2020–21 Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball team

2020–21 Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball
2020–21 Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Record	14–5 (6–4 SEC)
Head coach	Eric Musselman (2nd season);
Associate head coach	David Patrick (1st season)
Assistant coaches	Corey Williams (2nd season); Clay Moser (2nd season);
Home arena	Bud Walton Arena; (Capacity: 19,368)
	Seasons ← 2019–20 2021–22 →

2020–21 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
No. 5 Alabama†	16	–	2	.889	26	–	7	.788
No. 10 Arkansas	13	–	4	.765	25	–	7	.781
LSU	11	–	6	.647	19	–	10	.655
Tennessee	10	–	7	.588	18	–	9	.667
Florida	9	–	7	.563	15	–	10	.600
Ole Miss	10	–	8	.556	16	–	12	.571
Missouri	8	–	8	.500	16	–	10	.615
Kentucky	8	–	9	.471	9	–	16	.360
Mississippi State	8	–	10	.444	18	–	15	.545
Georgia	7	–	11	.389	14	–	12	.538
Auburn^*	7	–	11	.389	13	–	14	.481
South Carolina	4	–	12	.250	6	–	15	.286
Texas A&M	2	–	8	.200	8	–	10	.444
Vanderbilt	3	–	13	.188	9	–	16	.360

† 2021 SEC tournament winner ^* Ineligible for postseason due to self-imposed postseason ban.

The 2020–21 Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball team represents the University of Arkansas during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team is led by second-year head coach Eric Musselman, and play their home games at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Arkansas as a member of the Southeastern Conference.

Previous season

The Razorbacks finished the 2019–20 season with a record of 20–12, 7–11 in SEC Play to finish in a tie for 10th place. Junior Mason Jones won a share of the SEC Player of the Year award and was named a consensus First-Team All-SEC player.^[1]

Arkansas started the season strong, going into conference play with an 11–1 record, including two road wins against Power Five teams, Georgia Tech and Indiana.

After winning their first-round game against Vanderbilt on March 11, 2020, the Hogs were slated for a rematch against South Carolina in the second round, but the SEC announced on March 12, 2020 that the SEC Tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with an announcement following from the NCAA later that day that the whole tournament was cancelled, along with all other winter and spring championships, ending the Razorbacks' season.

They finished with 20 wins against 12 losses in coach Eric Musselman's first season. He was the first coach to win 20 games in his initial campaign at Arkansas since John Pelphrey won 23 in the 2007–08 season.^[2]

Offseason

On August 1, 2020, star guard Isaiah Joe announced that he was withdrawing his name from the 2020 NBA draft and returning for his junior season.^[3] Joe was a member of the 2019 SEC All-Freshman Team and earned preseason All-SEC recognition prior to his sophomore season, before going on to lead the league in three-pointers made, rank fourth in the NCAA for three-pointers made per game, as well as being named SEC Player of the Week on December 30, 2019 before having knee surgery on February 4, 2020, which sidelined him for six games.^[4] Joe would have highlighted a group of three returnees with starting experience for the Hogs, but on August 17, 2020, sixteen days after his initial announcement, Joe reversed his decision and opted to declare for the 2020 NBA draft.^[5]

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Adrio Bailey	2	F	6'6"	222	Senior	Campti, Louisiana	Graduated
Reggie Chaney	35	F	6'8"	222	Sophomore	Tulsa, Oklahoma	Transferred to Houston
Jeantal Cylla	4	F	6'7"	215	Graduate Transfer	Lake Worth Beach, Florida	Graduated
Jalen Harris	5	G	6'2"	170	Junior	Raleigh, North Carolina	Transferred to Georgetown
Mason Jones	15	G	6'5"	207	Junior	DeSoto, Texas	Declared for 2020 NBA draft
Jimmy Whitt	33	G	6'3"	175	Graduate Transfer	Columbia, Missouri	Graduated
Isaiah Joe	1	G	6'5"	180	Sophomore	Fort Smith, Arkansas	Declared for 2020 NBA draft

Incoming Transfers

Name	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Justin Smith	F	6'7"	230	Graduate Student	Buffalo Grove, IL	Transferred from Indiana after graduating. Will have one year of eligibility beginning immediately.
Vance Jackson	F	6'9"	230	Graduate Student	Pasadena, CA	Transferred from New Mexico after graduating. Will have one year of eligibility beginning immediately.
Jalen Tate	G	6'6"	170	Graduate Student	Pickerington, OH	Transferred from Northern Kentucky after graduating. Will have one year of eligibility beginning immediately.

