Musselman Doesn't Subscribe to Team Bonding

Meals without cell phones won't be contributing to Arkansas Razorbacks' potential success this week against Georgia, Florida

Author:
Kent Smith
Publish date:
Jan 8, 2024 6:11 PM EST

In this story:

Arkansas Razorbacks

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Despite scheduling an entire week away from Northwest Arkansas this week as the Razorbacks head out for their first true road games of the season, Arkansas coach Eric Musselman isn't looking for any Kumbaya moments as the team loops through Georgia and Florida.

When asked if whether getting in front of a hostile crowd might help bring the Hogs together after an obvious lack of chemistry in a historic blowout loss to Auburn at Bud Walton Saturday, he was quick to shut down any potential benefit of getting out on the road for a while.

"I don't think any struggling team coming off a game like that he wants to go on on a two game road trip in SEC play, but that's what the schedule says,"Mussselman said. "That's what we're gonna go do. Mike White's done a great job. I think they're 10-0 at home. I think they're 20-5 since he got to Georgia, at home. It's a confident team."

Musselman was especially harsh on the idea that any team bonding that might take over this week would be potentially helpful to the Razorbacks. Or any team for that matter.

"I don't think this team needs to go to Athens and have a meal before the night before the game and all of a sudden that's going to miraculously make us better because we have a good meal and people put their phones down and converse," Musselman said. "I'm not a I'm not a believer that that's going to that's going to make us all of a sudden play better basketball because we ate together and we're in a hotel and we're bonding. I think you know, I'm not going to subscribe to that pattern."

So, if Arkansas comes out of this trip with a couple of needed SEC road wins and the chemistry looks better, don't dare attribute it to focused quality time. Especially if a pizza happened to be nearby. Musselman's not interested in such fantasies.