After going 21-5 in the regular season, the Arkansas Razorbacks now turn towards aspirations of dominating opponents in the SEC Tournament as the current eighth-ranked team in the latest AP Polls, and as the second-best team in the SEC behind Alabama. The Hogs will also be headed back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in nearly three years, and for the 33rd time as a program.

The Razorbacks enter the SEC Tournament as a No. 2 seed, as virtue of their blazing-hot 11-game winning streak against SEC opponents to close out the regular season. The streak matched the longest winning streak for a Razorbacks team since the legendary national championship-winning team led by Scotty Thurman back in 1994.

This historic season’s been one to remember. The Razorbacks, led by future one-and-done talent Moses Moody, Justin Smith, Jalen Tate and so many other newcomers, were prolific individually and overwhelmingly dominant as a unit.

Putting the talent aside for a second, the Razorbacks' sneaker choices also turned heads this year. Head Coach Eric Musselman gives the Hogs freedom to rock whichever Nike's they prefer, as long as they're matching the team's color scheme.

Nike hooked the Hogs up with a bunch of fire to rock on the hardwood this season, so let’s count down the top 10 kicks worn by the Razorbacks during the 2020-21 season...

Hogs leading scorer Moses Moody is the first member of this countdown. The star freshman guard averaged 17.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists off 44.7 percent from the field with an efficient 38% from deep.

The Little Rock, Arkansas native went off against Lipscomb to stay undefeated at home on the year, and in this game, it was no surprise that Arkansas’ best player led all scorers with 18 points. The 6-foot-5, three-level scorer decided to go with a team cardinal-and-white colorway of Kevin Durant’s latest shoe, the KD13.

Most users favor the shoe’s full-length cushioning that follows and adapts to their feet to give a responsive sensation and a smooth, heel-toe balance.

It’s lightweight soft upper is flexible enough to make it a shoe ready for on-court use fresh out of the box, and finally a second Zoom Air unit is stacked underneath the full-length Nike Air Zoom cushion in the forefoot to help enhance explosive movements.

The next shoe to appear on the countdown is this pair of Kyrie Low 3s sported by 6-foot-1 junior guard JD Notae as he went up off two to pack it home for two of his 21 points scored off 56.3 percent shooting. Arkansas picked up their 20th win of the season against the Gamecocks and their 10th-straight SEC win. Notae was the team’s second-highest scorer and leader in assists.

He went for a simple, two-color Kyrie Low 3 and opted for comfort and precision rather than flair.

The low-cut shoe is used for players of a statute similar to that of Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving, and with “Zoom Air” cushioning in the forefoot, a flexible midfoot strap that’s designed to maintain stability, a rubber outsole made for players to stop and go effectively without slip or misstep, and foam midsole delivers a seamless heel-to-toe transition.

While on the topic of the Razorbacks picking monochromatic designs for on-court action, Vance Jackson Jr. makes it on this list with arguably one of the cleanest pairs of sneakers worn by anyone on the Arkansas side this season.

Jackson, a senior out of Pasadena, California, brought out his fandom of the late-great Black Mamba when he brandished these Kobe AD Exodus Reds on the floor of Mizzou Arena in Columbus, Missouri, and helped contribute to the Razorbacks’ 16th win of the year and fourth-straight road win at the time.

He scored three points in eight minutes, but was a constant presence defensively as a lengthy body meant to disallow all driving threats toward the rim, as well as get a body on the outside shooters the Mizzou threw out that night. As for the shoe, the Kobe AD Exodus, released in 2018, featured a hyper-ventilation system above the bridge of the foot with a bouncy midsole and Zoom Air heel cushioning, compact to withstand all types of quick cuts and explosive bursts.

Its high-traction rubber sole pattern will help all players extend their games, and within the construct of the shoe, dynamic Flywire ensures strong support and micro-grooves in the forefoot provides a sense of natural foot action.

Another junior finds his way on the sneaker countdown, and for good reason. Desi Sills, a guard from Jonesboro, Arkansas, got into his bag when he unleashed the Red Carpet colorway of Nike’s LeBron 17s during Arkansas’ 72-60 home win over the Texas-Arlington Mavericks.

The durable sneaker combines cushioning from the updated models of the Max Air unit and foam midsole, and it provides enough support and responsive shock absorbers on the court. The upper, draped in all red, is made of “KnitPosite”, a combination of Nike-mainstay Flyknit and yarn patterned into swirls. On the inside of the shoe, the Max Air unit is the largest Nike Basketball shoe to date that can absorb all types of force.

While it wasn’t quite Sills’ day on the offensive end (3 points on 1-for-6 shooting), he locked up on the other end, accumulating four steals and helping to limit the Mavericks to only 60 points off 38 percent shooting as a team.

The Kyrie Low 3 makes its second appearance on this list, as freshman Jaylin Williams rocks an even more vivid version of the Kyrie Low 3, as seen above. Williams, a 6-foot-10 forward out of Fort Smith, Arkansas, helped the Razorbacks pick up one of their greatest wins of the season in an 81-80 win over the previous SEC champion Kentucky Wildcats with 9 points off 2-for-4 shooting and 7 rebounds in the span of 23 minutes off the bench. And speaking of needing to strike and make an impact, consider the Kyrie Low 3 as a statement made when it touches the hardwood.

