A look back at matchups between Eric Musselman and Chris Beard
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The No. 10 Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball team is set to match up with No. 12 Texas in an exhibition game inside the brand-new Moody Center Saturday afternoon.
While the game won't count in the win-loss column for either team, it will be the third time Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman and Texas head coach Chris Beard have gone against each other in their careers.
Coming into Saturday's game, Musselman praised Beard's teams for their physical style of play.
"I think Coach Beard is as good a coach as any coach in America," Musselman said Thursday. "I love how physical they are. They make it really difficult to score the ball, based on physicality."
Musselman and Beard have had different paths to coaching in the college ranks, with Musselman spending a lot of his time coaching professional basketball and Beard rising through the college game, so they have not matched up many times.
The two times they have matched up, though, have been electric.
2021 NCAA Tournament Round of 32
The most memorable matchup for Arkansas fans came in Musselman's second year with the Hogs. After finishing 25-7, Arkansas went into the NCAA Tournament as a four-seed, and after a close call against Colgate in the first round, matched up with Beard's Texas Tech team with a spot in the Sweet 16 on the line.
One TV analyst in particular did not give Arkansas a fighting chance. Todd Fuhrman of CBS Sports called the game "one of the biggest mismatches you're going to see in the round of 32."
It was Musselman, however, who came out on top. Four Hogs scored in double digits: Justin Smith (20) led all scorers, with Moses Moody and Davonte Davis each scoring 15 and 10 from Jalen Tate.
As a team, the Hogs shot 41.9% from the field and 23.5% from beyond the arc. Most of Texas Tech's offense came from three as it hit 10 in the contest.
The game was tight for a full 40 minutes, with Arkansas claiming a 33-31 lead at halftime. The team extended that lead to as many as 13 points in the second half, but a flurry of points brought Texas Tech within one, 67-66, with just under two minutes to play.
A single free throw by JD Notae brought the lead to two, and lockdown defense by the Hogs force a missed layup by Texas Tech's Terrence Shannon Jr., who finished with 20 points, sealing a 68-66 win.
Shannon was one of three Red Raiders to score in double-digits, joining Kyler Edwards (11) and Kevin McCullar Jr. (10), who is now with Kansas.
The win sent the Hogs to their first Sweet 16 appearance since 1995. After the game, Musselman fired back at Fuhrman's pregame comments.
“Whoever that guy is, I’ve never heard of him in my entire life," Musselman said. "So his credibility is absolutely zero."
December 5, 2017: Nevada Wolf Pack at Texas Tech Red Raiders
The first matchup between Musselman and Beard came in Musselman's third season at Nevada and Beard's second at Texas Tech. Musselman said the game, which ended in an 82-76 overtime win for Texas Tech, was an instant classic.
"The game at Texas Tech when I was at Nevada was as good a regular season game as I've ever been a part of," Musselman said.
Musselman had the services of the Martin brothers, Cody and Caleb, who combined for 50 points scored in the game. As a team, Nevada shot 42% from the field, but also committed almost twice the amount of fouls as Texas Tech, something Musselman still remembers, but would not comment on at the risk of a fine from the NCAA.
"Hopefully we don't encounter the same whistle that we did in overtime of that game," Musselman said. "That was an experience on its own. That night, I still have vivid memories of the last couple of minutes of overtime. But it was a great atmosphere, great crowd. The student section was rocking."
The Wolf Pack led the game for almost 37 minutes, and with just under 10 minutes left, held a 51-43 advantage.
But behind 32 points from Texas Tech's Keenan Evans, the game was tied and Nevada had the last possession of regulation.
In true Musselman fashion, he didn't call a timeout. Caleb Martin drove to the bucket, but opted to kick the ball out to Jordan Caroline, who had his shot blocked by the Red Raiders' Zach Smith, and the game went to overtime tied at 70.
Beard got the better of Musselman in the overtime period, capitalizing on Musselman's two top players, the Martin brothers, having four fouls. The Red Raiders jumped out to a quick 76-71 lead with 2:30 remaining in the period and would not look back.
Because of the nature of an exhibition matchup, this game will likely not see as many fireworks as previous games between the two coaches. But the rivalry between Arkansas and Texas, where Beard now coaches, runs deep.
Saturday's contest, which is set to tipoff at 3 p.m. CT will not be televised or streamed. The game will be on the radio via 104.9 The Horn in Austin.
Fans will have to wait until Nov. 7 to see the Hogs, with the first game of the season against North Dakota State set to tip at 7 p.m. CT inside Bud Walton Arena.