Arkansas Razorbacks coach Eric Musselman on preparations for Furman game Monday night after getting a "must" win over Duke last Wednesday night.
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00:00 - Hey, Muzz, you guys just came off this four-game segment
00:02 with Atlantis and Duke,
00:04 and now you've kind of got one of these
00:06 Anthony Ruda specials sandwiched
00:08 before this game against Oklahoma.
00:10 I know you guys wanted to challenge yourself,
00:11 but now that you're in the thick of it,
00:13 just curious what your thoughts are on the schedule so far
00:15 and where this particular game is placed.
00:17 - I think you can look at what Furman did last year,
00:22 playing Virginia.
00:23 They played an SEC school in South Carolina.
00:27 You can look at that score.
00:28 I think it was 19.
00:30 You know, we've showed, we've talked to our team about that.
00:34 You know, this is a team that's got some returning players
00:38 that have won a lot of games.
00:40 Furman is one of the best coached teams
00:42 in the entire country.
00:43 They do a great job playing off their elbows
00:46 with their big men.
00:48 And then they do a great job of back cutting,
00:51 back door cutting.
00:54 They have great shooting at the one, two, three,
00:56 and four spot.
00:58 You know, their big guy, 13, does a great job rim running.
01:03 So anyway, so that's, you know, in a nutshell,
01:07 Furman is a team that's projected to win their league
01:10 in the same league as UNCG.
01:12 And as we've talked about over and over,
01:15 we try to schedule teams that we think can win their league,
01:18 you know, to better position ourselves if we win games.
01:23 If we don't win games, it doesn't help at all.
01:26 But we're trying to, I mean, I think if you look at
01:29 the schools that we have on our schedule,
01:31 moving forward, there's some really,
01:35 really good basketball teams.
01:37 - It feels like Devo's been around so long,
01:41 maybe we don't ask about him as much as maybe we should.
01:44 I know his percentages might not be
01:45 where he wants them to be.
01:46 He seems like a guy that usually heats up
01:48 as the seasons go along.
01:49 Just what have you seen from him so far this season?
01:51 What are you looking for moving forward?
01:53 - Well, you know, every night he's got
01:55 a tough defensive assignment.
01:56 I mean, we usually put him on the best opposing teams,
01:59 offensive threat.
02:01 You know, and I mean, just from a,
02:05 he came in at the, you know, the other night
02:06 and I thought he helped our press break.
02:08 You know, he's just a guy that understands the system.
02:13 He understands every position.
02:14 I think the thing that no one would really know
02:16 unless you're inside of our meetings and stuff
02:20 is the fact that when we call a play,
02:22 he can play all five positions.
02:25 So if somebody doesn't know a play,
02:26 one of our newer players that's still trying
02:30 to understand our third and fourth option on sets,
02:34 Devo can slide in and play a spot
02:36 and slide somebody else over to, you know,
02:39 to maybe a more comfortable or a spot
02:42 that doesn't have as many options.
02:44 - Scottie?
02:47 - Yeah, Eric, Elle the other night credited Coach Smart
02:52 for sending him some clips of when he played well
02:54 against Duke last year.
02:56 And I think Keith gave him some more advice
02:58 about just staying out of his own head
03:00 and just playing his game.
03:01 I know like all of your assistants have value on your staff
03:05 or they wouldn't be on your staff,
03:06 but like, what is the value of a Keith Smart to you?
03:09 - Well, I mean, I think obviously Keith
03:12 being a two-time NBA head coach,
03:15 I think, you know, the experience
03:18 that you can give to a player.
03:19 I mean, there's just, I don't know if there's a team
03:21 in the country that has that.
03:23 And then I just think that, you know,
03:24 the pro exposure that a lot of our guys have.
03:28 And Keith, you know, with the way that we've set up
03:30 our scouting and stuff, I think that it allows Keith
03:33 to do special projects like that.
