| Arkansas Razorbacks | |||||||||||||||
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| University | University of Arkansas | ||||||||||||||
| First season | 1923–24; 102 years ago | ||||||||||||||
| All-time record | 1,799–1,014 (.640) | ||||||||||||||
| Athletic director | Hunter Yurachek | ||||||||||||||
| Head coach | John Calipari (1st season) | ||||||||||||||
| Conference | Southeastern Conference | ||||||||||||||
| Location | Fayetteville, Arkansas | ||||||||||||||
| Arena | Bud Walton Arena (capacity: 19,200) | ||||||||||||||
| Nickname | Razorbacks | ||||||||||||||
| Student section | The Trough | ||||||||||||||
| Colors | Cardinal and white[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Uniforms | |||||||||||||||
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| NCAA tournament champions | |||||||||||||||
| 1994 | |||||||||||||||
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| Conference tournament champions | |||||||||||||||
| 1977, 1979, 1982, 1989, 1990, 1991, 2000 | |||||||||||||||
| Conference regular-season champions | |||||||||||||||
| 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1935, 1936, 1938, 1941, 1942, 1944, 1949, 1950, 1958, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994 | |||||||||||||||
| Conference division regular-season champions | |||||||||||||||
| 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995 | |||||||||||||||
TheArkansas Razorbacks men's basketball team, colloquially known as theHogs, represents theUniversity of Arkansas inFayetteville,Arkansas inNCAADivision I men's basketball competition. The team competes in theSoutheastern Conference and is coached byJohn Calipari. Arkansas plays its home games inBud Walton Arena on the University of Arkansas campus. The Razorbacks are a top-twenty-five program all-time by winning percentage (.641), top-twenty program byNCAA tournament games played, top-twenty program by NCAA Tournament games won, top-fifteen program by Final Four appearances, and despite playing significantly fewer seasons than most programs in major conferences, top-thirty by all-time wins.[2] Under the coaching leadership ofNolan Richardson, the Hogs won the national championship in1994, defeatingDuke, and appeared in thechampionship game the following year, finishing as runner-up toUCLA. The Razorbacks have made six NCAAFinal Four appearances (1941,1945,1978,1990,1994, and1995).
Arkansas had a relatively late start in basketball; it did not field its first team until 1923.Francis Schmidt coached the Razorbacks from the 1923–24 season until the 1928–29 season, while also coaching thefootball andbaseball teams.
Schmidt oversaw the construction of the gymnasium that was home to the Razorbacks from the inaugural season through the 1936–37 season. The project was headed by Schmidt and Jay Fulbright (father of future United States Senator from Arkansas,J. William Fulbright). Schmidt and Fulbright organized a group of businessmen that facilitated the transfer of a former car showroom to the university to serve as the gym for the Razorbacks. The wooden gym, made out of surplusWorld War I material and officially namedSchmidt Gymnasium, became known as "Schmidt's barn," in reference to its makeshift nature and lack of accommodations.[3][4]
After a difficult first year that resulted in a 17–11 overall record and a 3–9 conference record, Schmidt quickly led the Hogs to success and a dominating run in theSouthwest Conference during his tenure. Building off the program's first season, the 1924–25 team finished third in the conference, quickly turning their record around to 9–3 in conference play. This second season laid the groundwork for tremendous success with Schmidt, as the Razorbacks won the conference championship outright in just the third year of the program's existence with a record of 23–2 (11–1). The 1925–26 season kicked off a string of four straight Southwest Conference championships under Schmidt, and five straight overall. Schmidt also coached the Hogs to the first of three perfect SWC seasons in program history in 1927–28, with a conference record of 12–0 and a 15.25-point average margin of victory in conference play. The 1927–28 season also marked the beginning of a school record 31-game winning streak that ran until the last few games of the next season.[5] Schmidt's last four teams at Arkansas went a combined 75–6 (42–4).[6]
