last season.

When Smith went on the shelf midseason, Arkansas was 10-1. A cold, hard dose of reality soon set in atop Fayetteville once SEC play began.

Arkansas was also lost starting forward Trevon Brazile in December, as the sophomore suffered a torn ACL against UNC Greensboro, meaning 11.8 points and 6.0 rebounds a game were now out of the window. Losing both him and Smith meant that the Razorbacks needed their bench players to step up in a big way, while simultaneously putting a heavier load on the backs of the other role players and starters.

The results weren't pretty, at first. Arkansas opened SEC play with a 1-5 record, sending it on a downward spiral, something UK can relate to.

Musselman's "updates" of Smith as the conference slate continued all sounded the same, leaving the Hogs wondering if they'd get their star back. The guard trio of Ricky Council IV, Anthony Black and Davonte Davis eventually decided to step to the plate in a major way as time trekked onward.

Arkansas ripped off five wins in a row in conference play, capped off by a soul-sucking 88-73 victory inside Rupp Arena over the Wildcats. A blazing start to the second half and a combined 54 points, 16 assists, 10 rebounds and seven steals from the aforementioned trio left BBN hauling it out of the building before the final media timeout of the game on Feb. 7.

All of a sudden, the Hogs were in a groove, and the return of Smith wasn't as overarching as it once appeared. Then, of course, the touted freshman was ready to make his return.

This is supposed to be the part where Arkansas continues its winning streak and hits a new level. That's not exactly what happened. In the six games since Smith returned, the Razorbacks are 2-4, once again wondering when the rollercoaster ride will end.

Smith's full return came on Feb. 18 against Florida, as he logged over 30 minutes of playing time for the first time since Dec. 6. He only scored 10 points that night, but his team still slaughtered the Gators, 84-65. He's since had a 26 and 24-point night.

"Nick obviously changes who we are with his perimeter shooting," Musselman said.

Across the six games, he's shot 27-70, a 38-percent clip. Nothing earth-shattering, but because of the growth of the other guards around Smith, he doesn't have to be the do-it-all playmaker. During that span, Council (10.8 PPG), Black (9.5) and Davis (7.3) have all continued to contribute.

Now, Kentucky has to face the same team that romped it by 15 points a month ago, but this time inside Bud Walton Arena, with its best player healthy.

Smith wasn't the only guard not playing that night in Lexington, as it was also the beginning of UK having to play without veteran point guard Sahvir Wheeler, who suffered an ankle injury in practice in the lead-up to the game. During the game, shooting guard CJ Fredrick suffered a cracked rib, though he played through it, scoring zero points in 21 minutes.

This time in Fayetteville, Wheeler still isn't ready to go, as the senior will be out "a couple weeks" longer, due to a "minor procedure" that's unrelated to the ankle, per UK coach John Calipari. Even worse, the status of starting PG Cason Wallace is up in the air, as the freshman went down with an injury to his lower-left leg in the Cats' loss to Vanderbilt at home on Wednesday.

Calipari said Wallace is "fine" after being X-rayed and that there's no swelling. Forward Oscar Tshiebwe somewhat spilled the beans postgame, saying that his teammate is "good" and will "be ready."

That's no guarantee, though. Even if Wallace is back and ready to play, he likely won't be 100 percent, being just three days removed from needing help to get back to the locker room.

Without Wheeler and Wallace, the responsibility of taking the ball up the court will fall on shooting guard Antonio Reeves or Fredrick, neither of which will be particularly viable options at this point in the regular season.

From a matchup standpoint, the Arkansas backcourt already showed how much of an issue it is for UK without Smith and with Wallace on the floor. Now possibly reversing the roles is bad news for the Wildcats.

“Every game that Nick gets to play, I think he’s going to feel more and more comfortable," Musselman said. "I think he’s a player that’s going to — he changes our spacing. How people have to guard us."

Tipoff in Fayetteville is set for 2 p.m. EST on Saturday. The game will air on CBS with March Madness is in the air.

More on the loss to the Commodores HERE.

More on the potential impact of Cason Wallace's injury HERE.

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