03:36 As Michael is doing the personnel,
03:38 as Rude is doing how we want to play offensively,
03:42 and as Todd Lee is doing our defensive stuff
03:46 and the opposing team's offense,
03:48 I think it allows Keith to take a more of an overview,
03:52 big picture look at our team,
03:55 and that allows him to do things like send L clips
03:58 and things that we talk about in staff meetings.
04:02 You know, we need everybody.
04:05 Like right now, a big thing is getting better
04:07 at getting our opposing teams play calls.
04:11 And so, you know, Blake and some of our other guys
04:15 stepped up today when we, you know,
04:18 we now have a better grasp of our next two opponents
04:22 play calls than maybe we had recently.
04:25 We thought that was an area that we were deficient in,
04:28 so to speak.
04:29 And, you know, we want to improve our zone offense,
04:33 and Coach Lee did a study on our zone offense
04:36 with one of our outside services that we use.
04:41 And, you know, we found out that our zone offense
04:44 is one of the best zone offenses in the country
04:47 based on a limited, you know, we didn't know that
04:49 unless somebody dives into it in the short sample size.
04:52 So all these guys are working around the clock.
04:55 They do a great job.
04:56 Coach Smart's experience is second to none
05:00 of anybody in college basketball as an assistant coach.
05:03 - Last thing I've got, through eight games,
05:07 how would you maybe rate this team's game plan discipline?
05:11 - I think really good.
05:14 I mean, you know, do we want to continue to evolve
05:18 and improve?
05:19 Certainly, but I thought that, you know,
05:21 and I think I mentioned it after the Purdue game,
05:24 which was an exhibition game.
05:25 I thought we did a really good job executing that night.
05:29 In the Bahamas, I mean, we had no prep whatsoever
05:33 for North Carolina.
05:34 There was no time.
05:35 I mean, everybody, I mean, if we have 14 hours
05:38 between games and you sleep seven of them,
05:41 I mean, you got to eat two meals.
05:43 I mean, you know, so I'm going to throw those last two games
05:47 out from a preparation standpoint for the players.
05:50 So I think, you know, I think the new guys
05:54 have done a good job.
05:54 We certainly want to continue to get better for sure
05:58 in that as well.
05:59 - Bob.
06:02 - Hey, Eric, you alluded to the Southern Conference
06:06 connection.
06:07 Is that something you really hit with the players?
06:09 Like, hey, we already lost the team that was picked
06:12 behind these guys in this league,
06:14 and these mid-majors, their coach has been there seven years,
06:17 they got a bunch of older guys.
06:18 Is that something that resonates with the players
06:20 that you've already lost to a team from this league,
06:22 and now you're playing what's projected
06:23 as the best team in the league?
06:25 - You know, Bob, I mean, certainly, I mean, you know,
06:27 like we pointed it out for sure,
06:30 and it's, you know, we still got, you know, 48 hours.
06:34 We're going to continue to point that out,
06:36 but I think we're in a new, I think scheduling-wise,
06:41 you got to think about how you schedule moving forward.
06:43 I mean, I watched last night, University of California
06:48 at San Diego's UCSD, which was a Division II school
06:52 not that long ago, play a team that was
06:55 in the National Championship last year.
06:58 They were up 14 with six and a half minutes to go,
07:03 and San Diego State basically gets an offensive rebound
07:08 to win that game.
07:09 The night before it was UCLA hosting another UC school
07:14 in UC Riverside, that went to a one-point win for UCLA.
07:19 These happen every single night.
07:22 You're going to, I think by the end of non-conference time,
07:25 you're going to see as many, you know, upsets
07:29 or whatever word you want to use.
07:31 I think you see it, and we've talked every day
07:35 about how it's happening across college basketball.
07:37 So you really, really got to be ready to play
07:40 every single night.
07:41 - And then I know it's only been a couple of days
07:44 since we asked you about, Tramond, just wondering,
07:47 is he able to do anything in practice?
07:49 Kind of what's laced on him,
07:50 any shot he can play Monday night?
07:52 - Well, he did, you know, basically even on his own,
07:57 you know, yesterday, just nothing, you know,
08:00 nothing there to report.
