Eric Musselman analyzes first-half performance, how Arkansas can exploit Gonzaga

No. 4-seeded Arkansas entered Thursday night’s contest as heavy underdogs against the No. 1-seeded, No. 1-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs, and for good reason — but after Chet Holmgren was put on the bench with early foul trouble, Musselman saw a route for the Razorbacks to attack Gonzaga for the rest of the game.

At the half, Arkansas leads Gonzaga 32-29. Holmgren, a former five-star recruit that’s projected to go in the first few picks of the upcoming 2022 NBA Draft, found himself in foul trouble early on in the game. He was put on the bench for the the latter half of the first after picking up his second foul; should Holmgren pick up one more in the second half, he could be on the bench for an extended period of time. Now, Musselman sees a way for the Razorbacks to exploit the shorthanded Gonzaga Bulldogs.

“Well, we need to go to the basket and draw up free throws attempted, that’s kind of who we are. The script has been flipped,” Musselman said on the CBS broadcast. “They’re the team shooting foul shots in an early bonus. That’s kind of how we’ve won games all year. We’ve got to do a better job attacking the rim.”

Musselman will hope that Arkansas can continue to attack the basket and draw fouls in the second half. However, the Razorbacks will have to also improve their shooting from three-point range — as a team, Arkansas shot just 2-of-12 from three, hampering their ability to extend the lead. The Razorbacks did end the half on a 13-2 run to take the lead, much to the appreciation of Musselman.

“We had enough days to prepare to try and take away some of their (Gonzaga’s) so great transition. But we understand and respect the fact that they go on spurts,” Musselman said at halftime on the CBS broadcast. “So, the next 20 minutes, it will be paramount that we have the same defensive intensity with the same physicality because we’ve seen them come back on teams. Far from over, a very good first half defensively. We’ve still got to manufacture a few more easy baskets.”

Eric Musselman explains how he’s using national Gonzaga appreciation as motivation

After Arkansas was a popular upset pick in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the Razorbacks are now trying to pull off the upset. They have a date with No. 1 seed Gonzaga in the Sweet 16 — and Eric Musselman is using some different tactics to motivate his players.

Musselman said he’s using the national appreciation for the Bulldogs to get his players ready for the showdown. In fact, he said he used some of that discussion in Arkansas’ film sessions. He added the noise is unavoidable considering the year Gonzaga had, which is why he’s preparing the team the way he is.

“When we do a film session, there’s stuff spliced in on what people have said, 1,000 percent,” Musselman told reporters this week. “I don’t mind conveying that. We understand the respect factor for us in this particular game is kind of nonexistent from a national perspective. Yeah, our guys are going to see it, hear it, all the way up until tip-off.

“Again, the respect that we have for Gonzaga is through the roof. But we have a 40-minute game that we’ve got to try to figure out how we can play with them and give ourselves an opportunity.”