Razorback junior guard Davonte Davis (#4) from Jacksonville, AR drives into the lane against UNCG at

 Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, AR.

By Otis Kirk

FAYETTEVILLE -- No. 10 Arkansas will return to the court after a week break for finals as they head to North Little Rock Simmons Bank Arena to play host to Bradley.

Arkansas (9-1) is coming off an impressive 88-78 victory over Oklahoma this past Saturday in the BOK Center in Tulsa. Bradley (7-3) has already played one SEC team falling to Auburn 85-64 on Tuesday, Nov. 22. The win over the Sooners was Arkansas' first game without Trevon Brazile, who is out for the season with a torn ACL. Eric Musselman provided a scouting report on Bradley.

"Bradley is a really well-coached team," Musselman said. "No. 21 (Duke) Deen at the point guard position has great speed. He can really shoot the basketball. (Connor) Hickman, another shooter at the off-guard spot, No. 10. He's got deep-range. He's a good basket-cutter. (Malevy) Leons, No. 14, can kind of play the 3-4 for them. A shot-maker. 23 (Ville Tahvanainen) off the bench is a really, really good shooter. He can really shoot the basketball. And then at the 4-spot, 35 (Darius) Hannah, very athletic. Left-handed. They'll run a fake dribble-handoff where he will keep the ball going to his left. (Zek) Montgomery, a guy that can shoot it, No. 3, and is pretty athletic. And then (Ja'Shon) Henry, really good dribble-driver.

"Their leading scorer. He's been out for a few games. We expect 22 Henry to play. And then 51 (Rienk) Mast is an all-league center. This is a really, really good basketball team that is extremely well-coached. They have an excellent overall defensive scheme and game plan that they put together, and then they have quite a few shooters, especially at the 1-spot with Dean and Hickman at the 2 and Leons at the 3 and even (James) Weathers coming off the bench, No. 1, is a high-volume free-throw attempt player."

For players such as Nick Smith Jr, Davonte "Devo" Davis and even Kamani Johnson it's a homecoming of sorts to play in North Little Rock. Davis played high school basketball at Jacksonville while Smith attended North Little Rock High School. Johnson transferred to Arkansas from Little Rock. Last year the Hogs suffered a very disappointing 88-81 setback against Hofstra in this game.

"I think certainly the guys from that area like Devo and Nick, those guys are really excited probably to play in North Little Rock," Musselman said. "Certainly Kamani, the staff, Devo, we’d like to play better than we did last year.

"But this has not been a one-year thing. You look at our record in North Little Rock, it’s got to improve. We’ve got to play better basketball than what we have of late. Maybe the change in [starting] time will help."

Smith said this will be his first time to play in the Simmons Bank Arena, but is looking forward to it.

"You know it’s going to be a fun experience, just like every game in Bud," Smith said. "I’m going to treat it as a regular game because you know from the history of Arkansas basketball they haven’t played very well in Little Rock. So my mindset in that game is just to go in and try to dominate, you know what I’m saying, and try to get the win."

Smith, a projected lottery pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, has played in four games with three starts. He missed the beginning of the season due to pain management in his knee. Smith is second on the team with 14.8 points per outing. Musselman talked about what he has seen from Smith so far.

"I think Nick is progressing exactly how we hoped that he would," Musselman said. "He's fully engaged in practice, pre-practice and post-practice. I think he's getting more and more comfortable with each game both scheme-wise and also from an individual standpoint, as well."

Musselman talked more about the things that Smith does he's most impressed with.

"Obviously, the points come to mind right away, but he stretches out the defense because of his ability to shoot, not only three-point shots, but shoot them at a really high clip," Musselman said. "He's really good in transitions. He's excellent at creating his own shot when plays break down. He's a really willing passer. He's got a high basketball IQ. All those things I think make our team much harder to defend and gameplan against."

Smith had five assists against the Sooners. Dishing out assists is something that will help him in the eyes of the NBA scouts as well.

"Winning is so important to him, No. 1," Musselman said. "And then No. 2, I think he understands that you have to respect the defense and take what the defense gives you. I think all those things are part of who he is as a basketball player, what his DNA is and certainly those assists mean a lot to us because defenses are going to focus in on him. He's going to draw extra defenders when he's in isolation or pick-and-roll situations. So, certainly, not only a willingness to be a passers but also a feel for who to pass to and when to pass to is real important."

Smith also chimed in on how he feels he's progressing now through four games.

"I feel like I’ve been getting into the groove of things, to start off at practice and practicing hard each and every day just working on my game," Smith said. "Coach Muss has allowed me to play my full game and try to get back to where I was before all that stuff happened. I feel like I’ve still got some ways to go, obviously me seeing me on the court, just watching film, I’m not as explosive as of right now. But once the season keeps continuing to go, I feel like I’ll get that back."

Smith gave Arkansas fans a scare in the win over the Sooners. He appeared to suffer an injury of some kind and Musselman said afterward Smith was with the trainer, but that was all he knew at that time.

"Yeah, it was something that was going on, a little something that was going on between .. what was going on with my body," Smith said. "I just went back and just tested some stuff out and everything was fine."

The game will tip at 3 p.m. and there's no television.