John Daly: Arkansas basketball is clicking at the right time

Arkansas basketball is on a run the program hasn’t seen the mid 1990s, and the Razorback fanbase is all-in on head coach Eric Musselman and this year’s group heading into the Sweet 16.

That includes the face of the Arkansas fanbase, John Daly. He joined the Paul Finebaum Show to discuss what he believes to be the catalyst for this team’s run after the Hogs’ massive 72-71 upset win over 1-seed Kansas.

“They’re going to the boards more, we’re using our size. A lot of paint points with [Makhi] Mitchell and [Ricky] Council has just been a stud through March Madness,” Daly told Finebaum on Monday. “That guy has just been awesome. [Jordan] Walsh is such a great defensive player and [Davonte] Davis is probably our best 3-point shooter. But they’re all just clicking right now. They’re all playing together.”

Council’s fingerprints were all over the place against the Jayhawks, finishing with 21 points, six rebounds and four assists while Davis scored a team-high 25 points on nine-made field goals. Walsh scored 10 points off the bench before fouling out. Mitchell did the same with 6 points and 2 rebounds to his credit.

In the first round, a 10-point win over Illinois, saw three Razorbacks score in double figures, including a team-high 18 points and 10 rebounds for Ricky Council. Davis and Anthony Black combined for 28 and 12 rebounds of their own as well.

Daly also credited the return of Nick Smith to the lineup for exploding onto the scene since coming back from injury in mid-February. He hasn’t been a major factor in Arkansas’ first two NCAA Tournament games, scoring 6 points on 2-10 shooting in the first round against the Illini and was scoreless in the second-round upset against Kansas.

Still, the golfing legend is confident his Razorbacks can pull off another victory. Arkansas will be looking for its third-straight trip to the Elite Eight with a win Thursday night against 4-seed UConn. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. ET live on CBS. The winner will face either Gonzaga or UCLA with a chance at the Final Four on the line — a place the Razorbacks haven’t been since 1995.

“If we play defense and make free throws, I think we have a really good shot of winning that game,” Daly told Finebaum.

Despite Daly’s confidence, the Huskies have opened as 3.5-point favorites over the Hogs, according to Caesars Sportsbook. The over/under is set at 139.5. The Razorbacks are 11-3 all-time in the Sweet 16.