Arkansas is parting ways with coach Mike Anderson after eight seasons at the helm of the Hogs program, athletic director Hunter Yurachek announced on Tuesday.
Anderson achieved a 169-102 record during his stint at Arkansas that included second round appearances in the NCAA Tournament in 2015 and 2017 and three NCAA Tournament appearances overall, but won 20 or more games in only half of his eight seasons. Arkansas ended its 2018-19 season with a second-round loss in the NIT and finished ninth in the SEC regular-season standings.
"After a review of the program, including an analysis of the past eight years and a look forward, I have made a decision that a change in leadership will best position our men's basketball program for future success," Yurachek said in a statement. "In the past eight seasons, we have won a number of games and have made appearances in both the NIT and the NCAA Tournaments. However, in my evaluation, we have not sustained a consistent level of success against the most competitive teams in the nation to enable us to compete for SEC and NCAA Championships on an annual basis. That will continue to be the benchmark for our success throughout our athletic program."
Anderson was named the Conference USA Coach of the Year in 2004 as coach at UAB, and earned NABC Coach of the Year honors in 2009 during his time at Missouri prior to his hiring at Arkansas in 2011.
Yurachek has ties to Houston coach Kelvin Sampson, a name that has been linked to the job. Yurachek previously served in athletics administration at Houston for nearly three years prior to his December 2017 appointment at Arkansas.
Sampson has things rolling at Houston. The Cougars are a No. 3 seed in the 2019 NCAA Tournament and are in the Sweet 16 for the first time in the program's history since 1984.
