Freshman Moody off to a solid start

FAYETTEVILLE -- University of Arkansas guard Moses Moody barely came off the floor in the Razorbacks' SEC opener at Auburn on Wednesday night.

Moody, a 6-6 freshman from Little Rock, played a game-high 38 minutes and 23 seconds to help Arkansas beat Auburn 97-85.

"I mean, how many freshmen in their first road game in a Power 5 [conference] play 38-plus minutes?" Razorbacks Coach Eric Musselman said. "Probably not many at all in the entire country that can do that."

Moody is proving himself capable of excelling for Arkansas in a number of ways.

On a team loaded with experienced transfers in seniors Justin Smith, Jalen Tate and Vance Jackson, junior JD Notae and sophomore Connor Vanover, as well as returning junior Desi Sills, it's Moody who leads the Razorbacks in scoring at 16.9 points per game. He also is averaging 5.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.3 steals and 30.8 minutes.

"I wouldn't necessarily say it's a surprise," Moody said of his sudden impact. "I'm glad things are working out the way that they are so far.

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"But, I mean, when you put in the work, that's what is supposed to happen."

Moody is shooting 49.5% from the field (47 of 95), 40.5% on three-pointers (17 of 42) and 81.6% on free throws (40 of 49).

"As a younger guy, Moses really knows how to listen, and he takes everything he can from us older guys," Tate said. "He's just a great luxury to have. We're usually on the same page."

Moody said it makes sense for him to listen to a more experienced teammate like Tate.

"The things that he says, he has that respect from me to where I trust him," Moody said. "When somebody like that actually has something to say every time that they're speaking, I'm going to listen."

Of Moody's 51 rebounds, 21 have come on the offensive end.

"He's got a nose for the ball on the offensive boards," Musselman said. "Those are extra points, extra possessions for our team."

Musselman said Moody has the skill set to play shooting guard, small forward and -- if the Razorbacks go to a smaller lineup -- power forward .

"He's a really confident player that's got an incredibly bright future ahead of him," Musselman said. "He's always working, and that's what we love.

"You walk into [the practice facility] in the morning, and he's in getting his shooting reps. He does a great job in the training room with keeping his body ready to play and produce."

Moody came to Arkansas from Montverde (Fla.) Academy as the No. 37 high school recruit nationally by 247Sports and No. 42 by ESPN.

"We knew he was a really good player," Musselman said. "But still, you've got to go out and do it in games."

Moody is the only player to score in double figures in every game for the Razorbacks (9-0) going into Saturday's matchup against No. 12 Missouri (6-1) at 11 a.m. Walton Arena. He has led the team in scoring three times with 24 points against Texas-Arlington, 18 against Lipscomb and 21 against Abilene Christian.

"We've played against NBA players in my time as a head coach, and I think he's a pro," said Joe Golding, who is in his 10th season as Abilene Christian's coach. "He could be a lottery pick.

"If he continues to get better on the defensive end, his skill set offensively is an NBA talent. I think he's a first-round NBA player."

Arkansas assistant coach David Patrick served as the Razorbacks' head coach in their 85-72 victory over Abilene Christian because Musselman was quarantining in accordance with contact-tracing protocols after a staff member tested positive for covid-19

"Moses isn't playing like a freshman, I know that," Patrick said. "I say that meaning he's grown every game.

"He took some questionable shots probably early on like all freshmen do. He's let the ball kind of find him.

"When his feet are set, you're pretty confident the ball is going in. But he does so many other things. He can rebound at his position at an elite rate and he's doing a better job for us defensively."

Moody looked comfortable in his first SEC game as he finished with 16 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals at Auburn. He hit 4 of 11 shots, 2 of 6 three-pointers and 6 of 6 free throws.

"It just means that he's special," Vanover said. "We've known that ever since he came in with us, and he's been improving."

Moody scored 19 points in the season opener against Mississippi Valley State.

"Starting with the very first game, he's just been proving he's a top tier SEC freshman and top tier SEC player," Vanover said.

The Razorbacks outscored the Tigers by 15 points when Moody was in the game.

Moody hit a pair of three-point baskets and had an offensive rebound and assist for a Vanover basket and a steal in the game's first 4:48. He was in the game when Arkansas used a 10-0 run in the final 7:01 to put away the Tigers.

"I thought Moses was awesome," Musselman said. "He started the game off aggressively offensively, knocked down a couple quick shots, and then he didn't force things.

"He was on the floor when we were making runs. He made some good extra passes to Desi and to JD. I thought Moses was off-the-charts great."