Eric Musselman reveals why he grabbed microphone following win vs. LSU

Last Saturday, Arkansas woke up with a four-game losing streak and 1-5 record in SEC play. Yet upon their return to Bud Walton Arena, the Razorbacks were met with just as raucous a crowd as ever, helping the Hogs to rebound with wins at home their last two times out. Arkansas looked especially good against LSU on Tuesday, beating the Tigers by 20, thanks to their best defensive performance of the season. Ten days after giving up 97 points in regulation to Vanderbilt, the Hogs held LSU to just 40.

Bud Walton was certainly a contributing factor to the two-game bounce-back, and head coach Eric Musselman wants to make sure the fans are appreciated for creating such an awesome environment in the face of a disappointing losing streak. So during the LSU game, Muss was his typically wild self, running around howling at the crowd during timeouts and waving his arms to hype them up. After the game, he even grabbed ahold of the PA microphone to issue to a message to the fans thanking them for their support and for coming out to the game in harsh weather conditions.

In the postgame, Musselman was asked what behooved him to get on the mic after the Hogs’ big win. He answered that he owed the fans a big Thank You.

“I had a friend in from Palm Springs and another one in from Atlanta. I told them they’re going to see an incredible atmosphere. They were like ‘How is that going to happen with the weather?’ I said ‘Just watch.’ … I kept asking my staff, ‘You guys got any extra tickets?’ Everybody kept saying no. I grabbed the mic just because I felt like they deserved a huge thank you because the weather is not good out there right now.”

Bud Walton has been one of the most exciting atmospheres in all of college basketball since Musselman took over the Arkansas job. Even in a year where the Hogs are disappointing expectations thus far, the fans still came loud and proud to support the team as they bounced back this week.

Now, Arkansas has a tough test this weekend, going back on the road to face Baylor as part of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. The Bears are hot, having beat Kansas at home this week to win their fifth straight, while Eric Musselman’s group has primarily had their struggles on the road. So Saturday is a massive opportunity for Arkansas to re-assert themselves in the national conversation.