Analysis: Hoosiers should keep Arkansas coach Eric Musselman in Indiana for the long haul

It's too bad Baylor awaits in the Elite Eight, since Arkansas might have a good chance at the Final Four in another region — if transported down to the Midwest, it would be very easy to make a case for the Razorbacks being the team to beat.

As it is, the way Baylor has looked in the opening weekend of the men's NCAA Tournament paints the Bears not just as the favorites in the South but maybe the best team in the bracket, period, will all due respect to still-unbeaten Gonzaga.

Not to say coach Eric Musselman's team won't have a shot: Arkansas can run, shoot and most of all defend, three qualities that in tandem have the No. 3 Razorbacks back in the tournament's second weekend for the first time since 1996.

Arkansas held Texas Tech to just 36.1% from the field, including 29.2% inside of 3-point range, and came up with several late stops in a 68-66 win to advance to the Sweet 16.

"This is why I came here. I came here to win," said senior guard Justin Smith, a graduate transfer from Indiana. "And that’s it. And to have it come through, to come through fruition, it’s a testament to all the hard work we put in. We’re just gonna keep on going and see how far we can go."

But the greatest tournament intrigue surrounding Musselman and the Razorbacks comes from another source. 

The job at Indiana is open, again, and the Hoosiers are in the market for a savior, again, and — yeah, again — overtures pitched to some of the biggest names in coaching, college and otherwise, have been rebuffed.

Instead of dangling the job at current New York Knicks assistant Mike Woodson, an Indiana graduate who played for Bobby Knight, the Hoosiers should keep things simple: Don't let Musselman leave the state.

He checks the boxes.

Musselman has spent more than three decades in coaching across an alphabet soup of competition levels: the NCAA, NBA, CBA, USBL and D-League.

The past nine seasons have come on the college level, as an assistant at Arizona State and LSU and the head coach at Nevada (2015-19) and with the Razorbacks.

He's won at least 20 games in each of his six seasons as head coach and reached each of the past four tournaments, from 2016-18 with the Wolf Pack and again in his second year at Arkansas.

Justin Smith embraces coach Eric Musselman after Arkansas defeated Texas Tech in the second round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament at Hinkle Fieldhouse. (Photo: Marc Lebryk, USA TODAY Sports)

Musselman's college teams have improved every season: Nevada won 24 games and the CBI championship in his first year — an achievement given the team he inherited won nine games a year earlier — and then 28 games in each of the next three, including a Sweet 16 berth in 2017 and a No. 9 ranking in the 2018 preseason Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll.

After going 20-12 overall and 7-11 in the SEC last season, Arkansas is 25-6 with as many NCAA Tournament wins in Indiana's backyard as the Hoosiers have.

He's been able to recruit: Arkansas' 2020 class ranked in the top 10 nationally, according to 247Sports.com.

And if overlooked for much of the regular season even inside the SEC, where most national attention was devoted to Nate Oats and Alabama, Musselman's team is strong across the board: seventh nationally in scoring offense, 43rd in made 3s, fourth in blocks, ninth in rebounds and seventh in steals, to name a few.

"It shows we can play with anybody. We’re going to be able to adjust and compete," Smith said.

Musselman is "a coach that allows you the freedom, who allows you to play basketball," he added. "The main thing, honestly, is just confidence. I think the way we prepare and we practice allows all of us as individuals to have confidence."

By leading Arkansas past the Red Raiders, Musselman has already extended his stay in Indiana for another week. The Hoosiers should make it more permanent.

Follow colleges reporter Paul Myerberg on Twitter @PaulMyerberg

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