Category: Arkansas basketball

Hog fans finally in a happy place on social media, thanks to basketball

Arkansas basketball looks to keep it going Monday night, as Furman comes for a visit.

The Arkansas basketball fanbase is still abuzz after last week’s 80-75 victory over No. 7 Duke in Bud Walton Arena. Now, fans get a chance to continue riding high as the Razorbacks host Furman (4-4) on Monday night.

Arkansas bounced back from consecutive losses to Memphis and North Carolina in the Bahamas, with the win over the Blue Devils. The Paladins have lost three of their last four including a 70-69 loss to Princeton on Saturday.

The Hogs didn’t crack the AP Poll released Monday, though they did pick up votes. They received zero in the Coaches Poll.

A perfect month of December, though, especially with a win over Oklahom in two weeks – assuming no losses between now and then – would have them on the doorstep.

Here is some of the pre-game chatter from social media:

Brazile named SEC Player of the Week after double-double in win over Duke

The 6-foot-10 sophomore erupts for 19 points and 11 rebounds in win over Duke.

After missing the majority of last season with a torn ACL, Arkansas sophomore Trevon Brazile has shown no signs of drop-off this season.

His impact has been no bigger than the monster game he produced in last week’s 80-75 win over No. 7 Duke in Bud Walton Arena. For his effort, Brazile has been named the SEC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week.

The 6-foot-10, 220-pound Brazile finished with 19 points against the Blue Devils, making a career-high four 3-pointers, while pulling down a career-best 11 rebounds. It was his third double-double in the last four games, and the fifth of his career.

He made his final 3-pointer to put the Hogs up by 12 with 2:16 left, which proved to be pivotal as the Blue Devils made a final run.

Brazile made four of his five field goals in the first half, including a pair of threes, then sank two more triples in the second half, tallying eight points, along with five rebounds and two blocked shots.

The Springfield, Mo. native, has been named to the Watch Lists for the Naismith Trophy National Player of the Year and Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Awards, and was voted a preseason first team All-SEC selection by the coaches and media.

Arkansas’ win over Duke not enough for Hogs to crack AP Top 25

Five SEC teams picked up more points in the poll than the Razorbacks. Three of them were ranked.

Losses hurt.

The Arkansas basketball team may have emerged from a three-losses-in-four-games funk with Wednesday’s win over Duke at Bud Walton Arena, but damage is damage. When the AP Poll was released on Monday, the Razorbacks were not ranked. They really weren’t even that close.

Arkansas was a de facto No. 36 in the poll, picking up 14 points of worth votes. The Hogs were one point and one spot behind fellow SECer Ole Miss. Alabama and South Carolina joined in the unranked, as did Memphis, which picked up only five points.

The Razorbacks lost to Memphis in-between dropped chances against UNC-Greensboro and UNC-Chapel Hill.

Early-season chaos has been prevalent. Arizona moved up to No. 1 after Purdue lost last week, while the Boilermakers fell to No. 4. Kansas moved from No. 5 to No. 2, Houston from No. 6 to No. 3 and UConn dropped a spot to round out the top five.

Kentucky (16), Tennessee (17) and Texas A&M (21) were the SEC teams ranked.

Arkansas is back in action Monday against Furman. You can see the whole Top 25 below.

First NET rankings have Arkansas ahead of just three SEC teams

NET rankings are one of the selection committee’s top criteria. Arkansas has work to do.

A strong schedule can help build a team’s resume for the NCAA Tournament. The catch is that team has to win those tough games.

Arkansas finds itself in such a predicament early in the 2023-24 season as the Razorbacks sit 5-3 heading into Monday’s game against Furman in Fayetteville. The Hogs are good, no doubt, but the tough slate saw them ranked 117th in the NCAA’s first edition of the NET rankings.

The NET rankings are one of the main criteria the NCAA Tournament selection committee uses ahead of March Madness. Only three teams in the SEC were lower: Georgia (148th), LSU (165th) and Vanderbilt (256th).

Arkansas faithful should have no fear, though. When the Razorbacks start racking up wins in December – assuming they do – the number will climb. What Arkansas does in SEC play will ultimately determine the Razorbacks’ fate.

But if Arkansas beats Furman and then Oklahoma on Saturday, following last week’s win over Duke, coach Eric Musselman’s team will jump and ultimately, where things go from here are most important.

Arkansas vs. Furman: How to watch, stream, listen and more

Don’t let the mid-major label fool you, Furman is a very dangerous team. Here’s how you can watch the Hogs and Paladins tonight and much more.

It’s been five days since Arkansas basketball defeated No. 7 Duke and picked up their biggest win of the year, thus far.

Now, the Hogs welcome Furman, a mid-major from the Southern Conference. Don’t let their mid-major status fool you, though, the Furman Paladins are legit.

