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Published Mar 16, 2021
Razorbacks adjust to prep in the bubble
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Nikki Chavanelle  •  HawgBeat
Managing Editor
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@nikkichavanelle

HawgBeat's coverage of Arkansas's journey in the 2021 NCAA tournament is present by Wright's Barbecue. Already serving up the best meats in Arkansas, you can now also find Wright's meat rub and sauces at Walmart.

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Not unlike when the NBA bubble was first established, NCAA players and staffs are having to get acquainted with the "bubble lifestyle." According to Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman, that means less face-to-face prep time, more isolated scout work and apparently very slow WiFi.

"There’s boredom," Musselman said with a laugh. "I’d rather not comment any more than just the fact we’re in our rooms and we’re at practice for an hour and a half, and we’re back in our rooms.

"Then we got to the meeting room and we eat, and then we’re asked to leave the meeting room after a short time frame. Normally as a staff we sit in the meeting room, sometimes an hour before practice, and we sit after. We’re in our rooms individually instead of discussing stuff as a staff.

"The preparation has been a little bit difficult with the internet situation, downloading film. So I guess that’s about it."

Though not exactly the bubble's fault, Musselman is now also washing his own clothes in his hotel room sink.

"I only packed one bag, and the managers already lost one set of my clothes," Musselman shared. "So I’m not giving the managers any more laundry. I went old-school in my sink. Used shampoo to wash my clothes that I worked out in."

The protocols are strict but they're worth the trouble. No one wants to be sent home from the NCAA tournament due to health protocols.

Arkansas freshman Moses Moody, recently named an honorable mention All-American by the AP voters, said the bubble lifestyle isn't too far from what he's been doing on a regular basis anyways.

"We played a lot last week, a couple of days ago. So I’ve been a little sore and all that anyways," Moody said Tuesday. "So I just be chilling, chilling in my room, watching TV and watching movies until it’s time to do something. Now that I’ve gotten this little break since the last tournament, I’m back to doing my pushups and all that in my room. It’s not that different for me. I don’t do much on a regular day anyway."

Despite doing a lot more prep virtually, Arkansas's scouting report on Colgate will be as in-depth as any they've had this season–even with the Raiders playing just five different teams this season. Moody even claimed the guys would be overly prepared, which makes sense since they have five days from selection to tipoff to get ready.

Musselman is known for using his surgical scouting reports to prepare his players at an NBA level.

"I think it’s just the standard," Musselman said. "Early in the year, I think a lot of our younger players, when you put together game plans that maybe they’re not used to, that might have had a little bit to do with minutes early on the year.

"I think it’s really challenging form a mental standpoint. Our team is used to the fact that they’re going to get asked a lot of questions. They’re going to have to know multiple ways to guard pick-and-roll. They’re going to know at halftime that there’s a great chance we’ll make an adjustment on something that we haven’t worked on and they’re going to have to be able to take it from the chalkboard to the floor. Those are some of the expectations we’ve set forth from Day 1 of the season."

Moody told the media that other teams have expressed surprise at how in detail the Razorbacks study their opponents.

"We’ve been in games where I know we’re playing Mizzou and we’re like calling our man, like ‘you get him, you get him,’ but we’re all calling them like by they first names," Moody said. "And they was just like, dang, ‘Y’all know all our names?' That’s every team we play. We know what you do, what you did last game, your first name, your last name. It’s just everything about every player."

The Razorbacks have one of the earliest tips of the tournament on Friday at 11:45. Musselman stressed the importance of getting emotionally charged and ready early, but for a one-and-done like Moody, he still remembers 7 a.m. AAU tournament matchups, so this one's no sweat.

"I’m a young guy fresh out of AAU where you’re playing 7 a.m. games and 2-3 games a day," Moody said. "When it comes down to stuff like that I’m pretty prepared for it."

If Arkansas wins on Friday, they'll play again on Sunday but game time info is TBD.

READ NEXT: Arkansas's chances to reach each stage of the NCAA tournament

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