College Basketball Betting Odds

Hogs Lose Their Top Returning Player - August 11th, 2008

By Jordan Walters
WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

Sports Betting at WagerWeb Online Sportsbook

Big loss for the Arkansas basketball team for the upcoming season, as junior guard Patrick Beverley has been ruled out because of an unspecified reason, although some media reports say it’s academic-related.

Beverley started 67 of 70 games and averaged 13 points and 5.5 rebounds last season. He led the Razorbacks in rebounding (6.6) and would have been the team's returning leader in scoring (12.1), assists (2.4) and steals (1.3). At 6-foot-1, he became the shortest Arkansas player to lead the team in rebounding since records started being kept in the 1952-1953 season.

Without Beverley, 70 percent of the Razorbacks' scholarship players have never played for Arkansas going into this season. The team lost six seniors off last season's team, and only 13 percent of the team's scoring returns.

Minus Beverley, the Razorbacks are down to 10 scholarship players with only three - Stefan Welsh, Michael Washington and sophomore guard Marcus Britt - playing for last season's team. Welsh now is the returning leading scorer with a 5.3 ppg average and Washington the leading rebounder with a 3.9 average.

Additional backcourt help will be needed from incoming guards Montrell McDonald, a 6-6, 185-pound shooting guard who had originally committed to Texas Tech. Point guard Rotnei Clarke, a 3-point specialist from Claremore, Okla., will also have to provide backcourt minutes.

 

Actually, the news of Beverley not playing this year at Arkansas might not be much of a surprise to Razorback followers. Rumors of his departure started with a report alleging he had written "I'm leaving" on his Facebook account on the Internet and then reports that Beverley intended to rejoin former Arkansas coach Stan Heath at the University of South Florida until his mother reportedly convinced him to stay at Arkansas.

ESPN.com is reporting that Beverley, the SEC Freshman of the Year in 2006-07, won’t transfer but may consider turning pro and playing overseas.

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