You might remember them as one of last year’s early “Cinderella” stories in the NCAA Tournament after they upset No. 4 seed Virginia as a No. 13 seed.

They return a lot of key playmakers from that team and are hungry to continue building their resume for a second-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

This will be the second Southern Conference opponent the Razorbacks have played this season, their first game was against a pesky UNC-Greensboro team that came into Bud Walton Arena and upset the Hogs.

It should be another good one in Fayetteville, and here’s how you can catch all of the action, key players to watch and much more.

Re-energized Arkansas ready for December, Furman

The Razorbacks look to keep riding Duke wave as Furman visits Bud Walton Arena on Monday.

Two years ago, December was a devilish month for the Arkansas basketball team. Last year, the end of the month bit the Hogs.

Now, in Eric Musselman’s fourth year at the helm, the Razorbacks are playing their best basketball of the early season heading toward winter break. And following a win over Duke last time out, Arkansas is ready for the final march before SEC play.

The journey begins Monday against Furman, a school Arkansas has never played.

Furman heads to Fayetteville with just a 4-4 record, but their four losses aren’t exactly shabby. The Paladins lost to Princeton, a Sweet 16 last season, practically at the buzzer, earlier in the week. They also lost to Liberty, the preseason favorite in Conference USA, and Alabama-Birmingham, a potential NCAA Tournament team in the American Athletic Conference. Their other loss was to Wyoming, a team projected to finish near the bottom of the Mountain West.

Arkansas’ resume looking sharper after Wednesday’s win over Duke. Before that, the Razorbacks had lost three of four: to North Carolina, Memphis, and North Carolina-Greesnboro. Those losses dropped the Hogs to a projected 10-seed in the NCAA Tournament in ESPN’s Bracketology. An update should be posted Monday or Tuesday and will almost certainly have Arkansas higher, considering Duke was a projected No. 2-seed.

The Razorbacks will play Oklahoma, Lipscomb, Abilene Christian and North Carolina-Wilmington in the rest of December before SEC plays begin against Auburn on Jan. 6.

Monday’s tip against Furman is set for 7 p.m.

Mark’s status for Furman on Monday is cloudy, per Musselman

Tramon Mark would like to be back in time for Monday’s game with Furman, but he may wait until next Saturday against Oklahoma.

Arkansas already has a win without Tramon Mark under its belt.

It may have to get another on Monday night without him when Furman comes to town for a 7 p.m. tipoff.

Eric Musselman updated the media on Saturday ahead of the game and said that Mark playing is ‘up in the air.’

Furman is the team that knocked Virginia out of the NCAA Tournament last season as a 13 seed.

The Paladins (4-4) lost to Princeton by a point on Saturday, the same Princeton team that advanced to last year’s Sweet 16.

Their wins have been over North Greenville, Belmont, Coastal Carolina and South Carolina State, while they have lost to Liberty, Wyoming, UAB and Princeton.

Insanity: Doubting Musselman’s Hogs after a few early losses

Arkansas basketball coach has made a habit of developing his teams for the NCAA Tournament.

Insanity is often defined as doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different result.

As far as Arkansas basketball is concerned, insanity is defined as doubting Head Coach Eric Musselman’s team after a few early-season losses.

The funny thing is that it has happened for the past four seasons, now, and yet, some folks will never learn. Musselman is an old-school coach who focuses on getting his team ready for the post-season run. Granted, he is competitive and wants to win every game, but not at the expense of taking his eyes off the big prize.

Many can’t comprehend that Muss is from a different breed than most of today’s college coaches. His father, Bill, was one of the sport’s most passionate and innovative coaches over the last 50 years, utilizing unique disciplinary tactics to motivate his players, while finding new ways to market his program for the fan experience.

Now, his son is taking that knowledge passed down to him, and lifting it to new heights. Find some clips of Bill ranting on the sideline during a game, and you will see, like father, like son. Uncanny. Although, I don’t think Bill ever stripped off his shirt in celebration.

The Musselmans are both known for shuffling lineups and “experimenting” with various offensive and defensive sets to fit their current personnel. It’s a lot of trial and error in the early going, in order to find the most optimal game plan for the stretch run.

Bill and Eric are the only father-son duo to ever be head coaches in the NBA. Bill coached the Cleveland Cavaliers from 1980-82, then he was the first-ever coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves from 1989-91. He also coach at the University of Minnesota from 1971-75, giving Eric his first exposure to college basketball.

Eric was an assistant for his father with the Timberwolves during the 1990-91 season, and also spent time as an assistant with the Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks and Memphis Grizzlies. He then became the head coach of the Golden State Warriors from 2002-04, before coaching the Sacramento Kings in 2006-07.

His pedigree was built in the profession basketball ranks, but his detailed coaching style and ability to communicate with players has made him a perfect fit for the college game.

