Davis Tells Story Behind Uncharacteristic Shove Against Auburn

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Arkansas Razorbacks fans finally have an explanation as to why guard Davonte Davis flattened Auburn's Chad Baker-Mazara with a powerful shove out of nowhere during the second half of the Hogs' loss to the Tigers at Bud Walton Arena.

According to Davis, who was calling in for his weekly appearance on 103.7 "The Buzz" from Florida where the Hogs have spent the last two days, Mazara was doing way more than the barking so many Arkansas fans picked up on throughout the game. He was hitting Davis over and over, which was something the Razorbacks' guard asked officials to watch prior.

At one point, Davis said he took a shot to the face and asked a nearby referee to go to the monitor and review what happened.

"He was sitting right there and [Mazara] pushed me then slapped me in my face," Davis said. "I guess he didn't even see it. He acted like he didn't see it."

So, Davis took things into his own hands. At first, he appealed to the referee on behalf of the rules of college basketball regarding reviews. Then, when that failed, he decided to test whether the rule applied at all.

"I said it's above the shoulders," Davis said. "Anything above the shoulders you're supposed to review. He said he couldn't do it. I told [the ref] 'Go look at this!'"

That was when Davis laid into an unsuspecting Baker-Mazara with his full force behind a shove that sent his presumed tormenter crashing to the floor. This time, as rules require, the referee went to the monitor to review what happened, then assessed a flagrant foul.

This wasn't the first time Davis has done something similar. In 2021, against Northern Iowa, following a physical play that led to a floor scramble for a loose ball, Davis got up and ran down a Northern Iowa player from behind and hip-checked him through four heavy chairs into the second row of Bud Walton Arena. Still, despite history showing he can lose his cool every now and then, Davis swears that's the last time fans will see something like that out of him in a game.

"That's bad on me," Davis said. "That then frustration, but I can't do that. It won't happen again. Bad play on me. They only got an extra point. I think he made one, miss one or whatever. But yeah, that's on me. It won't happen again though."