Eric Musselman expresses pride in his team following loss in Rupp vs. Kentucky

It’s been a challenging season, particularly in SEC play, for head coach Eric Musselman and the Arkansas Razorbacks. That continued on Saturday when Arkansas lost a high-scoring affair on the road at Rupp Arena against Kentucky.

Despite the tough loss, Musselman expressed pride in his team following the game for their effort and belief throughout.

“I thought it was by far our best offensive game, not even close,” Eric Musselman said. “Thought we played as hard as we’ve played all year. The effort, the focus, the belief. All of those things were as good as they’ve been. It was a locker room that pregame thought they were going to win. Halftime thought they were going to win, and throughout the course of the huddles. Thought we showed great toughness. I thought we got on the floor for loose balls.”

It was a fairly even game, statistically speaking, as Eric Musselman pointed out. However, there is one thing that Musselman clearly took issue with, which is the free throw discrepancy in the game. Kentucky shot 42 to only 28 for the Razorbacks.

“You look at the field goals made and it’s 34 to 34. The three-point shots, seven to nine. We took three less. Rebounding, close enough for us. 28-42. That’s the number that sticks out to me,” Musselman said.

Arkansas lost the game to Kentucky by nine points with the Wildcats shooting 14 more free throws than the Razorbacks. However, the Wildcats only made seven more free throws than the Razorbacks in the game. Still, Eric Musselman likely would have liked to see his team go to the line more, even if he didn’t go as far as to say it.

The Razorbacks are currently 12th in the SEC standings with a record of 5-11 in conference play with two games remaining in the season. Next up, Arkansas returns home for a game against LSU.

Eric Musselman sees Kentucky as National Title contender

For its part, Kentucky has had some highs and lows in SEC play this season, but Eric Musselman still sees the Wildcats as a National Title contender.

“Yeah, we made the decision that we were going to run today. And you know, a couple of turnovers and a baseline out of bounds defense. Those are two areas that I thought changed the complexion of the game,” Musselman said.

“And then the 42 free throws attempted. Really hard to overcome.”