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Star Arkansas freshman Nick Smith is expected to return to the Razorbacks’ lineup Saturday against Mississippi State, CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander confirms. Smith has played in just five games this season but is averaging 12.8 points per contest after ranking as the No. 1 overall prospect in the Class of 2022, per 247Sports.
The 6-foot-5 guard left the court indefinitely in December what the school termed “right knee management” and has not played since Dec. 17. Smith also missed the season’s first six games because of a knee issue. Collectively, the knee problems cast Smith’s future with the team into question as he is considered a likely lottery pick in the 2023 NBA Draft regardless. Smith ranks No. 7 in CBS Sports’ NBA Draft Prospect Rankings and went at No. 4 to the Charlotte Hornets in Kyle Boone’s most recent mock draft.
The return of Smith is welcome news for the Razorbacks (17-7, 6-5 SEC), who are projected as a No. 10 seed in Jerry Palm’s Bracketology but considered a bubble team. In addition to the prolonged absence of Smith, Arkansas also lost starting center Trevon Brazille for the season in December because of a knee injury.
Despite the injuries, the Razorbacks have started rounding into form recently with five victories in their last six games, including a Quad-1 victory at Kentucky on Tuesday. Still, offense has been a concern at times for the Razorbacks, who rank 352nd nationally with just 4.9 made 3-pointers per game entering Saturday’s action. Smith’s versatile offensive game should open things up for the Razorbacks down the stretch.
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