In a tournament that has featured an array of upsets during the first weekend, Eric Musselman and the Arkansas Razorbacks pulled off another with a 72-71 victory over the defending national champion Kansas Jayhawks. The Razorbacks rallied from a 12-point second-half deficit to overtake their opponents, and Musselman celebrated the win by standing on the scorer's table, stripping off his shirt and flexing in front of the Razorbacks fans.
Eric Musselman showing off his… MUSCLES @RazorbackMBB pic.twitter.com/P2D7yYioOF
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 18, 2023
Arkansas executed down the stretch and stood up to the top-seeded team in the West Region. Guard Davonte Davis led Arkansas with 25 points, making 9 of 15 field goals and coming down with 6 rebounds. He was joined by Ricky Council IV, who played all 40 minutes for the Razorbacks and scored 21 points. Council made just 5 of 18 shots from the field but helped clinch the win by making 10 of 11 free throws.
Davis was emotional after the game, and he credited the 8th-seeded Razorbacks ability to rally and come away with the victory to the team's work ethic. “We just worked so hard and put in so much effort,” Davis said. “This team was struggling, but we figured it out.”
After Council made a pair of free throws to extend the Arkansas lead to 72-69 with 7 seconds remaining, Jalen Wilson was fouled bringing the ball upcourt with 3 seconds remaining before he had a chance to attempt a tying 3-point attempt. Wilson made the first free throw, and attempted to miss the second, but that shot banked in, giving Arkansas the ball back with a 1-point lead.
They got it inbounds and Kansas was unable to foul, giving Eric Musselman and his players a chance to flex and strut their stuff.
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