Last season’s march through the men’s NCAA Tournament put Arkansas back on the map with a series of not-since-when achievements: the program’s first time in the second round since 2017, first time in the second weekend since 1996 and first time in the Elite Eight since advancing to the national championship game in 1995.
Two interrelated factors threatened to overshadow Arkansas’ postseason run.
For one, the surge under second-year coach Eric Musselman coincided with high-profile job searches at programs such as Indiana and Texas. Second, the Razorbacks’ deep tournament push came with Musselman tied for 11th in pay, not including reductions taken due to the pandemic, among the 13 SEC head coaches at public universities.
With the Razorbacks on the rise and Musselman’s name raised in connection with multiple Power Five openings, updating this contract became a heightened priority for an athletics department with immense expectations around men’s basketball: “It’s a sport that we feel…