Arkansas and Gonzaga meet in the first Sweet 16 game Thursday evening.
It's a matchup of two top-25 teams, with the Bulldogs topping the final AP Poll at No. 1 and the Razorbacks checking in at No. 17. The winner will advance to the Elite Eight.
Here are some comments from coaches and players on both teams ahead of the highly anticipated matchup...
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General Thoughts
“Gonzaga just presents a lot of problems, and that's why they're being talked about as far as being a team that's going to advance beyond this. There's been not much talk about Arkansas, which they deserve it. They're the No. 1 ranked team in this tournament, and so we have to play our "A" game to beat a team that is seeded No. 1 in the entire field.” — Eric Musselman, on Gonzaga
“Look, we’re playing a team that a lot of people think are going to win the national championship. Not many people — I shouldn’t say not many — nobody is talking about Arkansas even having a chance in this game. I’ve got two good eyes and my Internet works really good, I have great connection, and I haven’t found anybody that’s even giving us a chance to even be in the same arena with Gonzaga. It’s a great challenge for sure against a team that, like I said, is the No. 1 seed overall for a reason because they deserved it based on their playing.” — Eric Musselman, on Gonzaga
“When we do a film session, there's stuff spliced in on what people have said, 1,000%. I don't mind conveying that. We understand the respect factor for us in this particular game is kind of nonexistent from a national perspective. Yeah, our guys are going to see it, hear it, all the way up until tip-off. Again, the respect that we have for Gonzaga is through the roof, but we have a 40-minute game that we've got to try to figure out how we can play with them and give ourselves an opportunity.” — Eric Musselman, on the underdog factor for Arkansas