08:02 Now today, in uniform,
08:07 went through some things that were non-contact,
08:12 went through some things that were not going to be
08:15 reactionary plays, meaning things on defense.
08:20 The concern right now is not the back.
08:23 The concern continues to be the hip and the groin.
08:26 He did a lot more today than what I would have thought
08:31 he would have done.
08:33 And then we'll see where he's at, you know, really tomorrow,
08:38 to be honest with you.
08:39 I mean, I think that, you know, tomorrow after practice
08:42 and then how he is at shoot around Monday will determine,
08:46 you know, I would say that we feel very confident
08:49 that he would play in the game after Monday,
08:54 based on the progress.
08:56 Monday is still up in the air, I would say, Bob.
09:00 - Yeah, I know you mentioned he had issues
09:02 with his groin, his hamstring.
09:03 Is that sort of all offshoots of his back
09:05 kind of messing up the rest of his body
09:07 or how doctor, obviously?
09:10 - Neither am I.
09:11 But yes, I think after the aftershock of the back,
09:16 you know, the groin is the most concerning amongst trainers,
09:22 doctors, and player.
09:24 - I got a couple more, but I see Jackson's got his hand up.
09:26 So I'll turn it back to Mike.
09:27 And if time allows, maybe swing back to me.
09:30 Thanks.
09:31 - Jackson?
09:33 - Hey, Eric.
09:35 Jeremiah, he had a good game against North Carolina,
09:38 made the two threes at the end of the half against Duke.
09:41 I mean, how have you seen him kind of progressing
09:44 and, you know, kind of growing with confidence
09:46 with important contributions the past two games?
09:49 - Yeah, Jackson, I think that's, you know,
09:50 one of the big reasons we injected him
09:53 into the starting lineup
09:54 was to try to help build his confidence.
09:55 I mean, it was really funny.
09:57 I don't know if I can remember a player.
09:59 I mean, he said, walking out of the huddle
10:04 before the jump ball, he said,
10:05 "Coach, do you want me to let it fly?"
10:08 You know, I mean, I'm like, I don't,
10:10 I mean, he literally was serious.
10:11 And I'm like, well, yeah, I mean, I guess if you're open
10:15 and you have confidence, yeah,
10:17 we want you to quote unquote, let it fly.
10:20 He waited until the end of the half,
10:22 obviously, to let it fly.
10:26 But yeah, I mean, we want Jackson,
10:29 we really want to see JD shoot the ball with confidence.
10:33 It really opens up our spacing for dribble drives
10:36 when he's knocking down shots.
10:37 And so certainly that was a real, real positive
10:41 from a roster management standpoint
10:43 and a rotation standpoint to see Jay Davenport
10:47 knock down those two big threes at the end of the first half.
10:50 - I guess it's better he's at least checking with you
10:54 than letting it fly without permission.
10:57 - That would be a very, very true statement, Jackson.
11:00 Thanks for pointing that out.
11:03 - And real last thing for me,
11:05 he's doing so much for you guys, Trevin, this year,
11:07 but a lot of his offense, it seems like it's either threes
11:10 or offensive rebounds.
11:12 Do you think that there's an extra level
11:14 he can maybe get to within offense,
11:16 maybe, you know, twos inside the pane?
11:19 Or are you happy with just him being an elite
11:21 three-point shooter, offensive rebounder,
11:23 and all the other things he's doing for you guys?
11:25 - Yeah, I mean, I think he can even go
11:27 to the offensive glass more.
11:28 His percentage, you know, 'cause we chart goes and no-goes,
11:33 and his percentage when he goes are off the chart.
11:37 So if we could get him to go to the O-boards a little more,
11:40 I think that'll even increase his offensive rebound load.
11:43 But we have really worked on him
11:45 and kind of placed him in different spots on the floor
11:49 to be able to, especially against Duke,
11:52 to get open threes.
11:54 I mean, the big part of the game plan
11:55 was him to try to get as many open looks as we possibly can.
12:00 But certainly, you know, we've added a new portion
12:04 to our practice, which is nothing but skill development
12:07 after we do our 10-minute shooting segment.
