FAYETTEVILLE -- The University of Arkansas has dropped in the NCAA Evaluation Tool rankings while going 2-5 in its past seven games, but the Razorbacks haven't plunged out of consideration for the NCAA Tournament.
The Razorbacks (16-7, 4-6 SEC) are No. 38 in the latest NET rankings after being No. 23 before they lost at home to Kentucky 73-66 on Jan. 18.
ESPN and CBS Sports still have Arkansas in the NCAA Tournament's 68-team field as a No. 9 and No. 10 seed, respectively, in their latest bracket projections.
"There's no doubt we're still alive," Razorbacks Coach Eric Musselman said. "We're searching and scratching to try to pull out a win.
"We've just got to take it one game at a time. That's just kind of how it goes."
Overtime losses at home to Auburn 79-76 and at Missouri 83-79 last week dropped the Razorbacks 10 spots in the NET rankings from No. 28.
It marked the first time in Arkansas' 97 seasons that it suffered overtime losses in back-to-back games, but Musselman said he doesn't feel he and his team are snake-bit.
"No, I don't believe in that," Musselman said. "To me any loss -- whether you lose by one point or lose in overtime or lose by 15 points -- you've got to hope that through that game there are lessons learned and ways to improve."
The Razorbacks' two victories in their past seven games were 78-67 victory over TCU at home on Jan. 25 and 82-78 at Alabama on Feb. 1. Their losses in that span -- including a 77-70 at Mississippi State on Jan. 22 and 79-77 to South Carolina at home on Jan. 29 -- have been by an average of 4.6 points.
"We've got to bounce back," Arkansas senior guard Jimmy Whitt said. "We've got to regroup and just find a way to get back on the winning side.
"You just can't win one and then drop two. To get where we want to go, you can't do that type of stuff."
The Razorbacks hope to bounce back at Tennessee (13-10, 5-5) when the teams play at 6 tonight at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxcille, Tenn.
"Obviously, we're disappointed because we're so close to picking up wins," Musselman said. "The big thing is just continue to have a competitive nature.
"You've got to put losses and wins behind you and get ready for the next game on your schedule. I think our guys have done that.
"Certainly it's a lot easier to come to practice after a win than it is after a loss, but we've done a good job of competing. Now we've got another tough game."
Tennessee lost 77-64 at home to Kentucky on Saturday, but Musselman said he was impressed watching the Vols, who got 18 points from 6-3 freshman guard Santiago Vescovi and 16 each from 6-5 senior guard Jordan Bowden and 6-9 junior forward John Fulkerson.
"I think Tennessee is a really good basketball team," Musselman said. "They're really well-coached. They execute.
"Fulkerson plays as hard as any big man in the league. Vescovi is a fun point guard to watch because of how hard and how crafty he plays. They've got size with the Arizona State transfer [7-0 redshirt freshman Uros Plavsic].
"Bowden's a guy that has a great mid-range game and has proven in this league that he can three-point shots. He's a really good get-to-the-rim player. They have an incredible defender in the kid from France [6-6 Yves Pons], who can block shots.
"I think Tennessee can beat anybody on any given night."
Arkansas will play its third consecutive game without sophomore guard Isaiah Joe, who continues to go through rehabilitation after having arthroscopic surgery on his right knee a week ago.
If the Razorbacks win tonight, they'll equal their victory total from the 2018-19 regular season when they were 17-14 before playing in the SEC Tournament and NIT.
"Eric has just done a great job coaching, he really has," Tennessee Coach Rick Barnes said of Musselman. "They're aggressive, they drive the ball really hard.
"They obviously lost a key player [Joe] that shoots the ball, and that you had to give a lot of attention to. But [Musselman] still has them being aggressive. They're a really terrific defensive team.
"They really get in that gap heavily and make plays in the gap and they really turn you over -- and when they do, I think they're terrific at getting out and getting those baskets and making you pay there."
Barnes has a 705-374 record in 33 seasons at George Mason, Providence, Clemson, Texas and Tennessee.
"I've thought he's one of the best coaches in the country for many years," Musselman said. "He's got a great demeanor. His teams always play hard. They really know who they are.
"You can tell they do a great job with their big men. They really duck in well. They're an excellent high-low passing team."
Arkansas is playing its second road game in four days with a Saturday-Tuesday turnaround.
"Everybody has to do it, so there's no excuses," Musselman said of back-to-back road trips. "But it does affect you somewhat from a preparation standpoint for sure."
Sports on 02/11/2020