ERIC MUSSELMAN

Nick Smith Jr. is a potential NBA lottery pick who has faced high expectations since signing with Arkansas.

Arkansas coach Eric Musselman and UConn's Dan Hurley have fiery demeanors, just like their fathers.

Kansas’ national title defense ended in the second round of NCAA Tournament when Arkansas’ Ricky Council IV made five free throws in the closing seconds and the eighth-seeded Razorbacks beat the No. 1 seed Jayhawks 72-71.

Arkansas coach Eric Musselman had to be restrained a couple times by his assistants during a 67-61 loss to No. 18 Texas A&M in the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference Tournament.

Mike Krzyzewski would pass famed UCLA coach John Wooden for most Final Four appearances if No. 2 seed Duke can beat fourth-seeded Arkansas in the West Region final in San Francisco.

Duke keeps winning games in the NCAA Tournament and Mike Krzyzewski keeps telling anyone who will listen, “It’s not the coaching.”.

JD Notae scored 21 points despite missing 20 shots and fourth-seeded Arkansas made Gonzaga miserable on both ends of the floor, bouncing the top overall seed from the NCAA Tournament with a 74-68 win.

Arkansas coach Eric Musselman has learned that his players need to balance the grind of basketball preparation and enjoying themselves through learning about a new city.

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski’s 26th, and final, appearance in the Sweet 16 is a classic matchup of offense vs.

Stanley Umude scored 21 points, JD Notae scored all 17 of his points in the second half, and No. 4 seed Arkansas hung on for a 75-71 victory over 13th-seeded Vermont in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The madness arrived early this year.

JD Notae scored 28 points and Arkansas used clutch foul shooting in overtime to knock off No. 1 Auburn 80-76.

Elijah Harkless scored 21 points and Oklahoma handed No. 12 Arkansas its first loss of the season, frustrating the Razorbacks’ top shooters and their coach in an 88-66 romp.

(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)INDIANAPOLIS – Baylor had been on the cusp of the Final Four twice before under coach Scott Drew, falling to the eventual champion both times. Baylor is headed there for the first time in 71 years, getting 22 points from MaCio Teague and a dominating defensive performance from Davion Mitchell to beat Arkansas 81-72 on Monday night. The top-seeded Bears (26-2) appeared to be barreling toward ending their Final Four drought with a dominating start. That left the Bears short of the Final Four dating back to when the bracket was only eight teams. He gave Arkansas all kinds of trouble on the pick-and-roll in the second half, finishing with 12 points and six assists.

Davonte Davis hit a short jumper with 2.9 seconds left, and Arkansas advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time in 26 years with a 72-70 win over Oral Roberts in the South Region semifinals Saturday night. 15 seed to reach the Elite Eight, Oral Roberts stumbled with a series of turnovers and missed shots. “We gave him a pass option, we gave him a dribble option,” Oral Roberts coach Paul Mills said. Oral Roberts knew it had a chance to top it against the Razorbacks after playing them earlier in the season. Oral Roberts led by 10 at halftime in Fayetteville on Dec. 20 before Arkansas bullied the Golden Eagles in the second half for an 87-76 win.

Arkansas forward Justin Smith (0) grabs a rebound from Texas Tech forward Marcus Santos-Silva (14) in the first half of a second-round game in the NCAA men's college basketball tournament at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Sunday, March 21, 2021. The Razorbacks are going back to the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 for the first time since the “40 Minutes of Hell” days a quarter-century ago. Justin Smith had 20 points and played a key role in a final defensive stop, helping Arkansas beat Texas Tech 68-66 on Sunday. Ad“Obviously kind of a classic NCAA Tournament game,” Texas Tech coach Chris Beard said. After Chibuzo Agbo banked in a straightaway 3-pointer to bring Texas Tech within 58-57 with 5:30 left, Moody answered by banking in his own 3 off a crossover.

(AP Photo/Darron Cummings)INDIANAPOLIS – The night before his team's NCAA Tournament opener, Arkansas coach Eric Musselman sat in a hotel room and talked with his son about using full-court pressure against Colgate. Call it “24 Minutes of Hell.”Justin Smith had 29 points and 13 rebounds, and Arkansas shut down high-scoring Colgate to open the NCAA Tournament with an 85-68 win on Friday. Arkansas seemed to have met its revved-up match against Colgate, the small liberal arts school from central New York. Colgate reached the NCAA Tournament in 2019 by picking up the scoring pace and are back again this year after scoring 86.3 points per game, second nationally. Arkansas' athleticism, particularly on defense, turned out to be too much for the Raiders to overcome.

Jalen Tate spent four years at Norther Kentucky, where he made an NCAA Tournament appearance, and Connor Vanover, who began his season at California. His teammate, Tanner Groves, wound up being league MVP — yet wasn't even an all-Big Sky pick before the season. They're a tough team to guard.”BIG MOMENTS, BIG SHOTSMount St. Mary's will likely be long gone by next week. He scored the final seven points to beat Central Connecticut State, then did the same thing against Long Island. In the Northeast Conference final, he scored 17 of 21 points after halftime to book an NCAA trip.

(AP Photo/Chase Stevens)INDIANAPOLIS – There has never been a better time to have senior leadership in the NCAA Tournament than this season. AdVirginia intends to play after withdrawing from the ACC Tournament because of COVID-19 protocols, which means fans will get to say Sam Hauser running the show. Dru Smith is their leading scorer and Jeremiah Tilmon finally reached his potential this season, and both aim to help Missouri snap a four-game NCAA Tournament skid. Herb Jones is an All-American candidate and Jaden Shackelford is Alabama's leading scorer, but John Petty Jr. makes the SEC Tournament champs go. Then there's Tennessee forward John Fulkerson, who sustained facial fractures in an SEC Tournament win over Florida and underwent surgery Sunday.

– It had been nearly a quarter-century since Arkansas had played a ranked team at home, let alone beaten one there. 20 Arkansas ended both those droughts Wednesday night, beating sixth-ranked Alabama, 81-66. Arkansas hasn’t lost an SEC game since. Arkansas’ big run clearly flustered Alabama, resulting in Petty picking up a technical foul after arguing a no-call with 6:55 left. AdBIG PICTUREAlabama still sits comfortably atop the SEC standings with a two-game lead over the next closest team, Arkansas.