FAYETTEVILLE — Since Eric Musselman became Arkansas basketball’s coach before the 2019-20 season, no player has logged more minutes in a Razorbacks uniform than Devo Davis.
Now, the veteran guard is “taking time away” from the team for reasons undisclosed, and Arkansas basketball is without one of its key players indefinitely.
Davis is averaging the third-most minutes per game of any Razorback this season. In No. 11 Arkansas’ 74-61 win over Troy on Monday, its first without Davis available, Musselman had to get creative with his personnel. He started freshman Barry Dunning Jr. and played freshman Joseph Pinion in the first half, two players who have played among the fewest minutes on the team. He eventually opted for a bigger lineup than usual.
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Musselman said shuffling his players was part of what had Arkansas (6-1) on its heels against the Trojans (6-2) early in the game.
“Did Troy play an excellent game? No question,” Musselman said after the win. “But I also knew we were playing lineups that we haven’t played all year.”
As far as offense, Davis isn’t typically used as a primary scorer. He’s averaging the fourth-most points per game on the team (8.5). He was right around that number in his previous two seasons at Arkansas, even as his usage changed over time. He takes slightly fewer shots per 40 minutes played than he did as a freshman but averages the same number of points per game.
It’s primarily Davis’ defense that wins him all those minutes and makes him difficult to replace. Opponents average 10.8 more points per 40 minutes when Davis is not on the floor.
| Arkansas defense | Mins. | Opp. Pts. | Opp. Pts/40 mins. | Opp. FG% | Opp. 3P% | Opp. 3PA/40 mins. |
| With Davis | 228 | 291 | 51.1 | 42% | 25.7% | 13 |
| Without Davis | 97 | 150 | 61.9 | 38.8% | 28.8% | 21.4 |
Interestingly, opponents have a worse shooting percentage when Davis is absent. In other words, when Davis is not playing, opponents are scoring more but shooting a lower percentage. How can that be? Take a look at the 3-point shooting numbers.
When Davis is on defense, teams take fewer 3-point shots — 10% fewer, in fact. When Davis is on the floor, 30% of opponents’ shots are from beyond the arc. When he’s on the bench, that number increases to 40%. Simply put, Davis’ perimeter defense helps force opponents to try to score inside, and his absence allows teams more success from deep.
In July, when Arkansas was going through some of its first practices with its new roster, the Razorbacks were going through a defensive drill. Davis was providing instruction to the team as it went. Musselman stopped the drill.
“I stopped everything and said, ‘Do you guys understand why Devo is on the sideline barking out instructions?’” Musselman said in July. “I said, ‘It’s because he knows what it’s like to get to an Elite Eight. … And he knows that this is a necessary piece to be a successful team.'”
Christina Long covers the Arkansas Razorbacks for the Southwest Times Record and USA TODAY Network. You can follow her on Twitter @christinalong00 or email her at clong
