The Arkansas Razorbacks are looking to turn their third straight NCAA tournament appearance into their third straight Elite 8 and first Final Four since 1995.
Eric Musselman’s Arkansas Razorbacks heard their name called on Selection Sunday for the third consecutive season, when it was announced that they are set to head to Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa to open up the 2023 NCAA men’s basketball tournament with a round of 64 game against the Illinois Fighting Illini.
The No. 8 seed Razorbacks are scheduled to take on the No. 9 seed Fighting Illini at 4:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 16, with live coverage provided by TBS.
Arkansas enters this year’s tournament as one of only two teams to have been to the Elite 8 in each of the last two years, the other being the No. 1 seed Houston Cougars. Prior to 2021, they hadn’t even been to the Sweet 16 since 1996.
An Elite 8 three-peat won’t be easy for the Hogs, who will likely have to go through the No. 1 seed Kansas Jayhawks just to get back to the Sweet 16.
Razorbacks all-time NCAA tournament record
Arkansas has made a total of 34 trips to the NCAA tournament, with this being their 35th. Their all-time record is 48-34.
While their 34-loss total matches their appearance total, they did win a national championship back in 1994 as a No. 1 seed against the Duke Blue Devils. The extra loss came in 1958, when they dropped a regional third place game against the Wyoming Cowboys.
Since the tournament expanded in 1985, Arkansas has made 22 appearances. Here’s a breakdown of how they’ve fared.
- Round of 64: 16-6
- Round of 32: 8-8
- Sweet 16: 6-2
- Elite 8: 3-3
- Final Four: 2-1
- National Championship: 1-1
- Overall: 36-21
Let’s take a more in-depth look at how the Razorbacks have fared in some of the later rounds (since 1985).
What is the Arkansas Razorbacks’ Sweet 16 record?
- 2022 (No. 4): Beat No. 1 Gonzaga, 74-68
- 2021 (No. 3): Beat No. 15 Oral Roberts, 72-70
- 1996 (No. 12): Lost to No. 1 Massachusetts, 79-63
- 1995 (No. 2): Beat No. 6 Memphis, 96-91
- 1994 (No. 1): Beat No. 12 Tulsa, 103-84
- 1993 (No. 4): Lost to No. 1 North Carolina, 80-74
- 1991 (No. 1): Beat No. 4 Alabama, 93-70
- 1990 (No. 4): Beat No. 8 North Carolina, 96-73
What is the Arkansas Razorbacks’ Elite 8 record?
- 2022 (No. 4): Lost to No. 2 Duke, 78-69
- 2021 (No. 3): Lost to No. 1 Baylor, 81-72
- 1995 (No. 2): Beat No. 4 Virginia, 68-61
- 1994 (No. 1): Beat No. 3 Michigan, 76-68
- 1991 (No. 1): Lost to No. 3 Kansas, 93-81
- 1990 (No. 4): Beat No. 10 Texas, 88-85
What is the Arkansas Razorbacks’ Final Four record?
- 1995 (No. 2): Beat No. 2 North Carolina, 75-68
- 1994 (No. 1): Beat No. 2 Arizona, 91-82
- 1990 (No. 4): Lost to No. 3 Duke, 97-83
What is the Arkansas Razorbacks’ National Championship Game record?
- 1995 (No. 2): Lost to No. 1 UCLA, 89-78
- 1994 (No. 1): Beat No. 2 Duke, 76-72
Prior to 1985, they competed in the tournament 12 times. Here’s a breakdown of how they fared.
- Round of 48: 1-1
- Round of 32: 4-3
- Sweet 16: 2-3
- Elite 8: 3-2
- Final Four: 0-3
- Regional third place game: 1-1
- National third place game: 1-0
- Overall: 12-13
Could this be the year Arkansas returns to the Final Four for the first time since 1995, following two consecutive heartbreaking Elite 8 losses?
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