USBWA Arkansas News

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association mourns the passing of Bob Holt of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, a longtime member of our Board of Directors whose authoritative perspective and generosity of spirit made him an essential part of the organization.

Smith Jr. has played in just three games thus far for Arkansas -- four if you count his five minutes off the bench in debuting against Troy in late November when he logged only one rebound and no points -- and yet he's already dazzling in his one (and likely done) season with the Hogs. His Frosh of the Week honors come after 22 and 21 point performances against UNC-Greensboro and Oklahoma, respectively, both of which resulted in wins during the Tuesday-Monday cycle.

This was a toss-up all week until Monday when Anthony Black went out and took the award running away. Black was the catalyst to No. 9 Arkansas' smackdown of Louisville in its 80-54 win in the Maui Invitational, posting a career-high 26 points and six assists to go with a pair of steals and a team-high plus-minus of +27.