2020 Recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Davonte Davis SG	Jacksonville, AR	Jacksonville (AR)	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Oct 12, 2019
Davonte Davis SG	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 82
Moses Moody SG	Little Rock, AR	Montverde Academy (FL)	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Nov 9, 2019
Moses Moody SG	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 87
Jaylin Williams PF	Fort Smith, AR	Northside (AR)	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	Nov 23, 2019
Jaylin Williams PF	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 82
Khalen Robinson PG	Little Rock, AR	Oak Hill Academy (VA)	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Nov 28, 2019
Khalen Robinson PG	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 83
Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 11 247Sports: 8 ESPN: 5
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Arkansas 2020 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 15, 2020. "2020 Arkansas Razorbacks Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 15, 2020. "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 15, 2020.

2021 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2021 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Chance Moore SG	Powder Springs, GA	McEachern (GA)	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Aug 8, 2020
Chance Moore SG	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 85
Akol Mawein PF	Sydney, New South Wales	Navarro College (TX)	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Aug 12, 2020
Akol Mawein PF	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 65 247Sports: 51 ESPN: —
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Arkansas 2021 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 15, 2020. "2021 Arkansas Razorbacks Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 15, 2020. "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 15, 2020.

Roster

2020–21 Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Weight	Year	Previous school	Hometown
F	0	Justin Smith	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	230 lb (104 kg)	GS	Stevenson High School Indiana	Buffalo Grove, Illinois
G	1	JD Notae	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	RS Jr	Newton High School Jacksonville	Covington, Georgia
F	2	Vance Jackson	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	238 lb (108 kg)	GS	Prolific Prep New Mexico	Pasadena, California
G	3	Desi Sills	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	202 lb (92 kg)	Jr	Jonesboro High School	Jonesboro, Arkansas
G	4	Davonte Davis	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Fr	Jacksonville High School	Jacksonville, Arkansas
G	5	Moses Moody	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Fr	Montverde Academy	Little Rock, Arkansas
F	10	Jaylin Williams	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	Fr	Northside High School	Fort Smith, Arkansas
G	11	Jalen Tate	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	GS	Pickerington High School Central Northern Kentucky	Pickerington, Ohio
G	12	Khalen Robinson	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Fr	Oak Hill Academy	Bryant, Arkansas
F	13	Emeka Obukwelu	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	RS Sr	Plano West Senior High School UT Tyler	Plano, Texas
F	20	Kamani Johnson	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	RS Jr	Holy Spirit Preparatory School UALR	Brooklyn, New York
F	22	Abayomi Iyiola	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	230 lb (104 kg)	RS Jr	Greenforest-McCalep Christian Academy Stetson	Atlanta, Georgia
F	23	Connor Vanover	7 ft 3 in (2.21 m)	247 lb (112 kg)	RS So	Findlay Prep California	Little Rock, Arkansas
F	24	Ethan Henderson	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Jr	Parkview Arts & Science High School	Little Rock, Arkansas
F	33	Bryson Morehead	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	160 lb (73 kg)	Fr	Obra D. Tompkins High School	Katy, Texas

Head coach

Eric Musselman (San Diego)

Assistant coach(es)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster
Last update: August 20, 2020

