FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The statement from Arkansas was short, simple and the to the point about 10 minutes before tipoff of Saturday’s game with Kentuck: “Senior guard Davonte Davis has stepped away from the program.” To a lot of folks that happened several games back.
Davis had played in all 19 games this season and started 18 of them. He and Trevon Brazile were tied as the team leaders in number of starts. Brazile was forced to sit out the game with the Wildcats due to soreness in the right knee that was surgically repaired a year ago when he tore his ACL
Davis was averaging 6.3 points per game and 4.0 rebounds this season while shooting 35% from the floor and 23% from 3-point range. It just looked all season, though, like something was off with him. He just didn’t appear engaged like he has in the past and until he sat the entire second half against Ole Miss on Wednesdy night for a “coaches decision” most had assumed he would snap out of it.
Now that apparently isn’t going to happen this sseason. In the first half against Kentucky, the Razorbacks were clinging to a 26-24 lead at halftime. Nobody appears to feel very safe with that lead. As Eric Musselman said headed to the locker room at the break, “they are trying to find their offense” in this way, but the defense is making it close.
