Eric Musselman shares what upset of No. 1 seed Kansas means for Arkansas

One seeds continue to fall in the NCAA Tournament, as Arkansas upset defending national champion Kansas on Saturday in comeback fashion. Despite trailing by double digits in the second half, the Razorbacks fought their way back to claim a 72-71 victory and advance to the Sweet Sixteen.

It is the 14th Sweet Sixteen appearance in program history, as well as their third straight under coach Eric Musselman. Speaking postgame with CBS, Musselman attempted to put into words just how much the win means for Arkansas.

“That’s such an unbelievable win for our program,” he said. “I keep telling people that we’re getting better and not many teams can get better this time of year. I’ve never been prouder of a team like tonight.”

Although he fouled out with 1:56 to play, guard Davonte Davis was instrumental in the big win. He finished with a team-high 25 points on 9-of-15 (60%) shooting to go along with eight rebounds. That scoring output was a season-high and just one point shy of tying the career high he set in 2021.

It couldn’t have come at a better time.

“Devo was absolutely incredible,” Musselman said. “I feel like he’s my son. I love these kids so much.”

More on Arkansas’ upset of No. 1 seed Kansas

Arkansas entered halftime trailing 35-27 and saw the deficit increase to as many as 12 points in the second half. Trailing 51-41 with 12:37 to play, the Razorbacks went on an 11-0 run to take their first lead since the 18:26 mark of the first half with just 8:55 remaining on a 3-pointer from Jordan Walsh.

From there, the teams traded blows in a tightly contested game the rest of the way that came down to the final seconds. The Razorbacks took a 67-65 lead with 51 seconds to go on a layup from Kamani Johnson.

After Kansas responded to tie the game once again, Ricky Council was fouled on the ensuing possession. Although he made just one of two free throws, he secured the rebound and was fouled again, this time sinking both to give the Razorbacks the lead for good.

Council finished second on the team with 21 points, including 10-of-11 from the stripe. He added six rebounds and four assists in what will go down as a memorable NCAA Tournament win for Arkansas.

The Razorbacks have advanced to the Elite Eight in each of the past two years and will now look to make it three in a row. With the recent win against Kansas, they should have confidence going forward that they can beat anyway standing in their way.

Arkansas will face the winner between Connecticut and Saint Mary’s in its Sweet Sixteen matchup. Tip time for that contest has yet to be announced.