FAYETTEVILLE - For the first time since Corliss Williamson and Scotty Thurman 1995  repeated together named first-team All-SEC between Arkansas’ Nolan Richardson coached 1994 national men’s basketball  championship and 1995 national runner-up teams, two Razorbacks simultaneously have been voted SEC men’s basketball first-team.

Senior guard JD Notae and sophomore center Jaylin Williams were voted to the SEC Coaches first-team All-SEC team, it was announced Tuesday.

Williams also was voted by the coaches to their All-SEC Defensive team.

For the Associated Press selected by media All-SEC teams, also announced Tuesday, Notae was unanimously voted All-SEC first team while Williams was voted to the All-SEC second team.

Previously, Notae has received third-team All-America honors from The Sporting News and honorable mention All-America by CollegeHoopstoday.

Williams was selected by Seth Davis of The Athletic to his All-Glue team of players who doing what both shows and doesn’t show in the box score to help their teams.

For Williams, a lifelong Arkansan via Fort Smith Northside, getting linked to Williamson and Thurman hits home.

“It’s crazy,” Williams said Tuesday.  “Just growing up hearing those names. You hear about what they did for the State of Arkansas  what they did for their team and the rep that they have here in Arkansas, it's crazy just being mentioned in the same category as those two guys. And it's incredible.”

Notae hails from Georgia and first played college ball in Florida at the University of Jacksonville, but he’s lived in Arkansas since first redshirting as a transfer  to then first-year Arkansas Coach /Eric Musselman’s Razorbacks in 2019-2020 then starring as All-SEC Sixth Man in 2020-2021 for the 25-7 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight Razorbacks to averaging 18.9 points as the scoring point guard for these 24-7 nationally AP 15th-ranked Razorbacks heading into Wednesday’s start of the SEC Tournament in Tampa, Fla.

“That was amazing to see for  me and Jaylin,” Notae said.  “Even more when you see that those two got that award.  For us to be the first two since then it’s a credit to our teammates, our coaching staff and just us being us.”

A lifetime basketball junkie as the son of the late Coach Bill Musselman, Eric Musselman has been since the Eddie Sutton 1970’s era a follower of Razorbacks history but was caught unaware of the double history recorded Tuesday.

“Wow, I didn’t know that stat!” Musselman said, when apprised during his Monday Zoom press conference. “Thanks for educating me. But certainly the growth and development that those two guys have shown, that’s what you want. You want players to get better. You want players to continue to get confidence. You want to see their games grow and expand. 

Certainly both those guys, their roles have expanded and their play and productivity have expanded. I’m really proud of both those guys.”

Arkansas ended its amazing fourth-place 13-5 SEC season, an amazing result after an 0-3 SEC start, but lost its last game and perhaps for this SEC Tournament a starting guard the game before that.

In a walking boot, grad transfer guard Au’Diese Toney watched the Razorbacks down from 50-29 halftime comeback fall 78-74 short to Tennessee in Knoxville, Tenn. after injuring an ankle late during 

the 77-76 victory over LSU on March 2 at Walton.

Toney remained in a walking boot Tuesday, Musselman said.

““He’s still a ways off,” Musselman said.  “He will travel with us. But he’s been in nothing but a boot. They were able to get him to do some cardio yesterday on the bike. Pool work running.’ 

The Razorbacks, along with SEC champion Auburn and tied for SEC second Kentucky and Tennessee, all earned double byes until Friday’s SEC Tournament quarterfinals.

Arkansas is bracketed at approximately 1:30 pm. Friday on ESPN to play Thursday’s winner between LSU and Wednesday night’s winner between Missouri and Ole Miss.

Musselman vowed last Saturday in Knoxville  they “would do something different” than the Devo Davis joining the customary four starters Notae, Williams, Stanley Umude and Trey Wade.

He played it coy Tuesday what that would be, especially while formulating three different game plans pending the opponent.

“We do have three units that we’ve been working with,” Musselman said.  “We’ve taken seven guys at one end, and we’re putting different rotations with them. Whoever starts, we’re going to have that seven guys that you know.”

Regardless who starts, guard Chris Lykes and power forward Kamani Johnson, both playing well off the bench against Tennessee, will be counted upon with Musselman’s customary eight players rotation likely down to seven.

“We needed those guys to play good without Au’Diese,” Musselman said.  “I think both of their confidence is good. Their body language yesterday was phenomenal in practice and they’re re-energized, like any player  when he plays well.”

Musselman delved deeper.

“Kamani has done a good job with the minutes he’s been given throughout the course of the year,” Musselman said. “Chris has had some peaks and valleys. Certainly I thought his Tennessee game was his best all-around game — offensively, defensively.  We need Chris to play with great confidence, because he is a really dynamic player.”

• Razorback sophomore forward Jaylin Williams (#10) from Ft. Smith, AR hits a running layup against LSU at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, AR.

• Razorback senior guard JD Notae (#1) from Covington, GA dribbles through a double team by Kentucky at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, AR.

• Razorback head basketball coach Eric Musselman encourages his defence to play with their hands up against Kentucky late in the game at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, AR.