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SEC Basketball: Buy or sell Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, Florida and Auburn?

By Tristan Freeman

Jan 14, 2023; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Ricky Council IV (1) reacts after a play during the second half against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Memorial Gymnasium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 14, 2023; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Ricky Council IV (1) reacts after a play during the second half against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Memorial Gymnasium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /
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SEC Basketball Arkansas Razorbacks guards Davonte Davis (4) and Anthony Black Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
SEC Basketball Arkansas Razorbacks guards Davonte Davis (4) and Anthony Black Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports /

Arkansas Razorbacks

The Razorbacks had a ton of hype this preseason, thanks to a bunch of frontcourt transfers and five-star freshmen guards. But they’ve lost one of each to this point. Trevon Brazile was an NBA Draft prospect coming over from Missouri and while he came off the bench, was leading the team in points and minutes before suffering a season-ending leg injury.

The other big loss was Nick Smith, arguably the best freshman guard in the 2022 recruiting class. He missed the first month of the season due to a knee issue and came back, averaging around 12 ppg. But he’s been shut down again and there’s a real chance that he won’t be back for the rest of the season.

Without him, Arkansas started 1-5 in SEC basketball play. The most concerning thing was the defensive issues, giving up 84 and 97 points in losses to Alabama and Vanderbilt. Even if the team lost its firepower on offense, the defensive problems have been real concerning. They’ve won two straight recently, allowing 57 and 40 points respectively to Mississippi and LSU.

Even if Smith finds a way to return, I’m not sure how much he offers without potentially disrupting the offense. And with the frontcourt not providing much offense, I can’t see the team being good enough to make a run in March, which was the original goal for them.

Sell

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