The last couple years of Schmidt's dominant SWC run were marked by serious star power, with future Razorback basketball coachesEugene Lambert Sr. andGlen Rose earning First-TeamHelms Athletic Foundation All-American recognition during Schmidt's last two seasons (1928–29 and 1927–28, respectively), along with Tom Pickel earning First-Team honors fromCollege Humor Magazine in Schmidt's final season as coach.[7] Schmidt's Razorbacks had four of the five All-SWC selections in 1928 (Rose, Pickel, Lambert, andWear Schoonover).[8] During Schmidt's time at Arkansas, the Razorbacks finished first in the SWC four out of six years, and compiled an overall record of 113–22 (.837), the highest winning percentage of any Arkansas coach ever.[9] Schmidt left Arkansas to take thefootball andbasketball jobs at TCU, where he was coach until 1934.[8]
In the 1929–30 season,Charles Bassett took over as head coach, leaving the head coaching job atTexas A&M that he held for two years without finding much success, going a paltry 16–18 (5–15) in his two years as head coach inCollege Station, including a last-place finish in conference play for the 1927–28 Southwest Conference season.[10][11] Arkansas's success under Bassett was limited to his first season as coach, when the Hogs won the Southwest Conference Championship with multi-sport star and currentCollege Football Hall of Fame memberWear Schoonover garnering Second-Team All-American recognition fromCollege Humor and earning First-Team All-SWC honors for the third straight season.[12] The Razorbacks did not finish above third place in the Southwest Conference standings for the rest of Bassett's tenure. Aside from the SWC Championship in 1930, the other major bright spot in Bassett's tenure came on January 8, 1931, when the Razorbacks defeated rivalTexas, 29–21, the dayUT dedicated its newgym.[13] Bassett's last season was the 1932–33 season, when the Razorbacks went 14–7 overall with a 6–6 conference record, the first time since the inaugural 1923–24 season that the Hogs did not finish the year with a winning record in conference play.[6] After four seasons, Bassett's overall record was 62–29 (.681).[9]
Glen Rose took over in the 1933–34 season and returned the program to a competitive position within the SWC. Named aHelms Athletic Foundation First-Team All-American as a Hog in 1928, Rose was the first former player to coach the Razorbacks. Rebuilding the program after the decline under Bassett, Rose's first season as coach produced a .500 conference record (6–6) and a tie for third place in the final SWC standings. The Hogs finished with a winning conference record and no lower than second place in the conference standings for the rest of Rose's first stint with Arkansas, save for one season.
The 1935–36 season ended with the Hogs competing for the right to represent the United States in the1936 Olympic Games inBerlin for the first year of basketball being an official medal sport. The Razorbacks swept the other NCAA teams they played in the NCAA Olympic Playoffs, but lost in the first round of the U.S. Olympic Trials to theUniversal PicturesAmateur Athletic Union team that went on towin the gold medal.[14][15]
The following season, 1936–37 featured the last game in Schmidt Gymnasium, or "Schmidt's barn."[16] Construction of the new building, (originally known as the Field House) that came to be known as theMen's Gymnasium was under way in 1936, and was completed in the fall semester of 1937, with a capacity of 2,500.[17][18][19][20] The new home for the Razorbacks was dedicated on February 4, 1938, in a 53–26 win overTCU.[21] The Men's Gymnasium served as home for the basketball team untilBarnhill Arena was completed in 1954 and the Razorbacks began playing games there in the 1955–56 season.[22]
The Razorbacks won theSouthwest Conference outright three times and tied for first two more times during this nine-year run. In the 1940–41 season, Rose led Arkansas to its second perfect conference record ever (12–0) en route theNCAA Final Four in the Razorbacks' first NCAA Tournament appearance. The 1940–41 season is also notable for the outstanding play ofJohn "Johnny" Adams, a Helms First-Team All-American who is credited as being one of the players responsible for the proliferation of thejump shot in basketball.[23] Adams set the single-game SWC scoring record that season with 36 points against TCU inFort Worth on February 21, 1941.[24] Rose finished this nine-year run with a record of 154–47 (.766). Rose went on to coach thefootball team for the1944 and1945 seasons, without much success. Rose returned to coach the basketball team a decade after he left.
