Eric Musselman shares the key to knocking off No. 1 seeds

For the second season in a row, Eric Musselman and the Arkansas Razorbacks knocked off a number one seed when they beat the Kansas Jayhawks in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

After the win, Musselman was asked about the key to knocking off a number one seed.

“I’ve been coaching a long time, that’s as great of a win as I’ve ever been a part of,” Eric Musselman said. “Again, because of the history of Kansas, because of some of their veteran players that were part of a championship team last year. A lot of people didn’t think we were going to win our first-round game.”

Eric Musselman has led Arkansas to two straight Elite Eights, entering the 2023 NCAA Tournament. To get there last season, his Razorbacks had to knock off Gonzaga, a one-seed, in the Sweet Sixteen.

“I’ve continued to tell the guys internally and I’ve continued to tell the staff that we are a team that continues to get better. That just doesn’t happen this time of year, but because of all the circumstances that have happened, we’re still evolving, we’re still adding offensive plays, we’re still adding defensive coverages. We’re an evolving basketball team and I feel fortunate these guys buy into the prep,” Musselman explained.

“We went hard preparation wise. These guys didn’t have hardly anytime off between our last game and I didn’t want to come shoot today. Not many teams shot today, they gave up their practice time. So I told them, hey, guys, let’s do a walk-through and film and I can walk you through what we need to and Ricky [Council] and Devo [Davonte Davis] stood up and said, ‘No, Coach, we want to go to the gym,’ and I said I was worried about legs and they said, ‘Nope.’ It wasn’t my decision. It was their decision. We used all our allotment time today in shootaround. I think that really helped us.”

Eric Musselman on the emotions of the win

The win over Kansas was incredibly emotional for Arkansas. As Eric Musselman explained, the game was challenging, which only made it more emotional.

“Well, I would love to lie and say that I felt composed, but this…We only led for 1:43. This has been as challenging and as up-and-down a season as I’ve ever been a part of. For these guys to be rewarded for sticking with it and being able to go to Las Vegas? And participate with only 16 teams still standing?” Musselman said.

“It’s really hard to make this tournament. It’s really hard to win a game in this tournament. [And] it’s really hard to beat the defending champions, a No. 1 seed. We did it. [I’m] proud of us.”