Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Arkansas-Missouri catches eye of CBS
FAYETTEVILLE — Forty seasons after CBS made the University of Arkansas-Michigan matchup in Barnhill Arena its first college basketball telecast, the network is back on the UA campus.
For the first time in seven years, CBS is televising an Arkansas home game.
Arkansas’ game against No. 12 Missouri at 11 a. m. today will be the first CBS telecast in Walton Arena since the Razorbacks beat South Carolina 71-64 on Feb. 19, 2014.
It’s the first Arkansas game on CBS at all since the 2014-15 season, when the Razorbacks lost at Florida 57-56 and at No. 1 Kentucky 84-67.
Barnhill Arena’s parking lot was filled with CBS production trucks when Arkansas beat Michigan 83-72 on Nov. 28, 1981, led by Darrell Walker’s 25 points and Scott Hastings’ 24.
CBS picked Arkansas as the site for its first college basketball telecast after the network negotiated a contract with the NBA that ended NBC’s exclusive rights.
Today it’s the Walton Arena parking lot that’s filled.
“When you drive by Bud Walton right now there’s a lot of trucks there, even two days before the game,” Arkansas Coach Eric Musselman said Thursday. “I just went to lunch with the staff and one of the younger staff members asked, ‘What’s up with all the trucks?’
“I said, ‘Yeah, that’s what happens when you’re on CBS national TV. The ramp looks a little bit different than a normal game.’ ”
Before the season, an Arkansas-Missouri game seemed like an odd choice to be picked by CBS considering the Razorbacks and Tigers were picked to finish sixth and 10th, respectively, in the SEC in a preseason media poll. Today it looks like an inspired decision by CBS.
Arkansas (9-0, 1-0 SEC) has the best overall record in the conference, and Missouri (61, 0-1) is nationally ranked for the first time since the 2013-14 season after notable victories over No. 21 Oregon 83-75 in Omaha, Neb.; at Wichita State 72-62; and over No. 15 Illinois 81-78 at home.
“I know that Missouri is a really, really good team,” Musselman said. “I know they’re really, really well coached. I know they’re tough-minded. They believe in their coach and they’re really experienced, so it makes them really dangerous.”
Musselman and Missouri Coach Cuonzo Martin faced each other in the CBA during the 1996-97 season. Musselman was coach of the Florida Beachdogs, who played in West Palm Beach. Martin played for the Grand Rapids (Mich.) Mackers.
“I’ve known Coach Martin for a long time,” Musselman said. “He is a tough, competitive dude. His teams take on the personality of him.”
Missouri suffered its first loss when No. 7 Tennessee beat the Tigers 73-53 at Mizzou Arena on Wednesday night, while Arkansas won 97-85 at Auburn.
The Vols jumped out to a 23-4 lead, forced 21 turnovers and held the Tigers to 1-of-13 three-point shooting.
“We didn’t play well,” Martin said. “You have to give them credit, the same way we gave Bradley credit when we didn’t play well [in a 54-53 Missouri victory].
“But we’re certainly a much better team than what we showed. That was shocking to me. But what happens is when you get into it, you don’t have enough timeouts for guys to settle down and just play basketball.
“Then you get yourself down and you try to catch up.”
Musselman said he’s not reading too much into Tennessee’s 20-point victory at Missouri.
“They’re going to come in here, and they’re going to be ready to play, as anybody should be ready to play,” Musselman said. “We should be ready because we’re playing against a ranked team.
“I think both teams will be ready to play. That doesn’t mean you’re going to play good or shots are going to fall. But I think from a mental standpoint, Missouri will be ready and so will Arkansas.”
Martin said he’ll know more about his team after today’s game.
“My approach is I’m not one to go into a locker room throwing things around and all that,” he said. “What’s the point in that? You address the situation, you move forward, you recognize it.
“Before I do anything I always look in the mirror at me first before I start pointing that you should have done this, that. You find ways to win as a team.”
Missouri returns seven of its top eight scorers from last season’s team that finished 1516, led by junior guard Xavier Pinson (averaging 13.9 points), and senior guards Mark Smith (12.9) and Dru Smith (12.1) Also back is 6-10 senior Jeremiah Tilmon (8.3 points, 7.3 rebounds).
“Everybody is a year older,” Musselman said of Missouri’s improvement this season. “Then they had two players [Mark Smith and Tilmon] that were hurt most of the year.
“So two really important pieces [healthy] for Coach Martin. And they always play hard because that’s what Coach Martin’s teams do. They always make it really difficult for you offensively because they’re a really good defensive team.”
Arkansas senior forward Justin Smith, a graduate transfer from Indiana who has started every game, is questionable for today’s game because of a right ankle injury he suffered at Auburn.
Smith, averaging 11.6 points and 7.1 rebounds, didn’t play in the second half against Auburn, but the Razorbacks used their improved depth to pull away in the final seven minutes.
Musselman, who usually limited his rotation to seven last season and sometimes six, used 11 players at Auburn.
If Smith isn’t able to play, the Razorbacks are much better equipped to handle an absence than they were last season when they went 0-5 in SEC games Isaiah Joe missed while recovering from knee surgery.
“I think the depth has helped us,” Musselman said. “I think that’s why we’re 9-0 right now is the depth and the chemistry.”