Eric Musselman calls UConn 'relentless' in rebounding

Eric Musselman pointed out the biggest challenge for Arkansas against UConn: rebounding. Usually, the Razorbacks are pretty good in that department but the Huskies might be better.

At least on the stat sheet, UConn is the top rebounding team margin-wise left in the NCAA Tournament. If the Huskies have their way, they’ll cruise in rebounds and get to the Elite Eight.

Musselman detailed the challenge ahead of Arkansas Thursday night.

“They’re relentless on the glass, for sure,” Musselman said. “I think that our teams had nights where we’re really, really good defensive rebounding because that’s obviously the key, is to try to keep them off the offensive glass. That’s one of the defensive themes that we’re trying to create with our team. So you’ve got to be physical.

“They’re a physical team. They send four to the glass almost every time. A lot of teams will send three to the glass and two back. But they, almost every possession they’re sending four to the glass.”

Musselman doubled down that his team had to be active defensively.

“So we’ve got to do a good job defensive rebounding, and then we’ll see how that affects our transition offense as well,” Musselman said. “But obviously they’re the best rebounding team we played all year and we played against some really good rebounding teams. Texas A&M’s a phenomenal rebounding team. Kentucky, with Tshiebwe, is a great rebounding team. Auburn can rebound the basketball.

“But everyone says UConn is the best rebounding team in the country. And they have two centers that, in my opinion, is the best center combination basically in all of basketball. They basically have a backup that’s a starter on almost every team in a country and is a freshman and had a great year.”

With a new team in 2022-23, Musselman actually credited a European trip back in the fall that sparked the team today.

“I thought it was really beneficial when we started the year because we got out to a great start. But then the injuries kind of hit,” Musselman said. “But I think anytime you can take those foreign tours, if you do them right, they can really build chemistry. They can build bonding. The players get to see the coaching staff in a different light.

“So I do think that buy-in and trust, you can kind of get a headstart if it’s handled correctly. So I don’t think there’s any doubt that that time — especially with so many transfers, and not just the transfers but out of our 12 players that will suit up tomorrow six of them are freshmen. So the freshmen along with the transfers, it did give us a little bit of a headstart on bonding, for sure.”

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Arkansas takes on UConn Thursday in the Sweet 16.