BB Live: Arkansas vs. Arkansas-Little Rock
The Arkansas Razorbacks are set to take on the University of Arkansas-Little Rock Trojans on Sunday afternoon inside Bud Walton Arena for their first exhibition game of the year.
The Razorbacks are coached by Eric Musselman, who took over as the head Hog in April. A former head coach for the Golden State Warriors (2002-04) and Sacramento Kings (2006-07), Musselman guided Nevada to three Mountain West Titles, three NCAA Tournament appearances and 110 combined wins in his most recent 4-year tenure with the program from 2015-19.
Last season under former coach Mike Anderson, the Hogs finished the year 18-16. Their season ended with a 63-60 loss to Indiana in the second round of the NIT.
Not only will the Hogs’ be playing their first contest with Musselman at the helm, but the unveiling of Nolan Richardson Court will also happen on Sunday. Richardson led Arkansas to 13 NCAA Tournament appearances including six Sweet 16’s, four Elite Eights, three Final Fours, a national runner-up finish and the 1994 NCAA Championship.
“We’re looking forward to obviously Sunday’s exhibition game. I think it’s going to be a great game for the entire state,” Musselman said Thursday. “And then you add in the fact that it really is a special opportunity to honor Coach Richardson and then the new court. Really, really a special day. Much more meaningful than would just be a normal exhibition game. This kind of takes on a life of its own. I think it’s going to be a great game for all the people involved and it’s going to be really neat for me to get some phone calls from former players.”
WHO: Arkansas Razorbacks vs. University of Arkansas-Little Rock
WHEN: Sunday, Oct. 20 at 3 p.m. (CDT)
WHERE: Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville (Ark.)
TV: SEC Network +
RADIO: Razorback Sports Network from IMG
Last season was rough for Arkansas-Little Rock, as they went 10-21. They finished the year 5-13 during conference play as members of the Sun Belt.
Darrell Walker is the head coach of the Trojans, and he is a former Arkansas Razorback great. Although the Hogs and Arkansas-Little Rock aren’t exactly familiar opponents, Musselman faced Walker’s Trojan squad last season while he was the head coach at Nevada. The Wolf Pack took care of business, beating the Trojans, 87-59.
“We’re kind of unique because we played them at Nevada last year in a regular-season game,” Musselman said. “I know their 4-man is a really good rebounder, really good reaction. They have a guard that can really shoot the basketball. They have another big that can shoot the ball. So I’m pretty familiar with about four or five of their guys. Obviously our team is not, so starting today will be when we start doing our prep. So we’ll have Thursday, Friday, Saturday and we’ll even do a little bit of shoot-around on Sunday.”
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