Team Chemistry, not NIL, Big Issue in Hogs' Biggest Sports

Razorbacks football, basketball floundering but name, image, likeness not to blame

Jacob Davis | Jan 30, 2024

Team Chemistry, not NIL, Big Issue in Hogs' Biggest Sports /

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — When Arkansas fell to a 10-10 start to the regular season, opinions of what's going on is big and wide. Basketball season is playing out just like the football team's 4-8 season. Unstable locker room plus the rumors of Sam Pittman's job status made for a wild month of November.

With the inception of NIL, it gave student athletes the opportunity to make some cash while putting their bodies on the line for the school they play for. That part is perfectly fine but it's not the sole reason for the downfall of Razorback athletics this school year. Coaching management like the hire of Dan Enos. Team chemistry seemed to drop off with the loss to BYU. Effort on the playing field, especially inside Razorback Stadium where disinterest seemed to show most, nearly took fans blood pressure to stroke levels.

The same can be said for basketball. Musselman hasn’t replaced assistant coaches like Corey Williams, Gus Argenal, David Patrick and Clay Moser with similar caliber resumes. Not discounting the head Hog’s coaching ability, but a coach is only as good as his assistants.

There’s plenty to admire about Musselman, all he does is eat, sleep, drink and bleed basketball. He’s a perfectionist with OCD tendencies to back it up. His scouting reports are detailed further than any Arkansas coach before him.

Like football, locker room issues and rumors are spreading like wildfire. The culture is fragile but nothing can be done until the season is over when he either leaves or cleans house. There’s no doubt Musselman will want not want to leave Arkansas without going on a high note.

Mention of locker room tension last week on the gridiron by wide receiver Isaiah Sategna opened up the door to speculation of what actually went wrong in 2023.

"We lost a lot of games by three or seven points," Sategna said. "The games were closer than a lot of people think. We had one of the hardest schedules in the country. We all came to Arkansas to play the best. Last year wasn't a reflection of Arkansas football. We are changing it. We're a lot closer as a team. We got rid of some of the negatives, kind of the cancers in the locker room. And I feel like this year will be a lot better."

At the end of the day, both sports are team games and if there's one bad apple it could spoil a good year for everyone. While the lip service is nice, it does seem like the same was said going into the 2023 season following a disappointing 7-6 season and bowl win against Kansas.

There were hints throughout the end of the season that some players on the roster weren't exactly content with playing time. Maybe a few players already had a foot out the door waiting on payday from the NFL. A 'me first' attitude must have taken over given the fall of the Razorbacks program.

Certainly, the same thing could be said for the basketball team with the departure of Devo Davis. While there's plenty of room for speculation, nothing concrete has come out as reason for Davis stepping away, the locker room situation doesn't seem ideal.

The energy level and passion for the game looked to have returned Saturday against Kentucky. Even if the swagger doesn't translate to Missouri, those 40 minutes were a nice reminder of what Mussleman teams have been. The team actually cared and avoided being blown out once again in conference play.

With the up-and-down season comes the coaching carousel talk. Musselman has built up such good will over the past five years that he has hardly received any blame for the outcome of this season. He wouldn't leave Arkansas to go to the likes of also-rans like Minnesota, Arizona State or Louisville anyway. A raise and extension are likely on the way despite one bad season.

How eerily similar both seasons have been, NIL is certainly not the issue. Building rosters in this day and age of recruiting plus the transfer portal makes it a mere crapshoot to win right away. The likelihood of this being just an Arkansas problem is false. Money and team chemistry will be around for the rest of history. Coaches and players must learn to adapt if they want to regain their winning ways.