Arkansas’ leading scorer B.J. Young was suspended for the final exhibition game tonight and for the team’s season opener against Sam Houston State for a violation of team rules.
Young, a sophomore, averaged 15.3 points for the Razorbacks last season.
Mike Anderson wouldn’t go into specifics on this matter. Arkansas played without Young and were cruising over LeMoyne-Owen at last check in the team’s final exhibition before the first regular season game, against the Bearkats, on Friday.
Young was an all-SEC selection last season and passed up a shot in the NBA Draft to return to the Razorbacks for his second season with the team.
This doesn’t do much to diminish the hopes of Arkansas and it’s fans this season. The Razorbacks get back a ton of talent, including forward Marshawn Powell, who played in only two games last season before a knew injury forced him to redshirt. The 6-7 Powell was averaging 19.0 points and 6.5 rebounds before the injury.
Expect guards Rickey Scott and Ky Madden to at least pick up the slack in the one game that matters for the Razorbacks. They won’t have to worry about much from Sam Houston State, a team that finished 13-19 last season and returns only one double-figure scorer.
David Harten is the editor of The Backboard Chronicles. You can follow him on Twitter at @David_Harten.