Eric Musselman loves watching "super cosmetically pleasing" Kentucky

Count Eric Musselman among the fans of this Kentucky Basketball team. In previewing tomorrow’s game, Arkansas’ head coach couldn’t help but rave about the Wildcats, whom he called “super cosmetically pleasing,” and the job John Calipari has done this season.

“I think Coach Calipari is an incredible coach. Love what he’s done with this team and the spacing that they have and the pace that they play with. He’s constantly adjusting and tinkering.

“This team is a fun team to watch. I don’t know if you want to say that when you’re playing a 40-minute game against them, but when you’re not playing them or preparing for them, they’re super cosmetically pleasing to watch, super talented.”

Musselman is 3-2 against Kentucky during his tenure at Arkansas. He said what impresses him most about this squad is how well they share the ball. The Cats average 18.3 assists per game, which ranks in the top ten nationally.

“I think the biggest thing that stands out is, with all that talent, with the NBA players that they have on their roster, is where they line up in the country with assists.”

Musselman knows the challenge that awaits his team tomorrow in Fayetteville. To say Arkansas is struggling is an understatement. The Razorbacks, a preseason Top 15 squad, are 10-9 and 1-5 in SEC play. They’ve lost their conference games by an average of 20.4 points and are currently 12th in the SEC standings.

Beating Kentucky, currently ranked No. 6 in the AP Poll, would be a heck of a way to get back on track. Musselman said his team can’t afford another slow start like the ones that have plagued them thus far in conference play.

“When you’re playing a team like Kentucky and they’re No. 1 in the country in points per game, they’re No. 3 in field-goal percentage, No. 7 in three-point percentage, and No. 8 in assists, so there’s a lot of things defensively — and we have a shorter prep. Obviously, they played on Tuesday, we played on Wednesday. The shorter prep time is a factor as well.”

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Musselman on College Gameday coming to town

College Gameday will be live from Fayetteville tomorrow at 11 a.m. ET on ESPN to preview Kentucky vs. Arkansas and the other games of the day. It’s the show’s first trip to Bud Walton Arena. Given the fact that the Razorbacks are struggling, Musselman said the show coming to town is a testament to the program’s seasons, and, admittedly, Kentucky.

“Look, we’re also on [College Gameday] because we’re playing Kentucky. That’s part of this thing too. You’re talking about a team that’s 14-4, has a ton of NBA players that are going to go on to the next level in a few months, and you’re talking about Coach Calipari.

“When Coach Cal and the Wildcats come into a building, buildings are sold out. Credit to them. Thanks to the SEC, we’re playing them on a weekend, which is when Gameday happens.”

Fayetteville, we're headed to your city 🤠

See you soon for @KentuckyMBB vs. @RazorbackMBB 🏀 pic.twitter.com/KlpZ7HTjdM

— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) January 20, 2024

Musselman views Calipari as friend, mentor

In hearing Musselman talk about Kentucky, it’s clear he has a lot of respect for John Calipari. Musselman said the two are friends going back to Cal’s days in Memphis when Cal used to hold a coaching clinic for a small group of coaches. Musselman was also the head coach of the Dominican Republic National Team before Calipari took over in 2011.

“Obviously, he took my job with the Dominican Republic and I never got a chance to coach Karl-Anthony Towns but somehow he was on the Dominican team that next year after I left and he was there,” Musselman quipped.

Musselman coached the Venezuelan National Team from 2011-13 and found himself hanging out with Calipari at team hotels during international tournaments.

“Most of those tournaments, you eat in the same spot and you’re in the same hotel, there’s a flag for the country you represent. Obviously, I don’t know about Cal’s Spanish, mine’s probably a little better than his but we kind of gravitated to eat together at certain meals.”

Since taking over at Arkansas in 2019, Musselman obviously coaches against Calipari on occasion, but the two also cross paths at conference events. He praised Calipari’s ingenuity in those settings, particularly his idea for a college basketball summer league.

“I think he’s a guy that’s super important to the coaching profession. We all want to win and compete and get after it but I do think in the SEC coaches’ meetings and things like that, I think everything he always talks about is always for the betterment of the profession.

“I think he’s super creative with his ideas of trying to create some type of summer league like the NBA has, to do that in August. Super creative. His winning goes without saying, so tremendous respect. I look at him as a friend, a mentor, somebody that you seek advice from when you need it, and love how his team’s playing this year.”

Just get through tomorrow and you can go back to enjoying the super cosmetically pleasing Kentucky Basketball, Eric.

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