UA looks for Tulsa stand-in
FAYETTEVILLE — University of Arkansas coach Eric Musselman figured he’d spend Sunday scouting Tulsa and game-planning for the Razorbacks’ matchup against the Golden Hurricane on Tuesday night at the Reynolds Center in Tulsa.
Instead, Musselman and Anthony Ruta, Arkansas’ director of basketball operations, were busy trying to schedule another opponent.
Tulsa announced Sunday its games against Arkansas and Oral Roberts University scheduled for this week have been postponed because of a positive COVID-19 test on the team and subsequent quarantining of players for contact tracing.
A news release said Tulsa hopes to reschedule both games.
Musselman wants to schedule another opponent if possible to play Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday so the Razorbacks (4-0) don’t have to go a full week without a game before playing the University of Central Arkansas on Saturday in Walton Arena.
“Coach Ruta and I were in the office all day Sunday trying to see what teams have available game and dates that would match with ours,” Musselman said in a text message.
Numerous games across the country have been canceled — including Saturday’s matchup of No. 1 Gonzaga versus No. 2 Baylor — because of coronavirus-related issues since the NCAA set the start date for the return of basketball for Nov. 25.
Musselman said on his radio show on Nov. 23 before the Razorbacks opened this season with a 142-62 victory over Mississippi
Valley State that the Arkansas staff was anticipating some nonconference opponents would have to cancel games.
Musselman said Ruta, who handles nonconference scheduling, would be ready to try to add new opponents if necessary on short notice.
“There are college basketball games being canceled a lot,” Musselman said on his radio show Nov. 23. “If something happens, we’ll get on the phone and try to get another game. That’s going to kind of be the whole way through nonconference.
“Coach Ruta will not sleep. He’s got a spreadsheet of games that are canceled, who’s supposed to play (and might be available for a game). Every day is kind of a moving target.”
Musselman said on Nov. 11 in a media Zoom call that if an Arkansas game was canceled, it would be because the opponent was having COVID-19 issues, not the Razorbacks.
“We will have enough players every single night to play, and we’ll have enough coaches, because we’ve had enough people that have had (the virus),” Musselman said. “We’re going to be able to play on our end.
“I’m not saying I will, because I still haven’t had it. But we’ll be able to play without me for sure.”
Arkansas had been set to play two games in Tulsa this season before the coronavirus wrecked the schedules.
In the spring, Arkansas and Oklahoma announced they would begin a two-game series at the BOK Center in Tulsa this season. The first game had been scheduled for Saturday, but the schools mutually decided to push the series back a year in the hopes capacity won’t be limited.