WATCH: Eric Musselman ejected after confrontation with official
Arkansas basketball coach Eric Musselman was ejected late in Saturday’s 88-66 loss against Oklahoma. Despite 26 points from sophomore guard Davonte Davis, the team’s six-minute scoring drought in the second half proved too much to overcome.
With 3:30 remaining in the game, Eric Musselman was ejected after confronting an official as assistants restrained him on the sideline. Upset with the calls, he charged toward the middle of the court with a flurry of words – which were not picked up but likely could not be written anyway – while pointing at the official.
Assistant coaches quickly impeded Musselman’s path and guided him toward the tunnel once the ejection became official.
Arkansas is now 9-1 on the season with upcoming games against Hofstra and Elon before the start of the SEC schedule. The team rattled off nine straight wins to open the season, moving them to No. 12 in the AP Poll, despite talk from the national media that they have not played a high enough level of competition.
Arkansas center hits growth spurt
Arkansas center Connor Vanover was already a defensive force in the paint for the Razorbacks last season, leading the team with 51 blocks in 29 games. Now, it appears the towering shot blocker has grown taller. Listed at 7-foot-3 last season, Vanover is easy to spot on the court. In a recent picture next to head coach Eric Musselman, the center appears to be over 7-foot-6 in shoes.
Vanover averaged 6.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game in 2020, shooting 32.4 percent from the 3-point line and 95.2 percent on free throws. Known locally as “Arkansas Dirk,” the local product is one of just five returning players from last season’s Elite Eight team.
After starting 27 games over the course of the season, Vanover is the team’s most experienced player.
Connor Vanover is the son of former Arkansas women’s basketball player Robyn Irwin, who led the school in blocks in three seasons. He has two twin brothers who are older than him. Brandon (7-foot) played basketball at Central Arkansas and Justin (7-foot-1) played saxophone in the Million Dollar Band at the University of Alabama, per Arkansas’ team website.
The Findley Prep product originally committed to Memphis under Tubby Smith, but looked elsewhere when the school fired its coach. He then moved to California, where he averaged 7.5 points and 3.0 rebounds in 28 games with 15 starts. When Eric Musselman got the job at Arkansas, Vanover decided to transfer back to his home state.