The Arkansas Razorbacks broke out a retro set of white, home uniforms against the University of Georgia on Saturday and for the first time since 2023, their 40-minute effort resembled that of some of the storied Razorback teams of the past, as they avenged an early-season, double-digit beatdown in Athens, Ga., and finally returned to playing with a renowned sense of urgency that had been missing since the onset of SEC play.
The last time we saw coach Eric Musselman’s Razorback basketball squad in action, Devonte (Devo) Davis, or 3D, was three games into his mysterious, yet rumor-riddled hiatus from the team, while his teammates were taking another, 20+ point, SEC beatdown on the chin down in Baton Rouge, La. But after an overdue, weeklong break, the Razorbacks took the floor at Bud Walton Arena at 5 p.m. and played with levels of purposefulness and teamwork not lately seen, beating the Bulldogs 78-75 in front of a less-than-packed and lesser-enthused, home crowd.
True freshman Layden Blocker, who plays years wiser than his young age, got the starting nod, along with El Ellis, Tramon Mark, Jeremiah Davenport and postman Ty Lawson, the umpteenth, different, starting combo Muss has gone with this season. But only a mere 157 ticks into the game, Musselman subbed Devo for Blocker, and with 17:23 remaining on the first-half clock, the heart, soul and guts of Razorback basketball was officially back. Back again.
Davis, seemingly an enigma in and of himself (or a Zen Quan, as my banjo-playing, Hare Krishna pal might call him), has exuded toughness from the jump, ever since he arrived on campus five years ago, straight oughta Jacksonville, Ark., as a raw but long and freakishly athletic teenager. Other attributes, that Coach Muss obviously recognized early, were his tenacious work ethic and willingness to do the dirt – two traits necessary in evolving into a relentless, lockdown defender, which under the tutelage of his head coach, Davis has done – in spades. Basically, Devo Davis exemplifies the D in dawg and defense, and his continued presence in the locker room and the gymnasium is the key to any success of Razorback basketball this season.
Playing with a different, more team-orientated mindset, Davis clocked 35 crucial and passionate minutes off the bench against Georgia. Despite having great mid-range touch, the southpaw only attempted one field goal during the entire game – a made 3-pointer from the right wing in the first half. His four points, along with four rebounds, three assists and two steals are not exactly eye-popping numbers, but stats never tell the full story, cuz they don’t measure effort nor the size of fight in the dawg.
Each and every game he is assigned to shut down the opposition’s best-scoring guard and usually does precisely that. Saturday it was Jabri Abdur-Rahim who found himself in the dubious position of being Devo’s duty to defend. Consequently, he was limited to four points, while making one of the only eight shots he was able to get up, despite boasting a 13 points/game average.
Davis approaches defense like a female lioness with a litter fulla hungry cubs back home takes to a wounded wildebeest. Through a brutal combo of persistent, in-your-face physicality and a healthy dose of trash-talking psychology, it’s just another day at the office for Davis. His defensive play is reminiscent of the many, great Razorback man-to-man defenders of years gone by – Sidney Moncrief (who was in attendance on Saturday), U. S. Reed, Alvin (Dawg) Robertson, Arlen Bowers, Robert Shepherd, Clint McDaniel, Corey Beck, etc.
It has been stated, ad nauseam, that defense wins championships, and that statement is as purely relevant today as it ever was. Matter of fact – defense is exactly what this team needs to continue to ramp up, if they plan on playing deep into March, like Musselman’s Razorback teams have a tradition of doing. Because a team that doesn’t shoot too well, should not shoot too often.
And make no mistake, all of that begins and ends with Devonte – Devo – Davis, the senior from Dogtown.