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FAYETTEVILLE — In one of the most highly anticipated games of the season, No. 18 Arkansas battled No. 6 Kentucky at Bud Walton Arena and came out on top.
The Razorbacks raced out to a 13-point lead in the first half, but the game lived up to the hype after halftime with 16 lead changes that ultimately ended with the Razorbacks winning 75-73.
It was Arkansas’ fourth win over an AP top-25 team this season, maintaining their undefeated record in such matchups. The Razorbacks have also now won 13 of their last 14 games.
Following the game, head coach Eric Musselman said he thinks his team has the resume to be considered a top-10 team.
“I do, but you’ve got to watch games,” Musselman said. “If you’re voting and stuff, you’ve got to turn on your TV and study stats because we beat Kentucky, we beat Auburn, we beat Tennessee, we’ve gone on the road and won some big games. So I think right now, at this juncture, we’re playing really well.
“We still have two hard games and we’re not satisfied at all. I want all the guys to enjoy today and then we have to start looking at our next opponent, LSU, and how we can get ready to compete against them.”
The Razorbacks have improved more than any other ranked team in the country, as their recent run of success came after a stretch in which they lost four of five games — including losses to the likes of Hofstra and Vanderbilt.
A major reason for that has been the team’s mental toughness.
“I’ve just been so impressed with the way that we’ve played throughout this whole streak,” Musselman said. “When we struggled early, we talked about trying to get hot at the right time. We have two games left, obviously, in the regular season.
“Three or four weeks ago, everybody was talking about our schedule, and we still have two incredibly tough games, one at home and one on the road, but what the group has done is they’ve weathered a really, really tough schedule. And not only did they weather (it), but they dominated it by winning basketball games, quite frankly, against some incredible teams.”
Those incredible teams, Musselman said, include a trio of national title contenders.
“The Kentucky team can win a national championship. The Tennessee can win a national championship. They’re Final Four caliber… Auburn is a team that could win a national championship.”
The four wins against ranked opponents are the Razorbacks’ most since the 2017-18 team went 5-2 in those games.
However, if Arkansas manages to stay undefeated against ranked opponents in the regular season by winning on the road at Tennessee next Saturday, it will be the first time Arkansas has done so since the 1994-95 season. That season the Razorbacks were national runners-up, failing to win back-to-back championships by losing to UCLA in the championship.
With the undefeated record against ranked opponents of such a high caliber, Arkansas fans are clamoring for a Final Four appearance — or more. The record does speak for itself, but Musselman believes the team still has some work to do.
"We're good enough where we have to keep getting better — that's all I know,” Musselman said when asked if he thought Arkansas was a national title contender. "I just want to keep getting better.
“I want our players to understand we have a lot of areas we can keep improving on. I've never been happier and prouder. It's a fun group. We're having a blast. We're grinding in practice. But we're having fun, too. You want your student-athletes to have an experience of a lifetime. And to play in front of that crowd and to be able to win ... But, we have to get ready for LSU. That's part of the package as well."
Tip off against LSU is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT Wednesday inside Bud Walton Arena and the game will be televised on ESPN2.
