GleamDash

Arkansas sophomore forward Trevon Brazile will miss the remainder of the season with an ACL injury, the school announced Wednesday. Here’s what you need to know:

• Brazile injured his right knee in the first half of Tuesday’s 65-58 win over UNC Greensboro.
• Brazile was averaging 11.8 points and six rebounds this season.
• Arkansas ranks No. 9 in the nation after an 8-1 start to the year.

What this means for Arkansas

This is a crushing blow for Arkansas, a team that has the talent to at least be in the conversation as a national title contender. Brazile is one of the most athletic big men in the country, a matchup nightmare for traditional bigs because of his ability to shoot the 3. He was also the perfect rim roller to pair with guards Nick Smith and Anthony Black. He already had the dunk of the year and was arguably the best dunker in college basketball this season. Defensively, he’s switchable and able to also serve as a rim protector.

Advertisement

The good news for the Razorbacks is Makhi Mitchell played his best game of the season on Tuesday night, seeing his minutes increase in Brazile’s absence. Mitchell finished with his first double-double all season (13 points and 14 rebounds) to go along with four blocks in a season-high 32 minutes. Arkansas has options up front — Kamani Johnson is the other player who should see his minutes go up — but these are more dirty-work guys. With Brazile, coach Eric Musselman could put five skilled players on the floor and lineups with him at center were extremely tough to match up against. The Razorbacks still have plenty of scoring power, but this loss probably lowers their ceiling. – Moore

What are Brazile’s pro prospects?

Brazile is a 6-foot-10 pogo stick, a wildly explosive athlete that is a highlight reel waiting to happen. He blocks over one shot and gathers over one steal per game while averaging about 12 points, six rebounds, and shooting 38 percent from 3. When NBA scouts find someone this athletic and mobile as a big man, they’re going to be interested. Scouts absolutely saw Brazile as a player to track and wanted to see more of him in SEC play. Particularly, they wanted to see his instincts within pick-and-roll defense, as he’d been a bit spotty there early on. Now they’ll have to wait until next season.

From an NBA Draft perspective, it’s also worth noting that Brazile was a perfect fit with guys like Black and Smith in the backcourt because of that ability to stretch the floor with his shooting. Arkansas will need to figure out a few different ways to open up the court in half-court offensive settings without Brazile the rest of the way in order to get the most out of what is arguably the most explosive backcourt in the country. – Vecenie

(Photo: Nelson Chenault / USA Today Sports)

ncG1vNJzZmismJqutbTLnquim16YvK57knJvaWplbXxzfJFrZmpqX2WEcK3RpJinq5GoerW%2BxK%2Bmp2WSp667tcueZKKmmqq%2Funs%3D