From @DanielFair
arkansas.rivals.com
It may have been an exhibition game between Arkansas and Purdue on Saturday, but no one inside the building — fans, coaches and players alike — could tell.
A sold out crowd hungry for Razorback basketball packed out Bud Walton Arena, making it feel more like an NCAA Tournament game than a preseason exhibition. That crowd made a direct impact as the No. 14 Arkansas Razorbacks defeated the No. 3 Purdue Boilermakers, 81-77.
The fans were loud and proud for most of the night. Every dunk, 3-pointer and fast-break score was met with thunderous applause. Fans were also excited to see redshirt sophomore Trevon Brazile fully back, as he missed most of last season with an ACL injury. He finished with 15 points and five rebounds in Saturday's contest.
Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman said playing with Bud Walton rocking the way it was is great for the newcomers on the team — of which all but five players this season are — because it gave them a taste of what they'll experience during the season.
"It’s great for all of our new guys because now they get a little bit of a feel for what Bud Walton is like and the magic inside Bud Walton when you are playing good and you are competing," Musselman said. "We talked a lot before the game that we could not have our fans walk out out of this building and not feel really good about the effort, energy and enthusiasm we have tonight. Win or lose we had to get these people back excited with how hard we play."
Purdue head coach Matt Painter said after the game the arena felt like a Big Ten environment and will prepare his team as the season goes along.
“This is tenfold compared to a regular exhibition game,” Painter said. “This is big time. Think about the hornet’s nest we walked into. They had to prepare for someone that is pretty unique … But, no, this was great for our team because it’s real, right?
"You see real problems on this box score and now it’s not like you didn’t go blast somebody by 40 points and you feel good about yourself, you’re nationally ranked. It means nothing. It means absolutely nothing. It’s fool’s gold. This isn't fool’s gold. We got beat. It was in a hostile crowd, but we were also in a position to win the game and we didn’t. We have to learn from that.”
The game was a charity exhibition that supported the United Way as it helps victims of tornadoes that hit central Arkansas earlier this year. Musselman said he was glad to see the turnout.
“I think a couple things,” Musselman said. “One, the turnout, the crowd, mid-season form the crowd was. To think that our season-ticket holders were not involved and we still sold the building out … It’s for a great cause, so that’s awesome, to be able to contribute to a cause, and we sold a lot of season tickets. So that’s awesome.
“I think Coach Painter’s right. It was a crowd that certainly will help Purdue. It gave all of our new guys a taste of what it’s going to be like in our building. So that’s a great thing. I thought both teams treated the game like a mid-season game. It felt like an NCAA Tournament vibe to be honest.”
Arkansas forward Chandler Lawson, who transferred to the Razorbacks from Memphis over the offseason, credited the fans for keeping the Hogs in the game.
“I feel like the fans gave us an extra boost tonight,” Lawson said. “If it wasn’t for the fans, we would have came up short. I want to shout out to the fans and everybody that came out and showed love. They were a huge part of the win tonight.”
The game won’t show up in the win column, but it helped prepare the Razorbacks, as their regular-season opener against Alcorn State looms just nine days away on Monday, Nov. 6. That game will tipoff at 7 p.m. CT and it will be streamed on the SEC Network Plus.
HawgBeat - Musselman on Arkansas-Purdue crowd: 'It felt like an NCAA Tournament vibe'
The crowd was a major factor in the Razorbacks' win over Purdue Saturday.
arkansas.rivals.com
It may have been an exhibition game between Arkansas and Purdue on Saturday, but no one inside the building — fans, coaches and players alike — could tell.
A sold out crowd hungry for Razorback basketball packed out Bud Walton Arena, making it feel more like an NCAA Tournament game than a preseason exhibition. That crowd made a direct impact as the No. 14 Arkansas Razorbacks defeated the No. 3 Purdue Boilermakers, 81-77.
The fans were loud and proud for most of the night. Every dunk, 3-pointer and fast-break score was met with thunderous applause. Fans were also excited to see redshirt sophomore Trevon Brazile fully back, as he missed most of last season with an ACL injury. He finished with 15 points and five rebounds in Saturday's contest.
Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman said playing with Bud Walton rocking the way it was is great for the newcomers on the team — of which all but five players this season are — because it gave them a taste of what they'll experience during the season.
"It’s great for all of our new guys because now they get a little bit of a feel for what Bud Walton is like and the magic inside Bud Walton when you are playing good and you are competing," Musselman said. "We talked a lot before the game that we could not have our fans walk out out of this building and not feel really good about the effort, energy and enthusiasm we have tonight. Win or lose we had to get these people back excited with how hard we play."
Purdue head coach Matt Painter said after the game the arena felt like a Big Ten environment and will prepare his team as the season goes along.
“This is tenfold compared to a regular exhibition game,” Painter said. “This is big time. Think about the hornet’s nest we walked into. They had to prepare for someone that is pretty unique … But, no, this was great for our team because it’s real, right?
"You see real problems on this box score and now it’s not like you didn’t go blast somebody by 40 points and you feel good about yourself, you’re nationally ranked. It means nothing. It means absolutely nothing. It’s fool’s gold. This isn't fool’s gold. We got beat. It was in a hostile crowd, but we were also in a position to win the game and we didn’t. We have to learn from that.”
The game was a charity exhibition that supported the United Way as it helps victims of tornadoes that hit central Arkansas earlier this year. Musselman said he was glad to see the turnout.
“I think a couple things,” Musselman said. “One, the turnout, the crowd, mid-season form the crowd was. To think that our season-ticket holders were not involved and we still sold the building out … It’s for a great cause, so that’s awesome, to be able to contribute to a cause, and we sold a lot of season tickets. So that’s awesome.
“I think Coach Painter’s right. It was a crowd that certainly will help Purdue. It gave all of our new guys a taste of what it’s going to be like in our building. So that’s a great thing. I thought both teams treated the game like a mid-season game. It felt like an NCAA Tournament vibe to be honest.”
Arkansas forward Chandler Lawson, who transferred to the Razorbacks from Memphis over the offseason, credited the fans for keeping the Hogs in the game.
“I feel like the fans gave us an extra boost tonight,” Lawson said. “If it wasn’t for the fans, we would have came up short. I want to shout out to the fans and everybody that came out and showed love. They were a huge part of the win tonight.”
The game won’t show up in the win column, but it helped prepare the Razorbacks, as their regular-season opener against Alcorn State looms just nine days away on Monday, Nov. 6. That game will tipoff at 7 p.m. CT and it will be streamed on the SEC Network Plus.
