Eric Musselman addresses Arkansas becoming a popular upset pick

Arkansas, a No. 4 seed, started becoming a popular upset pick as fans built their brackets for the NCAA Tournament this year. A reporter asked Razorbacks coach Eric Musselman about that, and he answered that question as only he could.

The Razorbacks, who start the tournament against Vermont, are in the dreaded No. 4 vs. No. 13 seed game. Fans have Arkansas on upset watch despite a strong showing in the regular season.

Musselman knows the key to March Madness is keeping his players focused. There are distractions everywhere — from social media to fans in the arena. He knows the noise is out there regarding upsets down the road, but his main goal is to make sure he keeps his team locked in.

“They’ve seen all the clips, and they’ll continue to see the clips just as they did last year,” Musselman said. “My wife continues to remind me. It’s not everybody. I mean, I think any way, shape, or form that you can motivate your team, that’s our job to try to figure out every button that you can possibly push to get your team in the right mental frame.”

The Razorbacks take on the Catamounts on Thursday night in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. That game tips off at 9:20 p.m. ET.

Eric Musselman: Vermont matchup is ‘kind of like a road game for us’

The NCAA Tournament bracket is out, which means conversations have started about seeding and where teams were placed. Arkansas coach Eric Musselman had some thoughts about his team’s placement this week prior to the big dance.

The Razorbacks are a No. 4 seed in the West Regional, but play their first game in Buffalo, NY. They’ll take on No. 13 seed Vermont with a chance to potentially face No. 5 seed UConn in the next round, which also takes place in Buffalo.

Musselman argued those two teams could have more of an advantage during those game since they’re closer to Buffalo than Arkansas is.

“You know, it’s interesting,” Musselman said. “We play in Buffalo. Vermont’s a seven-hour drive or whatever. UConn’s another team in that. That’s a six-hour and fifteen-minute drive. So [it’s] kind of like a road game for us against Vermont, quite frankly. We’ve got to understand that, as well.

“It’s not often when a four-seed, when you look at your bracket, and [say], ‘Oh, wow. The first team we play is really close to here.’ If you’re fortunate enough to advance, that team’s pretty close, too. Not much of an advantage there at all.”