Former Razorback and All-AmericanEugene Lambert took the coaching job starting in the 1942–43 season. Lambert found moderate success in his first season as head coach, posting a winning record and overseeing a first in program history by coaching the first freshman to play for the Razorback varsity squad, Paul Coleman.[25] After winning a share of the Southwest Conference Championship for the 1943–44 season, Lambert and Arkansas were selected for theNCAA tournament for the second time in program history. However, the team was forced to withdraw after tragedy struck when a car accident injured two of their starters, Ben Jones and Deno Nichols, and killed Eugene Norris, a physical education teacher that accompanied the players on their trip.[26][27] The next year the Hogs earned another tournament berth and advanced to theFinal Four, losing to eventual championsOklahoma A&M.[28] The Razorbacks did not make the tournament again until the1948–49 season, when the Hogs shared the SWC crown withBaylor andRice. The Hogs lost in the first round of the regional, but won thethird place game. The 1948–49 season was Lambert's last season coaching the Hogs. During Lambert's seven seasons, Arkansas won a share the Southwest Conference Championship twice, with three second-place finishes and never fell lower than third in the conference. Lambert's final record was 113–60 (.653).[9]
Presley Askew took over for the 1949–50 season and coached through the 1951–52 season. Arkansas tied for first place in the Southwest Conference in Askew's first season, but bottomed out in his third and final season, posting the program's first losing record of 10–14 (4–8). The Razorbacks did not make the NCAA Tournament during Askew's tenure. Askew's overall record was 35–37 (.486), the first basketball coach to finish his career at Arkansas with a losing record, despite having a winning conference record of 19–17. As of 2025, Askew's three-season tenure is the shortest in Razorback basketball history of non-interim head coaches that coached at least one game.[6]
Glen Rose returned for the 1952–53 season; his second stint with the Hogs lasted until 1966. Rose did not reach the heights of his previous run, with the only real success being in the1957–58 season, when Arkansas tied for first place in the Southwest Conference withSMU and made theNCAA tournament, losing to anOklahoma State team whose starting point guard,Eddie Sutton, eventually became head coach of the Razorbacks.[29][30][31] Rose's teams in his second spell as head coach posted a winning conference record only five times, to go along with six losing records overall.[6]
For the second time in his career as head coach, Rose oversaw a transition from one home court to another. Eighteen years after the transition from "Schmidt's barn" to the Men's Gymnasium, the Razorbacks began playing their home games inBarnhill Arena (then known as Razorback Fieldhouse) in the 1955–56 season. With a capacity of 3,500 at the time of the first game, the transition to Razorback Fieldhouse represented more investment and interest in the program, even if the results of Rose's second run with the Hogs were lackluster.[32] The capacity of Razorback Fieldhouse was 5,000 once it was fully completed and remained at that number until 1977.[8] Razorback Fieldhouse would also be the site of the first televised home game for the Hogs, with Rose coaching the Hogs to a 61–57 victory overTexas Tech on January 3, 1959.[33]
Rose finished his second run with the Hogs (fourteen seasons) with a record of 171–154 (.526). Rose's overall record for his time at Arkansas (twenty-three seasons) was 325–201 (.618). Rose's twenty-three seasons as head coach remain the longest tenure of any Razorback basketball coach, and his fourteen continuous seasons as coach from 1952 to 1966 is second only toNolan Richardson for longest continuous tenure as Razorback basketball coach.[6]
After Glen Rose's teams continually failed to be competitive in the SWC during his second stint as coach, he retired following the 1965–66 season. The next eight years proved to be much worse than the lows experienced under Rose's leadership.
Duddy Waller became head coach for the 1966–67 season, but only lasted until the 1970–71 season. All of Waller's teams posted losing records, including two of the three worst winning percentages for a season in school history and the second most losses in a season in school history.[34] Waller's record during his four seasons was 31–64, which is the worst overall winning percentage (.326) of any Arkansas basketball coach ever.[9]
Waller was replaced by Lanny Van Eman, who coached the Hogs from the 1970–71 season through the 1973–74 season. Van Eman started his career as head coach of the Razorbacks with the worst season in school history, a 5–21 (1–13) campaign that still holds the record for most losses in a season, lowest winning percentage for a season, most SWC losses in a season, and fewest conference wins in a season.[34] Despite such an awful first season, Van Eman did manage to lead Arkansas to its first winning conference record in a decade, when the Hogs finished with a 9–5 record in the SWC for the 1972–73 season and tied for second place in the conference. Van Eman finished his career at Arkansas with a 39–65 record (.375).[9]
Despite the major shortcomings of Waller and Van Eman's teams on the court, of note is the fact that these coaches oversaw the gradual integration of African-American players into the basketball program under their leadership. Thomas A. Johnson was the first African-American to play for the Razorbacks on the 1967 team headed by Waller.[35] Following in the footsteps of Johnson were the first African-American stars of Razorback basketball, guard Martin Terry and centerDean Tolson.[36] Playing under Van Eman, Terry and Tolson put up huge numbers and set school records that still stand today, while also collecting All-SWC and All-American recognition. Terry owns the Arkansas records for highest season and career scoring averages, was a two-time First-Team All-SWC selection in 1972 and 1973, and picked up an All-American Honorable Mention nod from Helms in 1973, the same season he was named Southwest Conference Player of the Year.[37] He was taken in the third round of the1973 NBA draft, the second-highest pick in Arkansas history at the time.[8] Tolson is the school record holder for single-game field goals made and attempted, as well as career rebounding average. Tolson would follow Terry and get drafted in the fifth round of the1974 NBA draft.