As mentioned earlier, the joining of Zoom Air cushioning, a securing midfoot strap, and a sturdy, non-relenting rubber outsole crafted to make stopping and starting at a moment’s notice second nature. Williams rocked this Cardinal and White colorway of the popular shoe during the Hogs’ 15th win of the season, and their third win on the road at the time.

With another showing of a signature Nike shoe during their nailbiter against the Kentucky Wildcats, the Razorbacks’ 15th win of the year featured some eye-popping colorways like that of Davonte Davis’ Zoom Freak 1 on the floor of Rupp Arena.

Congruent to the dark red hue of the jersey, this colorway went perfect with the uniform combination and really stood out during the 17 minutes he was on the floor.The freshman scored four points, grabbed two rebounds, scrounged up three assists and swiped two steals to disrupt Kentucky’s offensive gameplan.

The schematics of the sneaker contain specific messages molded onto the shoe by the inspiration from Giannis Antetokounmpo, the reigning Most Valuable Player from the Milwaukee Bucks, such as “I Am My Father’s Legacy.” The shoe itself contains internal bands in the midfoot part of the sneaker that lock down the foot for stability. A padded collar locks one in at the heel, and on the outside of the sneaker, 2 Zoom Air (as opposed to one) units under the heel of the shoe are stacked onto each other to give the person wearing them complementary cushioning that protects against hard impacts on the court.

JD Notae re-appears on this list with the second Kobe shoe on the list. The Kobe 11, released to the public back on December 14, 2015, remains one of the most popular sneakers among hoopers of all levels for its similarity to other Kobe shoes.

Its unprecedented and innovative thermoplastic polyurethane threads (TPU) make up the strong Flyknit of the sneaker, while its low-top cut and sleek design distill legacy to the essence of a traditional Kobe shoe: lightness, responsiveness and traction.

The Kobe 11’s outsole is directly attached to the Flyknit in the vision of shoe creator Eric Avar, who a time ago collaborated with Kobe Bryant to replicate the best on-court feel for a sneaker, per the perspective of the 5-time champion.

Notae embraced his inner Mamba Mentality back on January 6th, wearing this classic but uber-popular sneaker as he stayed in attack mode whenever the opportunity presented itself, scoring 19 points off 7-for-11 shooting with two threes off the bench.

You simply cannot go wrong with one of, if not the greatest, colorways in sneaker culture history. That’s what Davo did here, rocking the classic “Concords” that MJ himself made popular while on the Chicago Bulls after his triumphant return to the basketball court in 1995, debuting these very kicks in a playoff game against the Orlando Magic.

A shoe as timeless as Jordan himself, the Jordan 11 is iconic and synonymous in the history of the game. Whether it’s the shiny, black patent leather cupping the shoe’s mesh and translucent overlay, the ‘45’ on the black heel tab to signify the jersey number he’d wear in that ‘95 season, or the water-clear outsole underfoot, what’s not to like about this historical artifact of a sneaker?

Davis scored 8 points in the Razorbacks’ 16th win of the season, and the third win in an 11-game win streak for the Razorbacks heading into the SEC Tournament. Davis also racked up four rebounds, three assists and one block in 32 minutes of play.

For the second-best sneaker on this countdown, look no further for drip from your own head coach, Arkansas fans!

Second-year Head Coach Eric Musselman sported these custom Air Force Ones courtside during the Hogs’ 74-59 disheveling of the Mississippi Rebels, led by JD Notae’s 19 points off the bench for their 13th win of the season and fifth win in the SEC. It marked the fifth time that Notae would accomplish such a feat of being the team’s leading scorer this season.

And while Notae and the rest of the Razorbacks exploded to a 53-33 first-half lead and proceeded to not look back in the second half, Coach Musselman was calling the shots to lead his young men to victory in style.

As a member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches, the Razorbacks coach honored his yearly contribution of spreading awareness about adult and child cancer and screening as a member of the Coaches Vs. Cancer initiative, a Nationwide collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the NABC. And since 1993, the initiative has raised over $130 million for the American Cancer Society.

Coaches Vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers week is an annual event that unifies basketball coaches of all levels across the land for a common cause - saving lives from the disease of cancer.

And as a way to drive the point of awareness home, coaches wear specialized sneakers with their suits during games, raising funds and knowledge of cancer prevention and early detection in the process.

So yes, Coach Musselman decided to break out the heat for a good cause.

Devo Davis makes his third and final appearance on the list rocking the arguably the best sneaks of the season because of their uniquity.

Davis’s artistic Kyrie 5s were created via a collaboration with artist and activist Pat Peltier, the mind behind a cycled vintage label known as Bandalu.

The Kyrie 5 x Bandalu shows paint splatters to give the shoe an expression that “speaks to Kyrie Irving’s creativity and dedication to his craft - both on and off the floor," and from a technological standpoint, new Nike Air Zoom Turbo and articulated cushioning follow the usual curved shape of the outsole and are supplanted in the shoe.

A flytrap overlay clamps down on the user’s foot, and the padded collar around the ankle provides support for the Achilles tendon.

Razorbacks fans saw the freshman out of Jacksonville fight and claw to keep the Hogs in a highly-contested battle against consensus No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham’s Oklahoma State Cowboys. Davis was the fourth-highest scorer on the night in the Big 12-SEC Challenge matchup–he went for 12 points off 6-for-12 shooting and grabbed four rebounds.

While Eric Musselman’s Razorbacks couldn’t pull off the upset win, ultimately succumbing to an 81-77 road loss, they put the nation on notice, proceeding to end their season as the SEC’s second-ranked team.

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