2019–20 Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball team

The 2019–20 Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball team represented the University of Arkansas during the 2019–20 season. The team was led by first-year head coach Eric Musselman, and played their home games at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Arkansas as a member of the Southeastern Conference. The Razorbacks finished with a record of 20–12 (7–11), with junior Mason Jones earning a share of the SEC Player of the Year award and being named a consensus First-Team All-SEC player.

2019–20 Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Record20–12 (7–11 SEC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaBud Walton Arena
2019–20 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 8 Kentucky15–3 .83325–6  .806
No. 20 Auburn12–6 .66725–6  .806
LSU12–6 .66721–10  .677
Mississippi State11–7 .61120–11  .645
Florida11–7 .61119–12  .613
South Carolina10–8 .55618–13  .581
Texas A&M10–8 .55616–14  .533
Tennessee9–9 .50017–14  .548
Alabama8–10 .44416–15  .516
Arkansas7–11 .38920–12  .625
Missouri7–11 .38915–16  .484
Ole Miss6–12 .33315–17  .469
Georgia5–13 .27816–16  .500
Vanderbilt3–15 .16711–21  .344
Note: The 2020 SEC tournament was canceled after the first round due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rankings from AP poll

Arkansas started the season strongly, going into conference play with an 11–1 record, including two road wins against Power Five teams, Georgia Tech and Indiana. The first quarter of conference play was promising for the Razorbacks, with the only setback coming on the road against LSU, 79–77. Heading into a highly anticipated home game with #10 Kentucky, the Hogs were 14–2, with a 3–1 conference record. Arkansas led with less than nine minutes left in the game when Kentucky head coach John Calipari was ejected, sparking a Kentucky run and victory. From there the season bottomed out, with the Hogs finishing the last fourteen games of the conference season with a record of 4–10 for a final regular season record of 19–12 (7–11), including a five-game losing streak without star guard Isaiah Joe that featured back-to-back overtime losses for the first time in school history, in addition to a one-point loss.[1] Heading into the last quarter of the conference season, Arkansas avenged earlier losses to Missouri and Tennessee, placing the Hogs back on the bubble, but fell on the road to thirteenth-place Georgia, effectively knocking the Razorbacks out of tournament contention. After splitting the last two games of the season at home against LSU and on the road against Texas A&M, the Hogs were on the outside looking in, most likely needing to win the SEC tournament to receive an NCAA tournament bid.[2]

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.

The Razorbacks received some votes for the AP Poll throughout the non-conference season, but never earned a ranking, and stopped receiving votes by the end of January.[3]

Mason Jones was voted the SEC Player of the Year by the league media, sharing the honor with Reggie Perry, a Mississippi State player and former Arkansas commit, while the coaches' award went to Immanuel Quickley, of Kentucky. Jones was the third Razorback to win the award, along with Bobby Portis and Corliss Williamson. Jones had an outstanding season, being named SEC Player of the Week four times, one of three SEC players to ever do so and the first in over a decade. Jones led the SEC in scoring, becoming the first Razorback to claim the SEC scoring title, while also finishing ranked eighth in the country for points per game. Jones led the NCAA in both free throw attempts and makes, while also having nine thirty-point games, the most by an SEC player in two decades. Jones broke Sidney Moncrief's school record for free throws made in a season, in addition to being one of only three players in the previous thirty years to score forty points in a game multiple times in a season. Jones was named a consensus First-Team All-SEC player, the tenth time an Arkansas player has achieved that honor.[4] Jones was also named an Honorable Mention All-American by the Associated Press (AP).

Previous season

On March 26, 2019, Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek fired former head coach Mike Anderson.[5] Following a 12-day search, Yurachek announced Musselman's hiring on April 7.[6]

Former guard Keyshawn Embery-Simpson had already announced following Anderson's firing that he would be leaving the school and transferring to Tulsa.[7]

Offseason

Departures
NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Daniel Gafford10F6'11"233SophomoreEl Dorado, ArkansasDeclared for the NBA draft; selected 38th overall by the Chicago Bulls.
Keyshawn Embery-Simpson11G6'3"202FreshmanMidwest City, OklahomaTransferred to Tulsa
Gabe Osabuohien22F6'8"221SophomoreToronto, OntarioDismissed from team;[8] transferred to West Virginia
Justice Hill–G5'11"202FreshmanLittle Rock, ArkansasTransferred to Salt Lake CC[9]

