After an up-and-down season in his first year with the Arkansas Razorbacks, anyone wondering whether senior transfer guard Johnell Davis would pick up where he left off at Florida Atlantic found out Arkansas got their money's worth.
Johnell Davis earns March Madness Razorbacker of the week: First weekend
Davis, who was the highest rated player in last year's transfer portal class, was the only Arkansas player to score in double figures in each of Arkansas' first two NCAA Tournament match ups with 18 points in Thursday's opening round win over Kansas and 13 in Saturday's 75-66 win over St. John's to help Arkansas reach the Sweet 16 for the fourth time in the last five years. The performances earned Davis, who previously led FAU to the Final Four in 2023, his second Razorbacker of the Week honors to open 2025 Tournament play at Arkansas.
Johnell Davis hits a smooth three from the wing pic.twitter.com/ze9HA4xfbx
— Mike O (@coolguy551_) March 21, 2025
"This journey — it's been an amazing journey," Davis said Saturday. "If somebody asked me to do it over again, I'd do it all over again. That's how, fun it is. Went through my ups and downs and just stayed a course, and I came out."
Davis was one of three Arkansas seniors who showed out in Saturday's upset over a No. 7 West Regional seeded Kansas team that began the season favored to the win national championship. Davis' three-point dagger and clutch free throw shooting in the final minutes of that game (not mention two critical steals on defense) were pivotal to setting up Saturday's win over No. 2 West Seed St. John's. His early three-pointer helped set the tone against the Red Storm while also adding four rebounds in a hard-fought defensive struggle.
Johnell Davis gets us started 🔥
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 22, 2025
👉 https://t.co/Cw7PWdGBCY#MarchMadness @RazorbackMBB pic.twitter.com/PAYHtYQCPV
When reminded on Saturday by coach John Calipari about the adversity he had to overcome at Arkansas by enduring criticism from fans while trying to play through a wrist injury suffered over the summer when he accidently fell of a golf cart, Davis said he likes to have a short memory.
"It's just the ups and downs in the season that we have," he said. "We have to overcome adversity and just keep fighting ourselves...I don't even remember that."
On Thursday Davis said he always remembers the faith Calipari has helped instill in this Arkansas team.
"We believed in the moment," he said. "Coach always, stayed on us — pushed us even when we was down. He's helped us get through everything."
Johnell Davis tells me that he and his teammates called 4-5 Arkansas players only meetings throughout the course of this season. “This has shown the relentlessness that we have.” pic.twitter.com/lHsZDVzsoG
— John Fanta (@John_Fanta) March 21, 2025