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Arkansas

Eric Musselman heaps high praise on Porter Moser ahead of Oklahoma matchup

Alex Weberby:Alex Weber•12/09/22
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Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

Eric Musselman and Porter Moser have faced one another on the biggest stage. March 18th, 2018. Musselman’s high-flying Nevada team took on Moser’s Cinderella-story Loyola Chicago squad in the Elite Eight, with the Ramblers taking care of business to book their first trip to the Final Four in more than half a century.

Now, the two head coaches rematch, this time both in red, as Musselman’s Arkansas takes on Moser’s Oklahoma. After their previous battles, Muss has nothing but respect for Moser as a coach, and knows his Sooners squad will be a prickly challenge. Here was the Razorback head coach praising his Oklahoman counterpart:

“Yeah I mean Porter Moser is one of the best coaches, you know, in college basketball. He’s got a great demeanor. His teams always play really hard. Defensively, they’re very solid, real disciplined defensive teams. His teams move move well without the ball. They’re good cutters, they run dribble handoff action. They always share the ball. So they have, you know, themes on both sides of the basketball, which is why he’s won so many games anywhere he’s coached at.”

Eric Musselman has such admiration even though the two coaches approach the game so differently at the college level. His recent Arkansas teams, and this year’s more than any, are driven by their raw talent on offense, while they overwhelm on defense with their length, athleticism and physicality. Really, Muss is overseeing organized chaos.

Meanwhile, Porter Moser is the direct disciple of guys like Scottie Davenport (current longtime Bellarmine coach) and John Wooden. Fundamentals, cutting, chest passes, dribble handoffs — all that good nitty-gritty stuff on offense. Then, on defense, he’s more of a Tony Bennett copycat, slowing opponents down to a molasses pace whiling challenging every dribble, pass and shot.

Two totally different basketball clubs meet on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET, Noon CT. Should be a fun clash of styles to kick off the college hoops slate.