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 25, 2020* 6:30 p.m., SECN+	Mississippi Valley State	W 142–62	1–0	23 – Vanover	10 – Williams	7 – Notae	Bud Walton Arena (4,400) Fayetteville, AR
November 28, 2020* 5:00 p.m., SECN+	North Texas	W 69–54	2–0	18 – Smith	16 – Vanover	3 – Notae	Bud Walton Arena (4,400) Fayetteville, AR
December 2, 2020* 8:00 p.m., SECN	UT Arlington	W 72–60	3–0	24 – Moody	9 – Tied	4 – Tate	Bud Walton Arena (4,400) Fayetteville, AR
December 5, 2020* 4:00 p.m., SECN	Lipscomb	W 86–50	4–0	18 – Moody	9 – Vanover	4 – Robinson	Bud Walton Arena (4,266) Fayetteville, AR
December 9, 2020* 7:00 p.m., SECN+	Southern	W 79–44	5–0	14 – Davis	9 – Vanover	5 – Sills	Bud Walton Arena (3,256) Fayetteville, AR
December 12, 2020* 7:00 p.m., SECN+	Central Arkansas	W 100–75	6–0	22 – Notae	10 – Vanover	11 – Tate	Bud Walton Arena (4,189) Fayetteville, AR
December 20, 2020* 1:00 p.m., SECN	Oral Roberts	W 87–76	7–0	22 – Smith	17 – Smith	4 – Tate	Bud Walton Arena (4,201) Fayetteville, AR
December 22, 2020* 4:00 p.m., SECN	Abilene Christian	W 85–72	8–0	21 – Moody	10 – Smith	5 – Tate	Bud Walton Arena (4,110) Fayetteville, AR
SEC regular season
December 30, 2020 6:00 p.m., ESPN2	at Auburn	W 97–85	9–0 (1–0)	23 – Sills	6 – Tied	4 – Tate	Auburn Arena (1,824) Auburn, AL
January 2, 2021 11:00 a.m., CBS	No. 12 Missouri	L 68–81	9–1 (1–1)	19 – Notae	10 – Moody	2 – Tied	Bud Walton Arena (4,400) Fayetteville, AR
January 6, 2021 6:00 p.m., ESPN2	at No. 10 Tennessee	L 74–79	9–2 (1–2)	19 – Notae	9 – Jackson	6 – Tate	Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191) Knoxville, TN
January 9, 2021 2:30 p.m., SECN	Georgia	W 99–69	10–2 (2–2)	25 – Moody	7 – Davis	10 – Tate	Bud Walton Arena (4,400) Fayetteville, AR
January 13, 2021 6:00 p.m., ESPN2	at LSU	L 76–92	10–3 (2–3)	22 – Notae	10 – Williams	2 – Tied	Pete Maravich Assembly Center (2,540) Baton Rouge, LA
January 16, 2021 2:30 p.m., SECN	at Alabama	L 59–90	10–4 (2–4)	28 – Moody	9 – Moody	3 – Tate	Coleman Coliseum (2,055) Tuscaloosa, AL
January 20, 2021 8:00 p.m., SECN	Auburn	W 75–73	11–4 (3–4)	22 – Sills	7 – Williams	5 – Tate	Bud Walton Arena (4,400) Fayetteville, AR
January 23, 2021 Noon, SECN	at Vanderbilt	W 92—71	12–4 (4–4)	26 – Moody	8 – Moody	8 – Tate	Memorial Gymnasium (83) Nashville, TN
January 27, 2021 7:30 p.m., SECN	Ole Miss	W 74–59	13–4 (5–4)	19 – Notae	7 – Vanover	3 – Tate	Bud Walton Arena (4,400) Fayetteville, AR
January 30, 2021* 3:00 p.m., ESPN2	at Oklahoma State Big 12/SEC Challenge	L 77–81	13–5	18 – Smith	7 – Smith	4 – Smith	Gallagher-Iba Arena (3,350) Stillwater, OK
February 2, 2021 8:00 p.m., SECN	Mississippi State	W 61–45	14–5 (6-4)	13 – Tied	10 – Smith	5 – Tate	Bud Walton Arena (4,400) Fayetteville, AR
February 6, 2021 5:00 p.m., SECN	Texas A&M						Bud Walton Arena Fayetteville, AR
February 9, 2021 6:00 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2	at Kentucky						Rupp Arena Lexington, KY
February 13, 2021 3:00 p.m., ESPN2/ESPNU	at Missouri						Mizzou Arena Columbia, MO
February 16, 2021 6:00 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2	Florida						Bud Walton Arena Fayetteville, AR
February 20, 2021 7:30 p.m., SECN	at Texas A&M						Reed Arena College Station, TX
February 24, 2021 8:00 p.m., ESPN2/ESPNU	Alabama						Bud Walton Arena Fayetteville, AR
February 27, 2021 1:00 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2	LSU						Bud Walton Arena Fayetteville, AR
March 2, 2021 5:30 p.m., SECN	at South Carolina						Colonial Life Arena Columbia, SC
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time.

References

^ https://www.wholehogsports.com/news/2020/mar/10/mason-jones-named-ap-co-sec-player-year/
^ http://www.hogstats.com/results.php
^ Holt, Bob (August 2, 2020). "Joe makes call to remain Hog". WholeHogSports. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
^ "Isaiah Joe". Arkansas Razorbacks. University of Arkansas. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
^ Bordelon, Scottie (August 17, 2020). "Isaiah Joe re-entering 2020 NBA Draft". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. WholeHogSports. Retrieved August 20, 2020.

[1] ttps://www.wholehogsports.com/news/2020/mar/10/mason-jones-named-ap-co-sec-player-year/

[2] ttp://www.hogstats.com/results.php

[3] Holt, Bob (August 2, 2020). "Joe makes call to remain Hog". WholeHogSports. Retrieved August 3, 2020.

[4] "Isaiah Joe". Arkansas Razorbacks. University of Arkansas. Retrieved August 3, 2020.

[5] Bordelon, Scottie (August 17, 2020). "Isaiah Joe re-entering 2020 NBA Draft". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. WholeHogSports. Retrieved August 20, 2020.

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v t e Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball
Venues	Schmidt Gymnasium (1923–1937) Men's Gymnasium (1937–1955) Barnhill Arena (1955–1993) Bud Walton Arena (1993–present)
People	Head coaches NBA players Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
NCAA national championship in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics