Sooner or Later, This Razorbacks' Season on Players, not Coaching
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — We need to quit asking Arkansas coach Eric Musselman what's wrong with this team. He knows every problem. With a track record to back it up, he knows how to coach to fix problems.
Nobody knows how to make them do it. Don't holler about making them run laps or even up the hill on Cleveland St. (if you ever driven up that, just imagine running up it in the summer heat or cold of winter). Nearly every player would quit by hitting the transfer portal or it's probably against the rules now.
Sooner or later, the players have to take responsibility for what's going on and somebody within that locker room has to demand they play up to their potential or deal with them. I have no idea if anybody on this team has the guts to take on that role. There are times when they simply don't get it and don't really care to find out what "it" is.
Everybody wants to win and nobody is challenging that. It's whether they are willing to pay the price for that every single day. History shows counting on being able to turn it on and off at will is not consistent on a consistent basis. Every championship coach gives credit to the players because at some point in time they are the ones that have to do it.
Apparently this Razorback team isn't willing to pay that price. Everybody can say that's not the case, but the final result is in the wins and losses. We all see that and, like it or not, that's the final decision-maker. It's always 100% accurate.
Musselman's taking all the blame. That's to cover for the players. At some point, many championship-level coaches told the players they weren't taking the blame anymore because the losses are on them. That usually comes in private these days, but unless they really just have no drive at all they should be motivated by a line like that.
Musselman is constantly juggling the lineup. That's not to confuse anybody, but simply he's trying to find five guys willing to pay the price to win games on a consistent basis. "What do you want us to do? Not try different players?" he asked on Saturday after the 77-64 loss to South Carolina.
Now e'll have another week of it. Everybody wants answers, but we keep asking the wrong guy for them. Musselman's trying everything he knows and the players probably aren't even aware of it. When they are in a press conference, they stomp all around the issue and speak in cliches.
We're about at the point of the season where those aren't going to work anymore. Musselman has shown he can coach the things necessary to win. What he can't do, though, is get the players to accept that coaching and try to implement it.
The Hogs will get another shot to fix things on the road against Ole Miss on Wednesday night in an 8 p.m. game. The game will be televised on ESPNU and fuboTV.
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