Incoming Transfers
NamePos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Jimmy Whitt Jr.G6'3"175Graduate StudentColumbia, MOTransferred from SMU after graduating. Will have one year of eligibility beginning immediately.
Jeantal CyllaF6'7"215Graduate StudentLake Worth, FLTransferred from UNC Wilmington after graduating. Will have one year of eligibility beginning immediately.
JD NotaeG6'2"185JuniorCovington, GATransferred from Jacksonville. Under NCAA transfer rules, Notae will have to sit out the 2019–20 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.[10]
Connor VanoverF7'3"230SophomoreLittle Rock, ARTransferred from California. Under NCAA transfer rules, Vanover will have to sit out the 2019–20 season. Will have three years of remaining eligibility.
Abayomi IyiolaF6'9"210JuniorAtlanta, GATransferred from Stetson. Under NCAA transfer rules, Iyiloa will have to sit out the 2019–20 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.

Jamario Bell would also join the team with one year of eligibility after his career with the Arkansas football team ended.

2019 recruiting class
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Justice Hill
PG		 Little Rock, Arkansas LR Christian 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Nov 14, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • 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:

  • "2019 Arkansas Commits". Rivals.com.
  • "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

2020 Recruiting class
US college sports recruiting information for 2020 recruits
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 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   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 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   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 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   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 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   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:

Preseason

SEC media poll

The SEC media poll was released on October 15, 2019.[11]

Media poll
Predicted finish Team
1Kentucky
2Florida
3LSU
4Auburn
5Tennessee
6Alabama
7Mississippi State
8Ole Miss
9Georgia
10South Carolina
11Arkansas
12Texas A&M
13Missouri
14Vanderbilt

Preseason All-SEC teams

The Razorbacks had one player selected to the preseason all-SEC teams.

Roster
2019–20 Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
F 0 Jeantal Cylla 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)215 lb (98 kg) GSLake Worth Community HS
UNC Wilmington		 Lake Worth, Florida
G 1 Isaiah Joe 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)180 lb (82 kg) SoNorthside HS Fort Smith, Arkansas
F 2 Adrio Bailey 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)217 lb (98 kg) SrLakeview HS Clarence, Louisiana
G 3 Desi Sills 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)196 lb (89 kg) SoJonesboro HS Jonesboro, Arkansas
G 5 Jalen Harris 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)166 lb (75 kg) RS JrWord of God Christian Academy
New Mexico		 Wilson, North Carolina
G 11 JD Notae Current redshirt 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)185 lb (84 kg) JrNewton HS
Jacksonville University		 Covington, Georgia
G 12 Ty Stevens (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)180 lb (82 kg) JrRepublic HS Republic, Missouri
F 13 Emeka Obukwelu 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)222 lb (101 kg) RS JrPlano West Senior HS
UT-Tyler		 Plano, Texas
F 14 Jamario Bell 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)250 lb (113 kg) SrJunction City HS Junction City, Arkansas
G 15 Mason Jones 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)200 lb (91 kg) JrTriple A Academy
Connors State College		 DeSoto, Texas
F 22 Abayomi Iyiola Current redshirt 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)210 lb (95 kg) JrGreenforest-McCalep Christian Academy
Stetson		 Atlanta, Georgia
F 23 Connor Vanover Current redshirt 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m)230 lb (104 kg) SoFindlay Prep
California		 Little Rock, Arkansas
F 24 Ethan Henderson 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)210 lb (95 kg) SoParkview Arts & Science HS Little Rock, Arkansas
G 33 Jimmy Whitt Jr. 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)175 lb (79 kg) GSHickman HS
SMU		 Columbia, Missouri
F 35 Reggie Chaney 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)222 lb (101 kg) SoFindlay Prep Tulsa, Oklahoma
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: 2019-07-28

