# 2019–20 Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball team

The 2019–20 Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball team represented the University of Arkansas during the 2019–20 season. The team was led by first-year head coach Eric Musselman, and played their home games at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Arkansas as a member of the Southeastern Conference. The Razorbacks finished with a record of 20–12 (7–11), with junior Mason Jones earning a share of the SEC Player of the Year award and being named a consensus First-Team All-SEC player.
Arkansas started the season strongly, going into conference play with an 11–1 record, including two road wins against Power Five teams, Georgia Tech and Indiana. The first quarter of conference play was promising for the Razorbacks, with the only setback coming on the road against LSU, 79–77. Heading into a highly anticipated home game with #10 Kentucky, the Hogs were 14–2, with a 3–1 conference record. Arkansas led with less than nine minutes left in the game when Kentucky head coach John Calipari was ejected, sparking a Kentucky run and victory. From there the season bottomed out, with the Hogs finishing the last fourteen games of the conference season with a record of 4–10 for a final regular season record of 19–12 (7–11), including a five-game losing streak without star guard Isaiah Joe that featured back-to-back overtime losses for the first time in school history, in addition to a one-point loss. Heading into the last quarter of the conference season, Arkansas avenged earlier losses to Missouri and Tennessee, placing the Hogs back on the bubble, but fell on the road to thirteenth-place Georgia, effectively knocking the Razorbacks out of tournament contention. After splitting the last two games of the season at home against LSU and on the road against Texas A&M, the Hogs were on the outside looking in, most likely needing to win the SEC tournament to receive an NCAA tournament bid.
After winning their first-round game against Vanderbilt on March 11, 2020, the Hogs were slated for a rematch against South Carolina in the second round, but the SEC announced on March 12, 2020, that the SEC Tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with an announcement following from the NCAA later that day that the whole tournament was cancelled, along with all other winter and spring championships, ending the Razorbacks' season.
The Razorbacks received some votes for the AP Poll throughout the non-conference season, but never earned a ranking, and stopped receiving votes by the end of January.
Mason Jones was voted the SEC Player of the Year by the league media, sharing the honor with Reggie Perry, a Mississippi State player and former Arkansas commit, while the coaches' award went to Immanuel Quickley, of Kentucky. Jones was the third Razorback to win the award, along with Bobby Portis and Corliss Williamson. Jones had an outstanding season, being named SEC Player of the Week four times, one of three SEC players to ever do so and the first in over a decade. Jones led the SEC in scoring, becoming the first Razorback to claim the SEC scoring title, while also finishing ranked eighth in the country for points per game. Jones led the NCAA in both free throw attempts and makes, while also having nine thirty-point games, the most by an SEC player in two decades. Jones broke Sidney Moncrief's school record for free throws made in a season, in addition to being one of only three players in the previous thirty years to score forty points in a game multiple times in a season. Jones was named a consensus First-Team All-SEC player, the tenth time an Arkansas player has achieved that honor. Jones was also named an Honorable Mention All-American by the Associated Press (AP).

## Previous season

On March 26, 2019, Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek fired former head coach Mike Anderson. Following a 12-day search, Yurachek announced Musselman's hiring on April 7.
Former guard Keyshawn Embery-Simpson had already announced following Anderson's firing that he would be leaving the school and transferring to Tulsa.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Daniel Gafford | 10 | F | 6'11" | 233 | Sophomore | El Dorado, Arkansas | Declared for the NBA draft; selected 38th overall by the Chicago Bulls. |
| Keyshawn Embery-Simpson | 11 | G | 6'3" | 202 | Freshman | Midwest City, Oklahoma | Transferred to Tulsa |
| Gabe Osabuohien | 22 | F | 6'8" | 221 | Sophomore | Toronto, Ontario | Dismissed from team; transferred to West Virginia |
| Justice Hill | – | G | 5'11" | 202 | Freshman | Little Rock, Arkansas | Transferred to Salt Lake CC |

### Incoming Transfers

| Name | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Jimmy Whitt Jr. | G | 6'3" | 175 | Graduate Student | Columbia, MO | Transferred from SMU after graduating. Will have one year of eligibility beginning immediately. |
| Jeantal Cylla | F | 6'7" | 215 | Graduate Student | Lake Worth, FL | Transferred from UNC Wilmington after graduating. Will have one year of eligibility beginning immediately. |
| JD Notae | G | 6'2" | 185 | Junior | Covington, GA | Transferred from Jacksonville. Under NCAA transfer rules, Notae will have to sit out the 2019–20 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility. |
| Connor Vanover | F | 7'3" | 230 | Sophomore | Little Rock, AR | Transferred from California. Under NCAA transfer rules, Vanover will have to sit out the 2019–20 season. Will have three years of remaining eligibility. |
| Abayomi Iyiola | F | 6'9" | 210 | Junior | Atlanta, GA | Transferred from Stetson. Under NCAA transfer rules, Iyiloa will have to sit out the 2019–20 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility. |
Jamario Bell would also join the team with one year of eligibility after his career with the Arkansas football team ended.

