Deja vu: Razorback basketball in familiar place

Does Musselman have magic needed to turn six players into studs Hogs can ride to tourney once again?

Razorback fans who have a glass half full disposition about them have pointed to how things were going this time last season when calling in to radio shows Friday to address what appears to be the day's most pressing question in regard to Arkansas basketball.

Is tomorrow's game against the Texas A&M Aggies a must-win game?

It's quite possible that question was asked of everyone associated with the Razorbacks, including head coach Eric Musselman, throughout the month of January. The Hogs reached Jan. 20 with a 1-4 record in 2021. 

Of course, everyone knows things clicked in late January, attaching the Razorbacks to the proverbial rocket that didn't stop rising until a highly competitive battle with eventual national champion Baylor in the Elite 8.

However, that moment in time needs perspective. The Hogs fell off the map because do-everything forward Justin Smith injured his ankle against Auburn back on Dec. 30.

Razorbacks' Justin Smith goes for a dunk in the NCAA Tournament against Texas Tech :: C. Morgan Engal / NCAA Photos

Smith was the heart, the muscle, the killer instinct and the main inside force for that team. Without him, the team was lost.

Yet, losing Smith for those games may have been one of the best things to happen to Arkansas despite the losses.

Smith rarely came out of the game, which meant on most nights, he ate up 39 of the 40 available minutes. With those minutes now free, freshman guard Davonte Davis got a chance to finally log significant minutes against quality opponents in truly meaningful games. 

Those minutes were crucial as they helped develop Davis into a key cog in a Razorback machine that went 15-3 en route to a Top 10 finish. 

It also helped Musselman evaluate his potential combinations, which would be narrowed down to only six players the rest of the season.

Hogs' Davonte Davis after a big dunk in the win over Texas Tech in the NCAA last March :: C. Morgan Engal / NCAA Photos

Most fans have since forgotten the first three weeks of January ever happened.

While it's still entirely possible Musselman is going to waive a magic wand in late January and poof out a perfect combination of six players to ride back to the NCAA tournament, it's probably not going to happen.

This isn't a losing streak generated by a single dominant player being out. Plus, Arkansas is currently losing to Mississippi State and Vanderbilt. Texas A&M looks like it has a little salt to it, but no one knows for sure what the Aggies have right now.

That stretch last January was against No. 12 Missouri, No. 9 Tennessee, an Alabama team that would finish the year No. 5, and an LSU team that was in the dead center of a 9-1 hot streak.

To paraphrase some of the old timers, Arkansas had some dawgs on their bench last year. Smith and Jalen Tate were relentless at all times. 

Arkansas Razorbacks guard Jalen Tate (11) defends against Texas Tech Red Raiders guard Kyler Edwards (11) in the first half in the second round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament at Hinkle Fieldhouse. 

Notae and Davis fed off their energy, which made them dangerous.

At the moment, there is nothing dangerous about this team. At least not yet.

There are hints that Stanley Umude wants to step up and play like a Razorback. If so, that might pull enough out of Notae and Jaylin Williams to create the energy needed to round Davis back into form. 

That leaves some combination of Trey Wade, Kamani Johnson, Au'Diese Toney or Jaxon Robinson to fill out the two remaining spots in Musselman's preferred six many rotation. That is unless K.K. Robinson finds a spark and forces his way into a spot over the next few games.

A few fans might still want guard Chris Lykes to crack the six, but he seems destined for the Connor Vanover path. He got his chance to shine in the non-conference in games where his physical attributes and required style of play complemented specific opponents, but will most likely only see the floor in very specific situations as the season progresses.

Chances are that we will get a good idea as to who the six who will carry the load going foward might be this weekend. 

There might be minor shuffling over the next few games, but by the time A&M returns the favor by coming to Fayetteville in late January, it will be time for Musselman to waive his wand once again over his chosen version of this year's Sinister Six.

Let's just hope he has enough magic left.