Razorback Red/White Game Recap + Player Breakdowns

Razorback Red/White Game Recap

Barnhill Arena hosted a large crowd today as the Arkansas basketball season officially began. It was the first time fans have been able to support the basketball team since their run to the Elite 8. That success and the recent commitments from 5-star prospects has the fanbase ready for some hoops.

The event began with a karaoke contest. It was…interesting to say the least. Chris Lykes, Cade Arbogast opened the contest up with a rendition of Taylor Swift. That was followed by Devo Davis and Lawson Blake laughing through a Post Malone. The final performer and winner of the contest was Trey Wade singing an Usher hit. Wade was unavailable to play in today’s game as he is nursing a knee injury.

The teams were:

RED: Stanley Umude, Devo Davis, K.K. Robinson, Au’Diese Toney, Connor Vanover,

White: Chris Lykes, J.D. Notae, Jaylin Williams, Kamani Johnson, Jaxson Robinson, Lawson Blake

Chance Moore and Cade Arbogast saw action for both teams today.

The game was entertaining. It was what you expect from a Red/White scrimmage. There wasn’t much defense. There were TONS of 3s attempted. And of course there was sloppy play. The game was played in frou 8 minute quarters. The White team would go on to win the game 74-63, but we don’t watch the Red/White game for who wins.

With a new roster, these games give us an idea what we might see from players come time for the regular season. While we do get a good idea of what each player brings to the team, it is important to remember that this was just a scrimmage. What happened today is not guaranteed. So here’s a breakdown of what I noticed from each player:

Stanley Umude –

Umude can lead this team in scoring. He has the ability to score from all 3 levels and he showed that today. He works on the boards and is athletic. Umude gets good height on his jump shot in the mid-range or turnaround game. He’s confident pulling up from 3. Umude’s stats: 16 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 turnover.

Devo Davis –

Davis is a confident drive and dribbler. At times, last season he would go to the basket out of control. He was much more under control today. His passing vision is greatly improved as well. It was great to see how in command he was in individual sets. Devo was vocal and wasn’t scared to take a shot from 3. He went just 1-4, but the one he made came off of a nice dribble move and step back to drain it. Defensively, we saw what we always see from Devo and that’s greatness. Devo’s stats: 16 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound, 1 steal, and 1 turnover.

Jaylin Williams –

Williams has toned up. His body looks stronger and he’s very confident player. Last season, JWill was timid at times. Not anymore. He’s vocal and plays with a purpose now. He worked on the boards. The most impressive part of his improvement was his confidence catching and shooting the 3. He went 2-5 from deep. Williams’ stats: 12 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 1 steal, and 1 turnover.

Chris Lykes –

The 5-7 guard struggled early in the game. Being guarded by Devo Davis and K.K. Robinson is a tough assignment. Especially when you are giving up at least 5 inches to both defenders. Chris found his stride in the 2^nd half and is a big reason why the White team won the game. He is so quick and will have nights when he scores a lot of points. He’s a better defender than I anticipated. His ability to hit jump shots flying from side to side is impressive. Lykes’ stats: 14 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 turnovers. He shot 6-10 from the field and 2-3 from 3.

J.D. Notae –

J.D. did what J.D. does. The guy just gets buckets, but today he racked up assists as well. As he showed last season, his shot selection can be poor at times. He still struggled with that today, but like Notae always does, he made around of those shots. He was the leading scorer in today’s game. Notae’s defense continues to improve. Last season, he was poor on defense early in the season and then it was like someone flipped a switch. He will defend at a high level this season. Notae’s stats: 22 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals, and 4 turnovers. He shot 9-18 from the field.

Jaxson Robinson –

I was extremely impressed with Jaxson Robinson today! He has the purest shooting form I have seen from anyone in a Razorback uniform. I know that is very high praise, but I mean it. The form is effortless! He hit 4 threes today and defended well. Better decision making when he puts the ball on the deck and a better handle will truly round out his game. Robinson’s stats: 14 points and 4 rebounds.

Au’Diese Toney –

Toney played well today. He had a fairly quiet game, but was effective in area that don’t show up on the stat sheet. The lefty looked smooth with ball in his hands on a few different occasions, but the one play that stands out was when he drove past the 3-point line and pulled up to drain a mid-range 2. He defends well and battles on the boards. Toney’s stats: 10 points and 5 rebounds.

K.K. Robinson –

It’s been a long time since we have seen Robinson on the floor as he missed most of last season injured. KK had issues getting the ball in the basket today, but he was great in all other aspects of the game. With this roster, that is okay. KK needs to be a facilitator on this team. I still love his 3-point stroke. He jumps so high on his shot. I love it. He also really commands the offense when he is running the point guard position. Robinson’s stats: 6 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 1 turnover.

Connor Vanover –

The biggest standout from Vanover today was his quickness. Don’t misunderstand me. The 7-3+ Center isn’t fast, but he looks much quicker than last year. He moved well without the ball. Even was the first down the floor on a fast break that led to a dunk. He still has a bit of a hitch in his 3-point shot, but I liked what I saw from Connor today. He wasn’t as timid and moved well in half-court sets. Including 2 plays where he dove to the basket as his teammates beat their man of the dribble. Both of those plays resulted in dunks for himself. Vanover’s stats: 10 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 assist.

Kamani Johnson –

Johnson is a bruiser and he fills the role perfectly! He plays very hard and will bring a toughness every time he touches the court. I wouldn’t expect much offensively from Johnson, but he will play hard and rebound. Johnson’s stats: 4 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 1 steal, and 1 turnover.

Chance Moore –

The lone true freshman on the team played for both teams today. The strongest thing I saw from Moore today was his ability to beat his man off the dribble. Whether it was a good ball fake or crossover, he was able to get passed his man. Once he got below the 3-point line, he was like many freshman and panicked a bit. He hit 2 threes and obviously gained a lot of valuable experience today. Moore’s stats between both teams: 10 points, 4 assists, and 2 rebounds.

As always, thanks for reading! For all things Arkansas basketball, follow me on Twitter @BenBrandonHoops