Arkansas failed to finish above second place in the Southwest Conference during these eight seasons, posting a winning record only once, and did not receive any invitations to the NCAA Tournament. The combined overall record of these two coaches was 70–129 (.352) and 39–73 (.348) in conference play.[6]
After coaching atCreighton for five mostly unremarkable seasons that culminated in anNCAA Tournament bid and a first round victory,Eddie Sutton found himself onFrank Broyles's radar, as the longtime head football coach and new athletic director wanted to invest in the basketball program to get it out of the depths of the Waller and Van Eman years.[38][8]
Broyles hired Sutton starting with the 1974–75 season, and the hire proved to be a turning point in the program's history. Sutton's first campaign with the Hogs turned out to be a mildly successful one that put fans on notice, with an 11–3 conference record that was good for second place in the SWC, as high as the program had finished in conference play in seventeen years.[6] Sutton's second team did not perform as strongly in conference play, but improved its overall record. The excitement behind Razorback basketball was palpable as renovations began on what was then officiallyBarnhill Arena after it was renamed in 1973 for former athletic director and head football coach,John Barnhill.[39] Sutton's second team also had the core players that would elevate the Razorbacks to a national power under his leadership, the famed in-state players known as the "Triplets,"Ron Brewer,Marvin Delph, andSidney Moncrief (who later became the first player in program history to have his number retired).[40]
The1976–77 Razorbacks were the team that established Arkansas as a basketball power in the modern era. Beginning play in a renovated Barnhill Arena with an expanded capacity of 6,200, the Hogs won the SWC with a perfect 16–0 conference record, going 26–1 overall in the regular season and spent more weeks in theAP Poll that season than every season prior, combined, with a peak ranking of #6.[8][41] The Hogs earned their first tournament invitation in nearly two decades, but fell in thefirst round, while still finishing ranked in the AP Poll for the first time in school history.[6] The Hogs would follow the 1976–77 season with Sutton's most successful season at Arkansas and one of the best seasons in school history. Barnhill Arena was expanded further prior to the1977–78 season, this time to a capacity of 9,000.[8] The Hogs started the season ranked #7 by the AP Poll, and lived up to the high expectations of their recent success by winning their first fourteen games and never falling out of the top ten of the AP Poll the whole season. Arkansas ascended to the top spot in the AP Poll for the first time in program history on February 13, 1978. The Hogs received an at-large bid to thetournament after winning a share of the SWC Championship and beat AP #2UCLA in the Sweet Sixteen before falling to eventual champion,Kentucky, in the Final Four inSt. Louis. The fifth-ranked Hogs won the third place game against AP #6Notre Dame, 71–69.[42]
Sutton's1978–79 team still managed a great campaign, despite the loss of two of the "Triplets," All-American Brewer and Delph. Repeating with a share of the Southwest Conference crown, the Hogs won theSWC Tournament to clinch the bid to the tournament. The Razorbacks advanced to theElite Eight, where they lost a close game marred by a controversial last-minute missed tripping call toLarry Bird and undefeatedIndiana State, 73–71.[43][44]
While Sutton's other teams would not be as high achieving as the 1977–78 and 1978–79 squads, he would still coach the Razorbacks to successful seasons, never finishing lower than second in the Southwest Conference standings after his second season, while also producing highlights ranging fromU.S. Reed's game-winning, last-second half court shot against defending championsLouisville in the second round of the1981 NCAA Tournament, ending back-to-back national runner-upHouston's thirty-nine game SWC winning streak, having a player drafted in the first round of theNBA draft three straight years from 1983 to 1985 (Darrell Walker,Alvin Robertson, andJoe Kleine), and the Razorbacks' first win over an AP #1 team againstMichael Jordan andNorth Carolina inPine Bluff, Arkansas on February 12, 1984.[6][45]
Sutton's eleven seasons remain the third longest tenure in Razorback basketball history. During these eleven seasons, Arkansas won or shared the Southwest Conference Championship four times. The Hogs finished ranked seven times, including four top-ten finishes and two top-five finishes. The Razorbacks were invited to the NCAA Tournament during each of the last nine seasons of Sutton's tenure. Sutton finished with a 260–75 (.776) overall record at Arkansas, including nine NCAA Tournament appearances, four Sweet Sixteen appearances, two Elite Eight appearances, and one Final Four berth.[6]
Tulsa coach and formerTexas Western playerNolan Richardson replaced Sutton beginning with the 1985–86 season. After two years without a winning conference record, Arkansas finished tied for second in theSouthwest Conference standings in Richardson'sthird season. The Razorbacks won the SWC regular season and tournament titles each of its last three seasons in the SWC (1989,1990, and1991).[6]
Arkansas joined theSoutheastern Conference for the1991–92 season and won the regular season conference championship in 1992 and 1994, also winning the SEC Western Division title in 1992,1993, 1994, and1995. The Razorbacks also won the2000 SEC tournament. Arkansas made the NCAA Tournament thirteen times during Richardson's seventeen seasons, and made the Final Four during the 1990, 1994 and 1995 seasons. They won their firstnational championship in 1994 by beating Duke in the title game. The next season, they returned to thechampionship game and finished as runner-up, losing toUCLA.
