Arkansans dot college basketball landscape

The headline read ‘KeVaugh’s back,’ which was my signal to check on a few other Arkansans outside the state who are contributing on the Division I level.

KEVAUGHN ALLEN North Little Rock/Florida

No one should’ve been surprised Allen broke out of his scoring slump against Arkansas. It happened not because of any animosity Allen has toward his home team, but because the Razorbacks so poorly defend the 3-point shot.

Allen made six of seven 3-point attempts and finished with a seasonhigh 28 points against the Razorbacks, who haven’t won at Florida since 1995. The Gators made 13 3- pointers in another bad performance on the road by Arkansas.

Allen led the Gators in scoring last year as a sophomore, capped by his spectacular 35-point performance against Wisconsin in the NCAA Tournament. He’s on all of the preseason watch lists and a return to form will help Allen’s draft status should he declare for the NBA after the season.

AUSTIN REAVES Newark/Wichita State

Reaves is a major contributor off the bench for Wichita State (153), which will drop from its No. 7 ranking after losing to SMU and Houston last week. Reaves made two 3-pointers in the final seconds but the Mustangs held on to end a 27-game home winning streak for the Shockers.

Reaves is averaging 6.2 points per game as a sophomore for Wichita State, which could make a serious run in the NCAA Tournament in March.

PAYTON HENSON Siloam Springs/Vermont

Henson has started every game for the Catamounts (15-5), who finished 29-6 last season with a firstround loss to Purdue in the NCAA Tournament.

The 6-foot-8 senior forward is averaging 12 points per game after he averaged 11.4 points per game as a junior. He’s an academic all-star who made third-team all conference last season for his consistency on the court.

PAYTON WILLIS Fayetteville/Vanderbilt

Willis came off the bench and scored eight points recently against Kentucky, but his sophomore season has been mostly uneventful.

He’s averaging 4.6 points per game for the Commodores, who were 6-12 overall and 1-5 in SEC play entering Saturday’s game against LSU.

KAHRON ROSS Jonesboro/Lehigh

Need a point guard with a teamfirst attitude to distribute the basketball?

Then former Jonesboro High standout Kahron Ross is your man.

Ross scored 18 points and set a school record for career assists during a victory over Mount St. Mary’s earlier this season. Ross is the second-leading scorer (12.2) as a senior for the Mountain Hawks, who as a No. 15 seed in 2012 eliminated No. 2 Duke in the NCAA Tournament at the Greensboro (N.C.) Coliseum.

MARQUISE POINTER Jonesboro/College of Charleston

Pointer teamed with Ross in the backcourt to lead Jonesboro to a 29-3 record and the Class 6A state championship in 2014. Pointer is now a college junior averaging 7.0 points a game for the Cougars (13-6).

TEREKE ECKWOOD Springdale/Mississippi Valley State

Tereke Eckwood finally landed at a Division I school after previous stops at Central Missouri and Paris (Texas) Junior College. The bad news is he’s playing for a team that was 0-18 heading into Saturday’s game at Texas Southern.

Eckwood, a junior guard, is averaging 7.7 points per game with a high of 16 points against Brigham Young University.