Muss landed his first college jobs as an assistant at Arizona State and LSU, before being named head coach at Nevada in 2016. He was named Mountain West Coach of the Year his first season with the Wolf Pack, after winning nine more games than the previous season. They also won the post-season College Basketball Invitation that season, followed by three straight trips to the NCAA Tournament.

Most casual fans in Arkansas had never heard Musselman’s name before he was tabbed to take over the struggling Razorback program in 2019. All he has done since then, is turn in four straight 20-win seasons, including the COVID-shortened 2019-20 season.

Musselman has also taken the Hogs to all three NCAA Tournament since his arrival, making it to the Sweet 16 each year, with a pair of Elite Eight appearances, to boot.

In the 16-year span between Nolan Richardson’s departure and the Muss era beginning, the Hogs were invited to just six Big Dances. Musselman will likely equal that mark in six years.

But boy, how he can make fans jump off and on the bandwagon. They love him or they want him run out of town. No in-between, and no comprehension of the big picture.

After losing four of five SEC games in early 2021, Muss and the program were crucified on social media. Many saying he should just go back to the NBA. Yet, that team went on to rip off three straight wins in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 1995 runner-up season.

The Hogs then lost five of six midway through the following season, including a defeat to Hofstra in Little Rock. There were rumors of him “losing the locker room,” and not even qualifying for the lowly NIT Tournament. Yet, when the Razorbacks won 14 of their next 15 games, fans began showering their love, once again.

That was followed by another Elite Eight run that included knocking out top-seed Gonzaga.

The doubt started early last season, when the Hogs dropped a preseason exhibition game to Texas, which didn’t even count. Then after losing five of six to begin the SEC slate, fans were sure that the wheels had finally fallen off and Muss wouldn’t be able to recover this time.

Not only did Arkansas end up qualifying for the NCAA Tournament, but the Hogs took down another top-seed, Kansas, to secure a third straight trip to the Sweet 16.

And most recently, to no one’s surprise, the bandwagon had gotten bare, once again, after the Razorbacks dropped three of their last four games heading into Wednesday night’s showdown with No. 7 Duke. Only the “homers” with “rose-colored glasses” gave the Hogs any shot against the mighty Blue Devils.

But the Muss Bus rolled to another victory, without leading scorer Tramon Mark, and the bandwagon was back in business – again.

I always get a chuckle from all of the Mike Anderson-era fans who have been feverishly awaiting Musselman’s demise, so they can finally say “I told you so.”

They may have a long wait.

Beyond the Box: 3-point shooting, defense lifts Hogs over No. 7 Duke, 80-75

In front of a record Bud Walton Arena crowd, the Hogs were able to get back to their winning ways against No. 7 Duke. Here’s some key numbers that helped them do it.

It was another special night in Bud Walton Arena as Eric Musselman’s Hogs were able to upset No. 7 Duke, 80-75, in front of a record 20,344 fans.

Arkansas entered Wednesday night’s game in desperate need of some positive momentum. Losers of three out of their last four contests, including an upset loss to UNC-Greensboro in their most recent home game, the Hogs needed this win in the worst way.

With leading scorer [autotag]Tramon Mark[/autotag] still sidelined with a lower back injury, Arkansas’ two other statistical leaders – [autotag]Trevon Brazile[/autotag] and [autotag]Khalif Battle[/autotag] – were able to rise to the occasion behind a raucous crowd and get the job done.

Over the past four games, the Razorbacks have struggled in basically every facet of the game. However, a stagnant offense, costly turnovers and abysmal transition defense were the three big things that had stood out above the rest.

On Wednesday night, none of those issues were prevalent for much of the night. Arkansas looked like a completely different team than the one we saw in the Bahamas just five days ago.

Let’s take a look at some key numbers from this game and see exactly how they were able to correct their issues from the Battle 4 Atlantis and translate that into a big-time win over Duke.

Fine! Arkansas tagged with $100K invoice to SEC

The fine is the third in just over two years because of a rush to the playing surface at an Arkansas game.

The crowd at Bud Walton Arena gathered with about three minutes left in Arkansas’ eventual five-point win over Duke. Well, the young adults in the crowd gathered, anyway.

When the final horn sounded, they stormed Nolan Richardson Court, having knocked off the No. 7 team in the country, a blue-blood of the sport and on the celebration of the anniversary of their school’s national championship win over those same Blue Devils 30 years earlier.

The night was one to remember as it was almost midnight before the last of the crowd had cleared.

Then Thursday came and with it the expected: a bill for proverbial damages.

The Southeastern Conference fined the university to the tune of $100,000 for the physical display of excess emotion. The court rush goes against the league’s policies.

The fine is the third fans have caused in just over two years. They rushed the field at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium after a win over Texas in 2021 and then did the same in the winter against top-ranked Auburn during basketball season.

Arkansas’ next game is Monday against Furman.