Eric Musselman shares confidence level in Arkansas bouncing back
Eric Musselman was asked if Arkansas could bounce back after its latest loss to Texas A&M but shared confidence in his team.
But he also acknowledged it was a quick turnaround before the next game against Florida and every game down the stretch was vital. With just five to go, Arkansas wants to make sure it puts a stamp on its NCAA Tournament resume.
But still, Musselman was honest after the loss to the Aggies.
“Every game we have is hard,” Musselman said. “I mean you know, this team still got to grow in a lot of areas and we only have five games to go. So we gotta get ready for Florida.”
Davonte Davis led the way with 14 points, three rebounds and three assists for Arkansas. Makhi Mitchell added 11 points, nine rebounds and one assist.
Those were the only two Razorbacks in double digits. Arkansas had a 33-24 lead after the first half but did a 180 degree turn in the final 20 minutes. Texas A&M outscored the Razorbacks 38-23 in the second half.
That’s where Musselman was really honest with his team after they dropped to 17-9 on the year.
“This team has struggled, unlike any group that I’ve had since I’ve been coaching college, to finish games,” Musselman said. “We played a close game against Creighton. We played a great game against Baylor and came up short. I don’t know how to explain it. We have not played well. I just explained everything.
“We gave up 6 of 12 from three, and we went 1 of 10 from three in the second half. They hit a three at the end of the half, and then they hit two or three early in the second half. Therefore, you’re going to lose the basketball game.”
It can be credited to playing on the road, but Musselman doubled down on the struggles for Arkansas to close out games.
“We haven’t been very good closing on the road at all,” Musselman said. “We’ve lost a tremendous amount of close games. Closing has been an issue for this group. Our shot selection and our passing were poor late in the game. We were 1 of 10 from three in the second half. We shot 50% from the foul line in a close game; that’s not a recipe to win a game. We gave up 6 of 12 from 3. If we don’t guard the three, we’re not going to win games.
“Defensively, we were better rebounding the ball than we were in Bud Walton Arena, but they did come up with some crucial rebounds. We struggle to close games. We are just trying to win a game and keep our season alive. They were 11 of 27 from the field. They shot 40%. That’s not great, but not bad. But they went 4 of 5 from 3, and we shot 36% in the second half. Therein lies the outcome.”
Arkansas takes on Florida Saturday at home at 2:00 p.m. ET.