Eric Musselman on Arkansas' struggles: 'This has been unlike things that I've experienced'

The Arkansas basketball team is in the middle of a brutal stretch of its season right now, having lost seven of their last nine games after an embarrassing showing against LSU on Saturday.

The Razorbacks just haven’t been able to find answers, and this year’s roster doesn’t appear to have meshed very well after coach Eric Musselman went to the NCAA transfer portal to plug some holes. It’s hard to overcome iffy chemistry.

Musselman, for one, seems at a loss for words for the current issues.

“The only thing I know is to go back and coach,” Musselman said. “This has been unlike things that I’ve experienced. All’s I know is we get in the gym on Monday and we try to get better. That’s the job of any coach of any sport. We’ve got a lot of spots we’ve got to get better at. A lot, on both sides of the ball.”

Realistically, Arkansas’ preseason goals are pretty much toast at 11-11 overall, barring a remarkable turnaround and a very long winning streak from here.

It sure looks like this will be the first season under Musselman in which the Razorbacks do not make the NCAA Tournament. The Razorbacks had made three straight Big Dance appearances, and a probable appearance in 2019-20, Musselman’s first year in charge, was ruined by COVID-19.

Eric Musselman bemoans short turnaround

One significant disadvantage going into Saturday’s game was simply scheduling. Arkansas faced Missouri in a midweek game in Columbia, Mo., on Wednesday night before Saturday’s early tip on the road at LSU.

LSU, meanwhile, was off in the midweek.

“Seeing how we lost by the margin we did I’m not going to comment on that. I don’t want to get fined or anything,” Musselman said, before going on anyway. “But I alluded to it before the game because I thought it was semi-important. I think if the game’s at 3 or 5; I mean we woke up at 7:30 wakeup call, breakfast on the bus. But that’s not why we lost. We lost because LSU completely outplayed us. So no way, shape or form, has nothing to do with the results other than the fact that it was a quick turnaround.

“It was much like an NBA situation, where you travel, play, travel back home, day and a half, back on the plane, and then… actually it’s not like the NBA because I’ve never had a late game and then turn around and play the game at 11 in the morning. I’ve played games at 1 or 2 or 3, but not 11 in the morning.”

Then, as if to add as an afterthought.

“It has nothing to do with the loss,” Eric Musselman said.