Schedule and results
Date
time, TV		 Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 20, 2019*
3:00 pm		 Little Rock W 79–64 
 25 – Joe  9 – Whitt Jr.  3 – Tied  Bud Walton Arena (7,364)
Fayetteville, AR
October 25, 2019*
7:00 pm		 Southwestern Oklahoma State W 78–51 
 22 – Jones  9 – Chaney  5 – Sills  Bud Walton Arena (3,509)
Fayetteville, AR
Regular season
November 5, 2019*
7:00 pm, SECN+		 Rice W 91–43  1–0
  32 – Jones  9 – Bailey  7 – Joe  Bud Walton Arena (17,274)
Fayetteville, AR
November 12, 2019*
7:00 pm, SECN+		 North Texas W 66–43  2–0
  16 – 2 tied  6 – Jones  2 – 2 tied  Bud Walton Arena (12,001)
Fayetteville, AR
November 16, 2019*
4:00 pm, SECN+		 Montana
College Hoops Roadshow		 W 64–46  3–0
  19 – Jones  11 – Bailey  4 – Jones  Bud Walton Arena (13,058)
Fayetteville, AR
November 19, 2019*
7:00 pm, SECN+		 Texas Southern
College Hoops Roadshow		 W 82–51  4–0
  33 – Joe  10 – Whitt Jr.  5 – Harris  Bud Walton Arena (11,182)
Fayetteville, AR
November 22, 2019*
8:00 pm, SECN		 South Dakota
College Hoops Roadshow		 W 77–56  5–0
  24 – Whitt Jr.  7 – Tied  5 – Joe  Bud Walton Arena (12,581)
Fayetteville, AR
November 26, 2019*
6:00 pm, ACCN		 at Georgia Tech W 62–61 OT 6–0
  24 – Jones  9 – Joe  4 – Sills  Hank McCamish Pavilion (6,547)
Atlanta, GA
November 30, 2019*
4:00 pm, SECN+		 Northern Kentucky
College Hoops Roadshow		 W 66–60  7–0
  24 – Whitt Jr.  11 – Chaney  5 – 2 tied  Bud Walton Arena (14,080)
Fayetteville, AR
December 3, 2019*
7:00 pm, SECN+		 Austin Peay W 69–61  8–0
  17 – Whitt Jr.  6 – Joe  3 – Harris  Bud Walton Arena (11,995)
Fayetteville, AR
December 7, 2019*
6:30 pm, CBSSN		 at Western Kentucky L 79–86 OT 8–1
  20 – Sills  12 – Whitt Jr.  4 – Whitt Jr.  E. A. Diddle Arena (6,862)
Bowling Green, KY
December 14, 2019*
12:30 pm, ESPNU		 Tulsa W 98–79  9–1
  41 – Jones  7 – Chaney  4 – Tied  Bud Walton Arena (15,589)
Fayetteville, AR
December 21, 2019*
7:00 pm		 vs. Valparaiso W 72–68  10–1
  21 – Joe  9 – Jones  4 – 2 tied  Simmons Bank Arena (15,630)
North Little Rock, AR
December 29, 2019*
5:00 pm, BTN		 at Indiana W 71–64  11–1
  24 – Joe  8 – Bailey  6 – Jones  Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (14,892)
Bloomington, IN
January 4, 2020
6:00 pm, SECN		 Texas A&M W 69–59  12–1
(1–0)		  17 – 2 tied  6 – Jones  5 – Harris  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
January 8, 2020
8:00 pm, ESPNU		 at LSU L 77–79  12–2
(1–1)		  24 – Jones  7 – Bailey  4 – Jones  Pete Maravich Assembly Center (8,662)
Baton Rouge, LA
January 11, 2020
5:00 pm, SECN		 at Ole Miss W 76–72  13–2
(2–1)		  34 – Joe  6 – Jones  9 – Jones  The Pavilion at Ole Miss (8,233)
Oxford, MS
January 15, 2020
7:30 pm, SECN		 Vanderbilt W 75–55  14–2
(3–1)		  30 – Whitt Jr.  8 – Whitt Jr.  8 – Jones  Bud Walton Arena (14,321)
Fayetteville, AR
January 18, 2020
3:00 pm, ESPN		 No. 10 Kentucky L 66–73  14–3
(3–2)		  19 – Jones  6 – Jones  2 – Tied  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
January 22, 2020
6:00 pm, SECN		 at Mississippi State L 70–77  14–4
(3–3)		  20 – Tied  7 – Tied  4 – Jones  Humphrey Coliseum (6,337)
Starkville, MS
January 25, 2020*
3:00 pm, ESPN2		 TCU
Big 12/SEC Challenge		 W 78–67  15–4
  22 – Whitt Jr.  6 – Bailey  6 – Harris  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
January 29, 2020
7:30 pm, SECN		 South Carolina L 77–79  15–5
(3–4)		  34 – Jones  12 – Jones  4 – Jones  Bud Walton Arena (14,085)
Fayetteville, AR
February 1, 2020
5:00 pm, SECN		 at Alabama W 82–78  16–5
(4–4)		  30 – Jones  11 – Chaney  2 – Tied  Coleman Coliseum (12,461)
Tuscaloosa, AL
February 4, 2020
6:00 pm, SECN		 No. 11 Auburn L 76–79 OT 16–6
(4–5)		  40 – Jones  7 – Tied  5 – Jones  Bud Walton Arena (17,196)
Fayetteville, AR
February 8, 2020
2:30 pm, SECN		 at Missouri L 79–83 OT 16–7
(4–6)		  17 – Tied  11 – Chaney  4 – Harris  Mizzou Arena (11,439)
Columbia, MO
February 11, 2020
6:00 pm, SECN		 at Tennessee L 61–82  16–8
(4–7)		  19 – Whitt Jr.  6 – Chaney  2 – Tied  Thompson–Boling Arena (17,222)
Knoxville, TN
February 15, 2020
12:00 pm, SECN		 Mississippi State L 77–78  16–9
(4–8)		  38 – Jones  6 – Tied  3 – Whitt Jr.  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
February 18, 2020
6:00 pm, ESPNU		 at Florida L 59–73  16–10
(4–9)		  21 – Jones  8 – Bailey  5 – Jones  O'Connell Center (9,023)
Gainesville, FL
February 22, 2020
12:00 pm, SECN		 Missouri W 78–68  17–10
(5–9)		  21 – Joe  8 – Jones  4 – Jones  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
February 26, 2020
7:30 pm, SECN		 Tennessee W 86–69  18–10
(6–9)		  37 – Jones  9 – Henderson  4 – Whitt Jr.  Bud Walton Arena (14,101)
Fayetteville, AR
February 29, 2020
5:00 pm, SECN		 at Georgia L 89–99  18–11
(6–10)		  26 – Tied  6 – Sills  6 – Whitt Jr.  Stegeman Coliseum (10,017)
Athens, GA
March 4, 2020
6:00 pm, SECN		 LSU W 99–90  19–11
(7–10)		  36 – Jones  15 – Whitt Jr.  5 – Whitt Jr.  Bud Walton Arena (15,169)
Fayetteville, AR
March 7, 2020
3:30 pm, SECN		 at Texas A&M L 69–77  19–12
(7–11)		  30 – Jones  5 – Tied  4 – Whitt Jr.  Reed Arena (8,443)
College Station, TX
SEC Tournament
March 11, 2020
8:30 pm, SECN		 (11) vs. (14) Vanderbilt
First round		 W 86–73  20–12
  22 – Jones  6 – Jones  6 – Jones  Bridgestone Arena 
Nashville, TN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

