Eric Musselman built a nationally-relevant program at Nevada -- very quickly -- in part by capitalizing on the transfer market. He then kept the Wolf Pack at the top of the Mountain West Conference for three straight seasons by using the same formula that brought, among others, Jordan Caroline, Caleb Martin, Cody Martin, Kendall Stephens and Jazz Johnson to Reno after they started their college careers elsewhere.
The approach worked well.
So it should be no surprise that it's working well for Musselman again, this time at Arkansas. The second-year coach of the Razorbacks has a roster where four of the top six scorers are Division I transfers -- namely JD Notae from Jacksonville, Justin Smith from Indiana, Jalen Tate from Northern Kentucky and Connor Vanover from Cal. They're among the biggest reasons Arkansas is now 17-5 overall, and 7-1 in the SEC, following Tuesday night's 75-64 victory over Florida.
Arkansas is 7-1 in its past eight games and rising in the rankings the way it used to back in the early 1990s, when the Razorbacks made the Sweet 16 six times in a seven-year span from 1990 to 1996. They advanced to four Elite Eights in that stretch, made the Final Four three times, the title game twice and won the national championship in 1994. It was some kind of run under Hall-of-Fame coach Nolan Richardson. But, as I've previously noted 57,000 times, the Razorbacks haven't been back to the Sweet 16 since 1996. Incredibly, 99 different schools have made the Sweet 16 since the last time Arkansas made the Sweet 16.
Will that streak be snapped eventually?
Of course.
In fact, I'd bet large amounts of money that Musselman will be the coach who eventually snaps it. And, with the way his team is currently playing, it's possible he'll be the coach who snaps it as soon as next month.
Arkansas is up to No. 19 in Wednesday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. The Razorbacks' next scheduled game is Saturday at Texas A&M.
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Wednesday's Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Gonzaga's perfect record includes double-digit victories over Virginia, Iowa and Kansas. The Zags have won their 11 WCC games by 24.6 points. | -- | 27-8 |
| 2 |  | Baylor's perfect record is highlighted by victories over Texas, Illinois, Texas Tech and Kansas. The Bears have won 15 of their 17 games by double-digits. | -- | 24-11 |
| 3 |  | Michigan is 8-1 in the first two quadrants with double-digit wins over Wisconsin and Purdue. The Wolverines' lone loss came at Minnesota. | -- | 8-24 |
| 4 |  | Ohio State is 9-1 in its past 10 games with wins over Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa. The Buckeyes lead the nation with eight Quadrant 1 wins. | -- | 22-14 |
| 5 |  | Illinois is 10-5 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. The Illini will take a six-game winning streak into Saturday's game at Minnesota. | -- | 29-9 |
| 6 |  | Houston is 10-1 in its past 11 games with nine double-digit wins in that stretch. The Cougars are 7-1 in the first two quadrants with one additional loss at East Carolina. | -- | 32-5 |
| 7 |  | Alabama is 10-5 in the first two quadrants with victories over Tennessee and Arkansas. The Crimson Tide will take a two-game winning streak into Wednesday's game at Texas A&M. | -- | 25-12 |
| 8 |  | Oklahoma is 7-1 in its past eight games with wins over Alabama, West Virginia, Texas and Kansas. The Sooners have zero losses outside of Quadrant 1. | -- | 20-12 |
| 9 |  | West Virginia's three-game winning streak was snapped Saturday by Oklahoma. The Mountaineers are 9-6 in the first two quadrants with zero losses outside of Quadrant 1. | -- | 9-23 |
| 10 |  | Villanova's two-game winning streak was snapped Saturday at Creighton. The Wildcats are 5-3 in the first two quadrants with zero losses outside of Quadrant 1. | -- | 18-16 |
| 11 |  | Texas is 6-5 in the first two quadrants with zero losses outside of Quadrant 1. The Longhorns will take a two-game winning streak into Tuesday's game at Oklahoma. | -- | 21-13 |
| 12 |  | USC is 6-3 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. The Trojans' six-game winning streak features victories over UCLA and Stanford. | -- | 15-18 |
| 13 |  | Florida State is 7-2 in the first two quadrants with one additional loss to UCF. The Seminoles are 7-1 in their past eight games with victories over Virginia and Louisville. | -- | 17-16 |
| 14 |  | Virginia's four-game winning streak was snapped Monday via a double-digit loss at Florida State. The Cavaliers are 3-3 in the first quadrant with one additional loss to San Francisco. | -- | 23-11 |
| 15 |  | Virginia Tech is 3-1 in its past four games after Saturday's win at Miami. The Hokies are 7-4 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. | -- | 19-15 |
| 16 |  | Iowa is 8-6 in the first two quadrants with only one loss outside of Quadrant 1. The Hawkeyes will take a two-game winning streak into Thursday's game at Wisconsin. | -- | 19-15 |
| 17 |  | Wisconsin is 8-7 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. The Badgers have alternated wins and losses for eight consecutive games. | -- | 22-14 |
| 18 |  | Creighton is 6-1 in its past seven games with wins over Villanova and Seton Hall. The Bluejays are 11-2 in the first two quadrants with three additional losses falling in Quadrant 3. | -- | 25-10 |
| 19 |  | Arkansas is 7-1 in its past eight games with wins over Missouri and Florida. The Razorbacks are 9-5 in the first two quadrants with only one loss outside of Quadrant 1. | 7 | 16-17 |
| 20 |  | Tennessee is 4-4 in its past eight games after Saturday's loss at LSU. The Vols are 5-5 in the first two quadrants with only one loss outside of Quadrant 1. | -- | 27-9 |
| 21 |  | Texas Tech is 3-3 in its past six games after Tuesday's double-digit loss to West Virginia. The Red Raiders are 5-6 in the first two quadrants heading into Monday's game at TCU. | -- | 23-11 |
| 22 |  | Louisville's 8-3 record in the first two quadrants includes victories over Duke, Virginia Tech, Pitt and Georgia Tech. Three of the Cardinals' four losses have come inside the first quadrant. | -- | 8-24 |
| 23 |  | Loyola Chicago is 5-4 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. The Ramblers are 11-1 in their past 12 games with the lone loss in that stretch coming at Drake. | -- | 23-10 |
| 24 |  | Kansas is 7-7 in the first two quadrants with zero losses outside of Quadrant 1. The Jayhawks will take a three-game winning streak into Wednesday's game at Kansas State. | -- | 23-11 |
| 25 |  | Rutgers is 5-1 in its past six games with wins over Minnesota and Indiana. The Scarlet Knights are 7-7 in the first two quadrants with only one loss outside of Quadrant 1. | -- | 15-17 |
| 26 |  | Missouri is on a three-game losing streak after Tuesday's loss at Georgia. The Tigers are 6-6 in the first two quadrants with only one loss outside of Quadrant 1. | 7 | 8-24 |
