The 2022-2023 Arkansas basketball team and head coach Eric Musselman is less than one week away from tipping off the most anticipated basketball season for the program since the Clinton administration. You name an element that will excite fans, and this team has it.
A successful head coach? Check! Musselman is 73-28 with back-to-back Elite Eight appearances in his three years at the helm of Arkansas basketball.
National recognition? Check! Arkansas basketball is ranked tenth in the initial AP Poll and highly rated in many other national polls as well.
High-level talent? Check! Musselman and his staff brought in the second-ranked recruiting class in the country, according to 247 Sports. In fact, three of the five highest commits of all time (Nick Smith, Anthony Black, and Jordan Walsh) come from this year’s freshman class.
But surely not NBA-level talent, right? Wrong! They have that too. Several players on this Razorback squad (including both Smith and Black) are projected draft selections in the 2023 NBA draft.
Ok, but what about an in-state sparkplug everyone loves and puts on t-shirts and stuff? I doubt they have that. Wrong again. Devo Davis and his defensive dexterity definitely deserves that description.
After a summer European tour, a Red/White Scrimmage, and two exhibition games, Arkansas basketball fans are eager to watch this team play some games that matter. They will get their first chance on November 7 against North Dakota State.
On the following slides, we preview three intriguing non-conference games for the Razorbacks this season.