12:10 And in his individual skill development,
12:12 we've really focused on ball handling and one-on-one moves,
12:16 you know, 'cause I think that's the next evolution
12:19 to his game.
12:19 - Jacob?
12:22 - Yeah, hey, Coach.
12:24 After a win like the one against Duke,
12:25 how do you keep the team level-headed
12:27 going into a game against a non-Power 5 team?
12:29 - Practice and demand and have accountability
12:37 and demand a little bit more
12:40 and try to demand a little bit more after that.
12:42 I mean, I don't know what else to do
12:44 other than prepare the same way that we prepared for Duke.
12:49 That's the recipe that you want to try to have.
12:53 - Bob?
12:55 - Eric, looking at Furman, they're averaging nine steals,
12:59 and I know they're playing right now,
13:00 so this might change a little bit,
13:01 but they're averaging nine steals,
13:03 about nine threes, 84 points.
13:06 Just what do you think about those stats?
13:08 I mean, obviously taking the ball away a lot
13:10 and hit a lot of threes
13:11 and getting up and down the court, it sounds like.
13:13 - Yeah, they play with great pace off makes and misses.
13:17 You know, their point guard does a great job
13:20 of controlling pace.
13:22 He's a high-steal player at that point position.
13:26 I mean, you've got to conserve your dribbles at the nail
13:30 'cause they really over-flood sometimes on the strong side,
13:33 so you've got to understand that there's, you know,
13:38 guys that are standing there waiting to dig
13:40 if you put it on the deck.
13:41 But again, Bob, I think really well-coached team,
13:44 played with great pace, run great offense,
13:46 take a lot of threes.
13:47 They took 33s the other night.
13:51 Number 24, Williams, who went to the same high school
13:54 as Jay Davenport, took eight threes
13:57 at the power forward position.
13:58 Not often do you see a power forward
14:02 have eight three-balls attempted.
14:05 Great point guard play.
14:06 They could play two point guards at a time.
14:08 Sometimes Carter Witt, number 11,
14:10 will slide to the off guard,
14:12 and he's kind of a point guard as well.
14:16 So a lot of, and then Foster's a star player
14:18 at the small forward.
14:19 They do a great job getting the ball to number five
14:21 on button hook post-ups.
14:23 They do a good job of running Foster off a UCLA post-up,
14:27 you know, that's important for us to understand.
14:31 And then off the bench,
14:32 their backup three-man, number 15,
14:34 is shooting the ball at a 60% clip from three.
14:38 So a lot of things that you've got to deal with,
14:40 and you know, you cannot let their five-man
14:44 be a great trigger guy,
14:45 and then they have a counter when you try
14:47 to pressure the elbow, and they'll dive their four-man.
14:50 So there's a lot of themes that we've got to try
14:51 to grasp between now and when we play.
14:54 - I know you were talking earlier,
14:56 I remember you talked about this on your radio show
14:57 a couple weeks ago about the parody involved.
14:59 Now teams might start scheduling differently,
15:02 playing more power fives, but maybe more conference games.
15:05 But still, you know, we know who the big names are,
15:08 historically, and I know you're a student of the game,
15:10 and you know, your short time,
15:11 are you beating Indiana on the road?
15:13 Are you beating Kansas in a tournament?
15:15 Are you beating Kentucky, home, Annaway?
15:18 You obviously just beat Duke.
15:20 - Gonzaga.
15:22 - Gonzaga, Cincinnati.
15:23 I'm talking about teams that won
15:24 multiple national championships, though.
15:26 It's a lot, I'm just wondering what you think about that.
15:29 And you know, it's always good to beat anybody,
15:31 but when you beat the real, you haven't played UCLA,
15:34 you haven't had a chance to do that yet,
15:35 but you know, those names, you know,
15:37 Duke, Kansas, Indiana, Kentucky,
15:40 I mean, those are names that resonate.
15:41 Even if people aren't big fans,
15:42 they know those are, you know,
15:45 historic basketball programs.
