Ex-’Canes guard Lykes transferring to Arkansas

Former Miami Hurricanes guard Chris Lykes has decided to transfer to Arkansas, he announced Wednesday.

Lykes, earlier in the offseason, flirted with the idea of going pro before deciding to initially enter the transfer portal. He announced it two days after Miami coach Jim Larrañaga told reporters Lykes was turning pro, either in the NBA or Europe.

Lykes will get a redo on his senior season. While the 2020-21 season is not being counted against player eligibility because it was played amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Lykes injured his ankle in the second game of the season on Dec. 4 and never played again for the Hurricanes after a successful first three years at UM.

A quick, 5-foot-7 guard, Lykes averaged 15.4 points as a junior in the 2019-20 season and 16.2 points per game as a sophomore the year before, leading the Hurricanes in scoring both of those seasons.

He was a first-team preseason All-ACC choice before getting injured early in the past season.

Other Hurricanes transfers to find their next landings spots this offseason include center Nysier Brooks (Ole Miss) and guard Elijah Olaniyi, who returned to Stony Brook after a year at Miami. Freshman guard Earl Timberlake is still in the transfer portal, and freshman forward Matt Cross parted ways with the program midseason. He has since transferred to Louisville.

The Arkansas Razorbacks are coming off a run to the Elite 8 in the NCAA Tournament, in which they fell to eventual national champion Baylor.

Lykes