See also

References
  1. Holt, Bob (March 9, 2020). "UA's NCAA goals begin with Vandy". wholehogsports.com. Arkansas Democrat Gazette, Inc. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  2. Gasaway, John (March 12, 2020). "NCAA tournament Bubble Watch: Updated look at the wildest bubble in years". espn.com. ESPN. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  3. "Arkansas 2020 AP Men's Basketball Rankings – College Poll Archive – Historical College Football and Basketball Polls and Rankings". collegepollarchive.com. College Poll Archive. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  4. Cawood, Mike (March 10, 2020). "Jones Tabbed SEC Co-Player Of The Year; Consensus 1st Team". arkansasrazobacks.com. University of Arkansas. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  5. "Arkansas fires Mike Anderson after eight-year tenure". USA Today.
  6. "Arkansas hires Eric Musselman away from Nevada as new Razorbacks men's basketball coach".
  7. "TU lands Arkansas transfer Keyshawn Embery-Simpson".
  8. "Arkansas dismisses forward Gabe Osabuohien". USA Today.
  9. "Former Hog Justice Hill transfers to Utah junior college".
  10. "JD Notae commits to transfer to Arkansas".
  11. "UK picked to win 2020 SEC Men's Basketball Championship". SEC Sports. October 15, 2019. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
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