15:46 - Other than you, Bob, my mom's really, you know,
15:50 pumped up about those wins, for sure.
15:53 So Bob Holt and Chris Musselman are the two people
15:59 that have pointed out the big wins against some,
16:02 no, I mean, in all seriousness,
16:04 I mean, it's hard to beat the, you know,
16:06 and it's kind of been in a relatively short time, too.
16:09 It's not like it's over a 12-year period
16:11 or a 15-year period.
16:13 You know, the team has risen to a lot of really big
16:15 occasions on big stages.
16:19 And, you know, you do that with having really good players
16:24 that are really confident.
16:26 - Just got one more.
16:27 A lot of coaches, it's early in the year,
16:29 but the team's struggling, they're playing a marquee game.
16:32 They're not going to say,
16:33 "This is a must when we got to win this."
16:35 They're just not probably going to do that.
16:36 But I know that's not your style.
16:39 The fact, I guess, why do you do what maybe a lot of coaches
16:42 don't and put pressure on your team
16:44 and kind of, you don't sugarcoat it.
16:46 You just let them know, "Man, this is the way it is.
16:47 You better go out there and win," you know?
16:50 - Yeah, I mean, I just, it's, you know,
16:52 you just try to be truthful with them on, you know,
16:55 our fans knew that it was a must.
16:58 I mean, it's really comforting when you're, you know,
17:01 making a protein shake in the morning,
17:03 getting ready to go to work,
17:05 and your wife tells you it's a must win,
17:06 and your daughter's sitting there,
17:08 and she's, I mean, I guess it's, we all knew it.
17:13 And then if you tell the team it's a must win
17:16 and you don't win, then you got to figure out
17:19 how to regroup and regain confidence
17:22 and set new goals moving forward.
17:25 'Cause there is risk of doing it, which is, you know,
17:29 you've got to understand when you do put pressure on,
17:32 on a group and you got to make sure
17:34 that a group can handle it.
17:35 And we certainly felt like we could handle it mentally.
17:40 And, you know, if you don't win it, like I said,
17:45 you got to figure out how to regroup and refocus.
17:50 - So your daughter told you it was a must win too?
17:53 - Yeah, yeah, Mariah.
17:54 I mean, yes, for sure.
17:56 - Okay, and then when your team,
17:58 when you tell your team it's a must win and then you win,
18:00 I mean, how good of feeling is it?
18:01 - I don't know if Mariah, I don't want to,
18:03 I don't know if she said it's a must win.
18:05 It was, "Dad, you got to win tonight."
18:08 - Okay, well, that sounds like a must win to me.
18:13 When you do, when you take that approach,
18:16 that tact with your team and then they come through
18:19 and like you mentioned, obviously without teamwork,
18:21 I mean, how good is that?
18:23 How gratifying, satisfying,
18:24 whatever I and you want to use there?
18:27 - I mean, I don't think we should be satisfied at all, Bob.
18:30 Obviously that's a huge win.
18:31 It's a, I mean, you saw all the players celebrating.
18:34 If you haven't looked at Cade's,
18:37 Abragas or Matthew Musselman's Instagram,
18:41 I would highly suggest all fans and media members
18:44 and family members of media members
18:46 and family members of fans spend that 14 minutes
18:50 of watching Matthew Musselman or Cade's Instagram
18:54 because those guys had a blast.
18:56 They had fun, which you want,
18:58 but when they came in the locker room,
19:00 Furman's depth chart was already up on our dry erase board
19:04 as they came in and were celebrating the Duke win.
19:07 And so you got to turn the page as quickly as possible.
19:10 Understand we have two big games this week,
19:12 leading with a Monday game against a team
19:16 that's really confident and well-coached.
19:19 - Okay, I'm good, thanks Eric.
19:23 - Lot of good football games on today.
19:25 A lot of good college hoops game.
19:27 Make sure you guys are glued to your TV.
19:29 - Did your dog say it was a must win?
19:32 - Swish and Duncan, I couldn't tell by their body language
19:37 what they thought of the pregame Duke hype.
19:39 They were pumped up afterwards though.