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FAYETTEVILLE<\/strong> \u2014 The Arkansas basketball team will be without Trevon Brazile the rest of the season after he tore his ACL on Tuesday, the UA announced Wednesday afternoon.<\/p>\n The sophomore forward got hurt on a drive to the basket with 7:30 remaining in the first half against UNC Greensboro<\/a>. He fell to the ground and immediately grabbed his knee. Trainers had to help him to the locker room and he watched the second half from the end of the bench in sweats.<\/p>\n Head coach Eric Musselman declined to give an update on Brazile after the game, saying he wouldn\u2019t know anything until he had an MRI. That apparently happened Wednesday and revealed he had a torn ACL. According to the press release, Brazile will have surgery later this month.<\/p>\n Through the first eight games of the season, Brazile was the team\u2019s leader in rebounds (6.5 rpg) and blocked shots (9). He was also the team\u2019s third-leading scorer (13.3 ppg) while taking on the sixth-man role as the first guy off the bench.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a disappointing end to what was shaping up to be a breakout season for Trevon Brazile and now Arkansas must figure out how to adjust without him moving forward.<\/p>\n Unlike last season, when the Razorbacks had only one dependable player taller than 6-foot-7 in Jaylin Williams, they are much deeper in the frontcourt this season.<\/p>\n The Missouri transfer is one of four Arkansas basketball scholarship players who stands at least 6-foot-9, with the others being Jalen Graham (6-9), Makhi Mitchell (6-9) and Makhel Mitchell (6-10). That doesn\u2019t even include Kamani Johnson, a 6-foot-7 forward who has taken on a larger role than expected this season.<\/p>\n Each of those players has had his moments, but Brazile has easily been the most consistent of the group, as evidenced by his 27.0 minutes per game. His combination of size, length (7-foot-2.5 wingspan) and athleticism (42.5-inch vertical) will be impossible to replace.<\/p>\n Makhi Mitchell continues to improve, but he\u2019s already starting at the 5. Brazile is more of a stretch 4 and has typically subbed in for Jordan Walsh. He\u2019s actually played more minutes than Walsh, so maybe Walsh could see his minutes increase in a \u201csmaller\u201d lineup.<\/p>\n Another \u201csmaller\u201d option would be Johnson, who has had a larger role than even Musselman could have predicted so far this season \u2014 but is still averaging just 12.1 minutes. He could play more in games that the Razorbacks need his toughness and rebounding, just as they did against San Diego State.<\/p>\n Makhel Mitchell hasn\u2019t played near as much as his twin brother, but has been good in spurts and is an option when Arkansas wants to go bigger. He played particularly well in Hawaii, but has gotten only eight total minutes in the three games since returning stateside.<\/p>\n That said, the player most Arkansas basketball fans will probably point to as someone who could step up in Brazile\u2019s absence is Jalen Graham. The Arizona State transfer has flashed in limited opportunities and Eric Musselman has gone out of his way to praise him, most recently following the San Jose State game. In a season-high 12 minutes, Graham had 11 points and 6 rebounds, plus drew a couple of charges.<\/p>\n However, it\u2019s worth noting that almost all of Graham\u2019s production has come in garbage time. It\u2019s easy to point to his plus-23 in that game, but the Razorbacks already led by 14 and were well on their way to pulling away for a blowout win before he entered the game.<\/p>\n That has been a theme for him so far, as 29 of his 31 points this season have come with the Razorbacks leading by at least 14. Only 31.3 percent of his minutes this season have come with Arkansas trailing or leading by 10 or less. In those 13 minutes and 10 seconds, Graham is minus-5. In fact, more than half of his minutes have come with Arkansas leading by at least 20.<\/p>\n An all-conference performer at Arizona State, there\u2019s no denying Graham\u2019s offensive prowess. Musselman himself has said he\u2019s an excellent interior passer who deploys an incredible soft floater. Where he\u2019s lacking is on defense. There have also been times when he\u2019s lacked hustle, such as the time he got beat down the floor on back-to-back possessions, forcing Musselman to call a rare timeout to get him out of a tight game with South Dakota State.<\/p>\n The two charges he drew against San Jose State were a step in the right direction for the latter issue, but playing time will be tough to come by if he can\u2019t defend up to Musselman\u2019s standards. If he can get that figured out, though, he could be a key piece in Brazile\u2019s absence.<\/p>\n Looking beyond this season, it appears Trevon Brazile has a decision to make. The big man could still declare for the NBA Draft and try to start his professional career or he could return to Arkansas as a junior.<\/p>\n He was one of five Razorbacks included in ESPN\u2019s latest mock draft<\/a>, which had him slotted 50th in the 58-player draft, while NBADraft.net<\/a> and Bleacher Report<\/a> already had him in the first round of their mocks. Many experts have pointed to his potential as a reason he could eventually assert himself as a first-round pick.<\/p>\nArkansas Basketball Frontcourt Without Brazile<\/strong><\/h2>\n
The Jalen Graham Enigma<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Decision Looming for Trevon Brazile<\/strong><\/h2>\n