Richardson was fired in 2002 after making controversial public statements against the university and then-athletic directorFrank Broyles. Assistant coachMike Anderson coached the rest of the season, going 1–1. Richardson holds the school record for most wins by a head coach, with an overall record of 389–169 (.697). Coach Richardson led Arkansas to four NCAA Tournament Elite Eight appearances (1990, 1991, 1994 and 1995) and six NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen appearances (1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1996). Between the 1989–90 and 1995–96 seasons, Arkansas won more games than any other school in the nation.
Stan Heath coached the Hogs beginning with the 2002–03 season and remained in Fayetteville through the 2006–07 season. During Heath's five seasons, the Razorbacks did not enjoy the success that they achieved under Richardson. They never finished higher than third place in the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference. They were invited to the NCAA Tournament in Heath's final two seasons, although they were eliminated in the Round of 64 each trip. Heath's overall record at Arkansas was 82–71 (.536) with a record of 31–49 (.388) in SEC play. Despite racking up 20 wins and his second consecutive NCAA tournament appearance in his final year of coaching the Razorbacks, Heath was fired after the 2006–07 season.[46]
Creighton University head coach,Dana Altman was hired as the head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks on April 2, 2007. During his introductory press conference, a visibly apprehensive Altman struggled to join in the Hog Call, stating afterwards, "I'm not sure my friends in Omaha would like to see me do that." This was a sure sign of things to come, as the following day Altman claimed that he had a change of heart and immediately resigned, returning toCreighton where he had coached since 1994.[47]
John Pelphrey was hired as the head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks on Monday, April 9, 2007.[48] Arkansas went 23–12 in Pelphrey's first season, defeatingIndiana by 14 points in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before being put away by overall #1 seedNorth Carolina in the second round. The Razorbacks had an SEC regular season record of 9–7. In Pelphrey's second year, the Razorbacks struggled in conference play after starting the season 12–1 in non-conference games with two notable wins over the nationally rankedOklahoma Sooners (#4) and theTexas Longhorns (#7). Conference wins were few and far between giving the Razorbacks a final conference record of 2–14. On March 13, 2011, John Pelphrey was dismissed as the head coach of the Razorbacks after an 18–13 season in which the Hogs missed postseason play for the third consecutive season, despite an impressive incoming recruiting class. Pelphrey finished his career at Arkansas with a record of 69–59 (.539).
On March 23, 2011,Mike Anderson signed a 7-year contract with Arkansas. Anderson previously coached theUAB Blazers andMissouri Tigers, and had already been an assistant coach at Arkansas under coachNolan Richardson for 17 years. On March 26, 2011, Anderson was introduced in front of 5,000 fans inBud Walton Arena.[49]
Anderson made three NCAA tournaments in his eight seasons, including a 27-win season in 2014–15 that resulted in a 5 seed in thetournament, the program's highest since 1999. The Razorbacks made another tournament two years later but lost to top-seededNorth Carolina, the eventual national champion, in the second round. The following year saw them make the tournament for the final time in Anderson's tenure at Arkansas, but a loss to Butler ended the Hogs' season in thefirst round.
Following an up-and-down 2018–19 campaign that culminated in anNIT berth, new athletic director Hunter Yurachek relieved Anderson of his duties on March 26 a little over a week after Arkansas lost to Indiana in the second round of the NIT. Anderson finished his career at Arkansas with a record of 170–103 (.623), including his 1–1 record as interim coach in 2002.
