Eric Musselman looking to rewrite 2020 loss to Kentucky

Two years ago, No. 10 Kentucky went into a wild Bud Walton Arena and managed to leave with a win. You probably remember it because, with the score tied at 44 with 8:19 left, John Calipari got ejected for arguing a call on EJ Montgomery. The Razorbacks took the lead with the resulting free throws, the crowd went nuts, and it appeared the momentum was shifting. Instead, Kentucky went on a 17-2 run to take control and win 73-66.

With another top-ten Kentucky team headed to Fayetteville tomorrow, Eric Musselman is hoping to use the lessons from that 2020 loss to help his team pull off the upset.

“I think we got too emotionally invested early in the game. I don’t think our legs ran out of gas, I think emotionally we ran out of gas. When Coach Cal got thrown out of the game, I think some of our players from a maturity standpoint might have thought that the game would change in our complexion which it didn’t. It flipped the other way. That’s why Coach Cal is a phenomenal coach and can really read situations.”

“They’re not going to beat themselves”

So far this season, Arkansas has beaten two ranked teams at home: then-No. 1 Auburn on Feb. 8 and then-No. 16 Tennessee on Feb. 19. The Razorbacks took control early vs. the top-ranked Tigers and withstood every run, sealing the win from the free-throw line. Musselman said he still uses the 2020 loss to Kentucky as an example to his players of what happens when you let go of the rope.

“We have talked about that game this year and some of our big games with big crowds and the fact that, you know what, we’ve got to play for 40 minutes. We know there’s going to be scoring runs. The game’s never over and it’s going to be the case on Saturday as well.”

“They play really hard,” John Calipari said of the Razorbacks today. “They don’t let go of the rope at any point in the games that I’ve watched. I watched the Alabama game. They never stopped. They gave themselves a chance and whether it be what happened with Tennessee and how hard they played, they’re not going to beat themselves. You’ve gotta go in there and you’ve gotta beat them. And it’s really hard to do.”

“We play for things like this”

Arkansas sophomore forward Jaylin Williams attended the 2020 game vs. Kentucky as a recruit. He said atmospheres like that — and the ones vs. Auburn and Tennessee — are what players crave.

“I was actually here watching the Kentucky game a couple of years ago when their coach got thrown out and I remember how loud it was in there and the environment. Everyone looking around covering their ears. I know it’s going to be a crazy environment [tomorrow]. We play for things like this. Athletes, basketball players, you play because you want to play in front of crowds like this. You want to play in front of the pressure, the rivalry, whatever it is, you want to play for reasons like this a lot of the time and I feel like we’re ready to play.”

Tomorrow, Arkansas is calling for fans to “Stripe Out” Bud Walton Arena. The Razorbacks are giving fans free t-shirts, pom poms, and food. Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek even asked fans not to storm the court if the Razorbacks win, a bold premonition that’s likely making its way around the Joe Craft Center as we speak. Thankfully, what will be an insane atmosphere in Fayetteville is just another day on the road for Kentucky.

“I’d say we’re pretty accustomed to it at this point on the road,” Kellan Grady said today. “That’s been the story of Kentucky Basketball, traveling in the SEC for years now. We got a glimpse of the Auburn game and we’ve seen some tape on them. We expect it to be an electric environment and a sold-out crowd with a ton of students and a lot of enthusiasm, so the good thing is we’re prepared for that. We’ve faced that and we’ve got good experience with that. So, we’re looking forward to the challenge, I’d say.”

One with a similar ending to the game in 2020, we hope.