Could develop into a nice hoops rivalry if Moser gets OU rolling...
arkansas.rivals.com
FAYETTEVILLE — Fans could get a taste of a budding rivalry this weekend in Tulsa.
Delayed a year because of the pandemic, No. 12 Arkansas and Oklahoma are set to begin a multi-year series at the BOK Center on Saturday.
The Razorbacks and Sooners will play at least twice at what is essentially the halfway point between the two schools. The contract also has the option for two additional years, meaning it could continue right up to Oklahoma joining the SEC, which will be no later than the 2025-26 season.
Despite those storylines, head coach Eric Musselman said he looks at it solely as a quality non-conference matchup for the season at hand.
“I think right now, (we’re) just worried about trying to figure out a way to compete and play hard on Saturday,” Musselman said. “I don't put too much thought, to be honest with you, that it could be a conference opponent in the near future. To us, it's no different than playing West Virginia.”
Arkansas will play the Mountaineers next month as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge, but Oklahoma is its last true test before the start of conference play. The Sooners are No. 56 in the NET through Thursday’s games, which means they are just outside of the Quadrant 1 range needed for a neutral site game.
Even though the game is in Oklahoma, it is set up to be a true neutral site matchup. Tickets are being split 50/50 at half court - similar to the Red River Rivalry between Oklahoma and Texas in football - and it is almost exactly two hours from each campus to the BOK Center.
“I think it's going to be a passionate game,” Oklahoma head coach Porter Moser said. “I know our fan base, Arkansas' fan base, it's two passionate fan bases. … I anticipate it being a high energy atmosphere.”
Oklahoma is known more as a football school, but it does have decent tradition in men’s basketball, with three trips to the Final Four in the past 35 years - the same as Arkansas - and four Elite Eight appearances this century.
The man tasked with getting the Sooners back into national prominence actually already has a Final Four on his resume, as Moser led Loyola-Chicago there in 2018.
During that run, the Ramblers knocked off Musselman-led Nevada in a tight 69-68 game in the Sweet 16. The next year, Musselman and the Wolf Pack avenged the loss with a dominant 79-65 win over Moser and Loyola-Chicago in a non-conference matchup.
“He's a great coach,” Musselman said. “He's got great enthusiasm, great energy. His teams always execute. … I have great respect for what he's done throughout his career. And his teams are always prepared.”
While the Razorbacks are off to a 9-0 start and ranked No. 12 in the latest AP Poll, the Sooners are 7-2 with close losses to Utah State and Butler - the second of which came in overtime on Tuesday.
One of Oklahoma’s wins came over previously undefeated Florida, another future SEC foe, early this month and Moser said Saturday’s game against Arkansas “can only help us” moving forward.
“Man, if they're a player at this level, you want to play in these games,” Moser said. “You want to play in these games. You're playing a top-10 team in Tulsa. Great programs. You've got to check your pulse if you don't want to play in this game.”
Tip off is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. CT and the game will be televised on ESPN2.
“I’m ready for sure,” Arkansas guard Davonte Davis said. “I know the rest of the guys are ready, so I hope Oklahoma is ready because we are coming to Tulsa planning to get a win.”
HawgBeat - Neutral site matchup will be SEC preview for Hogs, Sooners
Fans could get a taste of a budding rivalry this weekend in Tulsa.
arkansas.rivals.com
FAYETTEVILLE — Fans could get a taste of a budding rivalry this weekend in Tulsa.
Delayed a year because of the pandemic, No. 12 Arkansas and Oklahoma are set to begin a multi-year series at the BOK Center on Saturday.
The Razorbacks and Sooners will play at least twice at what is essentially the halfway point between the two schools. The contract also has the option for two additional years, meaning it could continue right up to Oklahoma joining the SEC, which will be no later than the 2025-26 season.
Despite those storylines, head coach Eric Musselman said he looks at it solely as a quality non-conference matchup for the season at hand.
“I think right now, (we’re) just worried about trying to figure out a way to compete and play hard on Saturday,” Musselman said. “I don't put too much thought, to be honest with you, that it could be a conference opponent in the near future. To us, it's no different than playing West Virginia.”
Arkansas will play the Mountaineers next month as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge, but Oklahoma is its last true test before the start of conference play. The Sooners are No. 56 in the NET through Thursday’s games, which means they are just outside of the Quadrant 1 range needed for a neutral site game.
Even though the game is in Oklahoma, it is set up to be a true neutral site matchup. Tickets are being split 50/50 at half court - similar to the Red River Rivalry between Oklahoma and Texas in football - and it is almost exactly two hours from each campus to the BOK Center.
“I think it's going to be a passionate game,” Oklahoma head coach Porter Moser said. “I know our fan base, Arkansas' fan base, it's two passionate fan bases. … I anticipate it being a high energy atmosphere.”
Oklahoma is known more as a football school, but it does have decent tradition in men’s basketball, with three trips to the Final Four in the past 35 years - the same as Arkansas - and four Elite Eight appearances this century.
The man tasked with getting the Sooners back into national prominence actually already has a Final Four on his resume, as Moser led Loyola-Chicago there in 2018.
During that run, the Ramblers knocked off Musselman-led Nevada in a tight 69-68 game in the Sweet 16. The next year, Musselman and the Wolf Pack avenged the loss with a dominant 79-65 win over Moser and Loyola-Chicago in a non-conference matchup.
“He's a great coach,” Musselman said. “He's got great enthusiasm, great energy. His teams always execute. … I have great respect for what he's done throughout his career. And his teams are always prepared.”
While the Razorbacks are off to a 9-0 start and ranked No. 12 in the latest AP Poll, the Sooners are 7-2 with close losses to Utah State and Butler - the second of which came in overtime on Tuesday.
One of Oklahoma’s wins came over previously undefeated Florida, another future SEC foe, early this month and Moser said Saturday’s game against Arkansas “can only help us” moving forward.
“Man, if they're a player at this level, you want to play in these games,” Moser said. “You want to play in these games. You're playing a top-10 team in Tulsa. Great programs. You've got to check your pulse if you don't want to play in this game.”
Tip off is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. CT and the game will be televised on ESPN2.
“I’m ready for sure,” Arkansas guard Davonte Davis said. “I know the rest of the guys are ready, so I hope Oklahoma is ready because we are coming to Tulsa planning to get a win.”