On April 7, 2019, Yurachek announced the hiring ofEric Musselman, then the four-year head coach at theUniversity of Nevada. Musselman had previously coached in theNBA with theSacramento Kings and theGolden State Warriors, where he was runner up for theNBA Coach of the Year Award, as well as college assistant coaching stops atArizona State andLSU.[50] Musselman'sfirst Arkansas team finished the season with a record of 20–12, with Musselman becoming only the second coach in school history to finish his first season with at least 20 wins and the first sinceJohn Pelphrey in2007–08. Musselman was also only the second head coach at Arkansas to finish his debut season with a winning percentage above 61% sinceGene Lambert during the 1942–43 season. After Arkansas beatVanderbilt in the first round of the2020 SEC Basketball Tournament, the rest of the SEC Tournament, as well as the entireNCAA tournament, was cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, making this the finalSoutheastern Conference men's basketball game of the 2019–2020 season. Arkansas junior guardMason Jones was named the SEC Co-Player of the Year by the AP.
In only his second year, Musselman led the Razorbacks to the Elite Eight of theNCAA tournament, losing to eventual championBaylor. This was Arkansas's deepest postseason run since their1995 title game appearance. The team finished the2021 season with a record of 25–7 (.781), and a conference record of 13–4 (.765). Freshman guardMoses Moody was named the SEC Freshman of the Year, and became the first "one-and-done" player in program history when he was drafted in the first round (14th overall) of the 2021 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors. Arkansas advanced further in the NCAA Tournament than any otherSoutheastern Conference team, and finished with an overall ranking of #6 in theUSA Today Coaches Poll.[51] In histhird year, Musselman led the Razorbacks to the Elite Eight again, losing to theDuke Blue Devils. Arkansas finished the 2022 season with a record of 28–9 (.757), and a conference record of 13–5 (.722). Again, Arkansas advanced further in theNCAA tournament than any otherSoutheastern Conference team, and finished with a ranking of #8 in the Coaches Poll, the highest in the SEC.[52] Arkansas also won the early seasonHall of Fame Classic tournament championship. In his fourth year, Musselman signed the #2 recruiting class in the nation, but the team slipped in SEC-play, finishing 8–10. The team would recover late in the season and made it to their third consecutive Sweet 16, losing to eventual national champion,UCONN. Musselman started his fifth season as head coach with a 9–4 record through the non-conference portion of the schedule, which saw the Razorbacks upsetDuke. The conference schedule proved a little tougher, as the squad began SEC play with a 1–5 record. The Hogs would continue to show very few signs of cohesive play, teamwork, or overall leadership, finishing the season with a record of 16–17, including a lackluster 6–12 mark in SEC play.[53]
On April 4, 2024, Eric Musselman officially left Arkansas to take the vacant head coaching position atUSC.[54]
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On April 10, 2024,Naismith Hall of Fame coachJohn Calipari, who had stepped down as head coach ofKentucky the day prior, was officially hired as the head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks.[55][56]
Despite an 0–5 start in SEC play, and 1–6 before February, Calipari rallied his troops and eventually made theNCAA Tournament as a 10 seed in his first season, taking outKansas andSt. John's to advance to the program's 15th Sweet Sixteen and fourth in five years.[57]
The Razorbacks have appeared in theNCAA tournament 36 times. Their combined record is 52–36. They were National Champions in 1994.
| Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | Elite Eight Final Four | Wyoming Washington State | W 52–40 L 53–64 | |
| 1945 | Elite Eight Final Four | Oregon Oklahoma A&M | W 79–76 L 41–68 | |
| 1949 | Elite Eight Regional 3rd Place Game | Oregon State Wyoming | L 38–56 W 61–48 | |
| 1958 | Sweet Sixteen Regional 3rd Place Game | Oklahoma State Cincinnati | L 40–65 L 62–97 | |
| 1977 | Round of 32 | Wake Forest | L 80–86 | |
| 1978 | Round of 32 Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four National 3rd Place Game | Weber State UCLA Cal State Fullerton Kentucky Notre Dame | W 73–52 W 74–70 W 61–58 L 59–64 W 71–69 | |
| 1979 | #2 | Round of 32 Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | #7Weber State #3Louisville #1Indiana State | W 74–63 W 73–62 L 71–73 |
| 1980 | #10 | Round of 48 | #7Kansas State | L 53–71 |
| 1981 | #5 | Round of 48 Round of 32 Sweet Sixteen | #12Mercer #4Louisville #1LSU | W 73–67 W 74–73 L 56–72 |
| 1982 | #4 | Round of 32 | #5Kansas State | L 64–65 |
| 1983 | #4 | Round of 32 Sweet Sixteen | #5Purdue #1Louisville | W 78–68 L 63–65 |
| 1984 | #2 | Round of 32 | #7Virginia | L 51–53OT |
| 1985 | #9 | First Round Second Round | #8Iowa #1St. John's | W 63–54 L 65–68 |
| 1988 | #11 | First Round | #6Villanova | L 74–82 |
| 1989 | #5 | First Round Second Round | #12Loyola Marymount #4Louisville | W 120–101 L 84–93 |
| 1990 | #4 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four | #13Princeton #12Dayton #8North Carolina #10Texas #3Duke | W 68–64 W 86–84 W 96–73 W 88–85 L 83–97 |
| 1991 | #1 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | #16Georgia State #8Arizona State #4Alabama #3Kansas | W 117–76 W 97–90 W 93–70 L 81–93 |
| 1992 | #3 | First Round Second Round | #14Murray State #6Memphis State | W 80–69 L 80–82 |
| 1993 | #4 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen | #13Holy Cross #5St. John's #1North Carolina | W 94–64 W 80–74 L 74–80 |
| 1994 | #1 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four National Championship Game | #16North Carolina A&T #9Georgetown #12Tulsa #3Michigan #2Arizona #2Duke | W 94–79 W 85–73 W 103–84 W 76–68 W 91–82 W 76–72 |
| 1995 | #2 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four National Championship Game | #15Texas Southern #7Syracuse #6Memphis #4Virginia #2North Carolina #1UCLA | W 79–78 W 96–94OT W 96–91OT W 68–61 W 75–68 L 78–89 |
| 1996 | #12 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen | #5Penn State #4Marquette #1UMass | W 86–80 W 65–56 L 63–79 |
| 1998 | #6 | First Round Second Round | #11Nebraska #3Utah | W 74–65 L 69–75 |
| 1999 | #4 | First Round Second Round | #13Siena #5Iowa | W 94–80 L 72–82 |
| 2000 | #11 | First Round | #6Miami (FL) | L 71–75 |
| 2001 | #7 | First Round | #10Georgetown | L 61–63 |
| 2006 | #8 | First Round | #9Bucknell | L 55–59 |
| 2007 | #12 | First Round | #5USC | L 60–77 |
| 2008 | #9 | First Round Second Round | #8Indiana #1North Carolina | W 86–72 L 77–108 |
| 2015 | #5 | First Round Second Round | #12Wofford #4North Carolina | W 56–53 L 78–87 |
| 2017 | #8 | First Round Second Round | #9Seton Hall #1North Carolina | W 77–71 L 65–72 |
| 2018 | #7 | First Round | #10Butler | L 62–79 |
| 2021 | #3 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | #14Colgate #6Texas Tech #15Oral Roberts #1Baylor | W 85–68 W 68–66 W 72–70 L 72–81 |
| 2022 | #4 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | #13Vermont #12New Mexico State #1Gonzaga #2Duke | W 75–71 W 53–48 W 74–68 L 69–78 |
| 2023 | #8 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen | #9Illinois #1Kansas #4UConn | W 73–63 W 72–71 L 65–88 |
| 2025 | #10 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen | #7Kansas #2St. John's #3Texas Tech | W 79–72 W 75–66 L 83–85OT |
The Razorbacks have appeared in theNational Invitation Tournament (NIT) four times. Their combined record is 6–5.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | First Round Second Round | Arkansas State Nebraska | W 67–64 L 71–78 |
| 1997 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals 3rd Place Game | Northern Arizona Pittsburgh UNLV Michigan Connecticut | W 101–75 W 76–71 W 86–73 L 62–77 L 64–74 |
| 2014 | First Round Second Round | Indiana State California | W 91–71 L 64–75 |
| 2019 | First Round Second Round | Providence Indiana | W 84–72 L 60–63 |
| Player | Position | Year(s) | Selectors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glen Rose | 1928 | Helms Athletic Foundation | |
| Tom Pickell | 1929 | College Humor Magazine | |
| Gene Lambert | 1929 | Helms Athletic Foundation | |
| Wear Schoonover | Forward | 1930 | College Humor Magazine |
| James "Doc" Sexton (2) | 1931, 1932 | College Humor Magazine | |
| Ike Poole | Forward | 1936 | Helms Athletic Foundation, Converse Yearbook |
| Jack Robbins | 1938 | Newspapers Enterprise Association | |
| John Adams | Guard/Forward | 1941 | Helms Athletic Foundation, Converse Yearbook |
| Clayton Wynne | 1943 | Pic Magazine | |
| Bill Flynt | 1946 | Helms Athletic Foundation | |
| George Kok (2) | Center | 1946, 1948 | Associated Press, The Sporting News |
| Fred Grim | Guard | 1958 | Associated Press |
| Clyde Rhoden | Forward | 1960 | Converse Yearbook |
| Jerry Clayton (2) | Guard | 1961, 1962 | Converse Yearbook |
| Tommy Boyer | Guard | 1963 | UPI, Converse Yearbook |
| Martin Terry | Guard | 1973 | Helms Athletic Foundation |
| Ron Brewer (2) | Guard | 1977, 1978 | Associated Press, Helms Athletic Foundation, Converse Yearbook, United States Writers Basketball Association, Basketball Weekly |
| Marvin Delph (2) | Guard | 1977, 1978 | Associated Press, The Sporting News, Converse Yearbook |
| Sidney Moncrief (3) | Guard | 1977, 1978, 1979 | The Sporting News, Associated Press, UPI, NABC, Helms Athletic Foundation, Converse Yearbook, United States Writers Basketball Association |
| Scott Hastings (2) | Center | 1981, 1982 | Helms Athletic Foundation, Associated Press |
| Darrell Walker | Guard | 1983 | Associated Press, UPI, Helms Athletic Foundation, Converse Yearbook |
| Todd Day (3) | Guard | 1990, 1991, 1992 | John Wooden Award, The Sporting News, Associated Press, UPI, NABC, Helms Athletic Foundation, United States Writers Basketball Association, Basketball Weekly, Basketball Times |
| Oliver Miller (2) | Center | 1991, 1992 | Associated Press |
| Lee Mayberry | Guard | 1992 | Associated Press, NABC, Basketball Times |
| Scotty Thurman (2) | Guard | 1994, 1995 | Associated Press, Basketball Times |
| Corliss Williamson (2) | Forward | 1994, 1995 | Associated Press, John Wooden Award, The Sporting News, Basketball Weekly, NABC, UPI, United States Writers Basketball Association, Basketball Times |
| Pat Bradley | Guard | 1999 | Associated Press |
| Joe Johnson | Guard/Forward | 2001 | Associated Press |
| Ronnie Brewer | Guard/Forward | 2006 | Associated Press, Basketball Times, CollegeBasketballInsider.com |
| Bobby Portis | Forward | 2015 | Associated Press, United States Basketball Writers Association, Sporting News |
| Daniel Gafford | Forward | 2019 | Associated Press |
| Mason Jones | Guard | 2020 | Associated Press |
| Moses Moody | Guard | 2021 | Associated Press |
| JD Notae | Guard | 2022 | Associated Press, Sporting News |
| Source: Arkansas Razorbacks Media Guide"Arkansas All-Americas". Arkansas Razorbacks. Archived fromthe original on May 28, 2008. RetrievedJanuary 11, 2015. | |||
The University of Arkansas athletic department has seen fit to retire only two jersey numbers in honor of former outstanding players:
| Arkansas Razorbacks retired numbers | ||||||
| No. | Player | Pos. | Tenure | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
32 | Sidney Moncrief | G | 1975–79 | [58] | ||
34 | Corliss Williamson | F | 1992–95 | [58] | ||
Moncrief (6'4" 190 lbs.) led the Razorbacks to the 1978 Final Four and is, so far, Arkansas's only Consensus 1st team All-American player (1979). Moncrief also led the Hogs to three straight Southwest Conference regular season titles from 1977 to 1979, as well as the 1977 and 1979 SWC Tournament championships. He was a three-time All-SWC performer, and was also the SWC Player of the Year in 1979. Moncrief finished his career as the school's all-time leading scorer, until his record was broken in 1992.
Williamson (6'7" 245 lbs.) led Arkansas to the1994 National Championship and a runner-up finish in the 1995 Final Four. Corliss also lead Arkansas to three straight SEC West Division championships from 1993 to 1995, plus the 1994 SEC regular season title. Williamson was a two-time All-SEC performer, was the 1994 and 1995 SEC Player of the Year, and was named Consensus 2nd team All-American in both seasons.
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