FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Eric Musselman was more like “Eric Muscleman” after this huge win for his team.
The Arkansas coach stole the show by going shirtless after his team knocked off No. 1 Auburn 80-76 Tuesday night with some clutch foul shooting in overtime.
The 57-year-old Musselman, who missed the team’s 65-58 win over LSU on Jan. 15 after undergoing shoulder surgery two days earlier, was as amped up as anyone in the building.
The third-year Razorbacks coach — with his left arm still in a sling from rotator cuff surgery last month — stripped down and pumped his fist after the victory as fans crowded around.
“There won’t be a better crowd than that in the next 50 years,” Musselman said. “Nobody that was here did not have fun unless maybe an Auburn fan.”
The Razorbacks (19-5, 8-3 Southeastern Conference), who have won nine straight, hit 11 of 14 free throws in the final 1:52 of overtime in front of a raucous crowd at Bud Walton Arena.
It was the first time an Arkansas team had beaten a No.-1 ranked team since 1984 against North Carolina, when Musselman was just a sophomore at San Diego.
JD Notae led the scoring for the Razorbacks with 28 points, who led by as many as 12 points in the first half before the Tigers (22-2, 10-1) rallied.
Auburn, who came into the game acting like a No. 1 team, danced on the Razorbacks logo, which did not please Arkansas.
“We didn’t like them dancing on our logo,” said Jaylin Williams, whose late basket forced the extra session. “That was disrespectful to us. That added fuel to the fire.”
Before Tuesday’s loss, the Tigers had won 19 straight since a double-overtime loss to Connecticut in November.
— with AP