### 2019 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Justice Hill PG | Little Rock, Arkansas | LR Christian | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Nov 14, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2019 Arkansas Commits". Rivals.com. "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

### 2020 Recruiting class

College recruiting information (2020) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Davonte Davis SG | Jacksonville, AR | Jacksonville (AR) | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Oct 12, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 82 |||||||
| Moses Moody SG | Little Rock, AR | Montverde Academy (FL) | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | Nov 9, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 87 |||||||
| Jaylin Williams PF | Fort Smith, AR | Northside (AR) | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | Nov 23, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 82 |||||||
| Khalen Robinson PG | Little Rock, AR | Oak Hill Academy (VA) | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Nov 28, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 83 |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 11 247Sports: 8 ESPN: 5 |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Arkansas 2020 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 15, 2020. "2020 Arkansas Razorbacks Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 15, 2020. "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 15, 2020. |||||||

## Preseason
### SEC media poll

The SEC media poll was released on October 15, 2019.
Media poll :
| Predicted finish | Team |
| 1 | Kentucky |
| 2 | Florida |
| 3 | LSU |
| 4 | Auburn |
| 5 | Tennessee |
| 6 | Alabama |
| 7 | Mississippi State |
| 8 | Ole Miss |
| 9 | Georgia |
| 10 | South Carolina |
| 11 | Arkansas |
| 12 | Texas A&M |
| 13 | Missouri |
| 14 | Vanderbilt |

### Preseason All-SEC teams

The Razorbacks had one player selected to the preseason all-SEC teams.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 20, 2019* 3:00 pm | | Little Rock | W 79–64 | | 25 – Joe | 9 – Whitt Jr. | 3 – Tied | Bud Walton Arena (7,364) Fayetteville, AR |
| October 25, 2019* 7:00 pm | | Southwestern Oklahoma State | W 78–51 | | 22 – Jones | 9 – Chaney | 5 – Sills | Bud Walton Arena (3,509) Fayetteville, AR |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 5, 2019* 7:00 pm, SECN+ | | Rice | W 91–43 | 1–0 | 32 – Jones | 9 – Bailey | 7 – Joe | Bud Walton Arena (17,274) Fayetteville, AR |
| November 12, 2019* 7:00 pm, SECN+ | | North Texas | W 66–43 | 2–0 | 16 – 2 tied | 6 – Jones | 2 – 2 tied | Bud Walton Arena (12,001) Fayetteville, AR |
| November 16, 2019* 4:00 pm, SECN+ | | Montana College Hoops Roadshow | W 64–46 | 3–0 | 19 – Jones | 11 – Bailey | 4 – Jones | Bud Walton Arena (13,058) Fayetteville, AR |
| November 19, 2019* 7:00 pm, SECN+ | | Texas Southern College Hoops Roadshow | W 82–51 | 4–0 | 33 – Joe | 10 – Whitt Jr. | 5 – Harris | Bud Walton Arena (11,182) Fayetteville, AR |
| November 22, 2019* 8:00 pm, SECN | | South Dakota College Hoops Roadshow | W 77–56 | 5–0 | 24 – Whitt Jr. | 7 – Tied | 5 – Joe | Bud Walton Arena (12,581) Fayetteville, AR |
| November 26, 2019* 6:00 pm, ACCN | | at Georgia Tech | W 62–61 $^{OT}$ | 6–0 | 24 – Jones | 9 – Joe | 4 – Sills | Hank McCamish Pavilion (6,547) Atlanta, GA |
| November 30, 2019* 4:00 pm, SECN+ | | Northern Kentucky College Hoops Roadshow | W 66–60 | 7–0 | 24 – Whitt Jr. | 11 – Chaney | 5 – 2 tied | Bud Walton Arena (14,080) Fayetteville, AR |
| December 3, 2019* 7:00 pm, SECN+ | | Austin Peay | W 69–61 | 8–0 | 17 – Whitt Jr. | 6 – Joe | 3 – Harris | Bud Walton Arena (11,995) Fayetteville, AR |
| December 7, 2019* 6:30 pm, CBSSN | | at Western Kentucky | L 79–86 $^{OT}$ | 8–1 | 20 – Sills | 12 – Whitt Jr. | 4 – Whitt Jr. | E. A. Diddle Arena (6,862) Bowling Green, KY |
| December 14, 2019* 12:30 pm, ESPNU | | Tulsa | W 98–79 | 9–1 | 41 – Jones | 7 – Chaney | 4 – Tied | Bud Walton Arena (15,589) Fayetteville, AR |
| December 21, 2019* 7:00 pm | | vs. Valparaiso | W 72–68 | 10–1 | 21 – Joe | 9 – Jones | 4 – 2 tied | Simmons Bank Arena (15,630) North Little Rock, AR |
| December 29, 2019* 5:00 pm, BTN | | at Indiana | W 71–64 | 11–1 | 24 – Joe | 8 – Bailey | 6 – Jones | Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (14,892) Bloomington, IN |
| January 4, 2020 6:00 pm, SECN | | Texas A&M | W 69–59 | 12–1 (1–0) | 17 – 2 tied | 6 – Jones | 5 – Harris | Bud Walton Arena (19,200) Fayetteville, AR |
| January 8, 2020 8:00 pm, ESPNU | | at LSU | L 77–79 | 12–2 (1–1) | 24 – Jones | 7 – Bailey | 4 – Jones | Pete Maravich Assembly Center (8,662) Baton Rouge, LA |
| January 11, 2020 5:00 pm, SECN | | at Ole Miss | W 76–72 | 13–2 (2–1) | 34 – Joe | 6 – Jones | 9 – Jones | The Pavilion at Ole Miss (8,233) Oxford, MS |
| January 15, 2020 7:30 pm, SECN | | Vanderbilt | W 75–55 | 14–2 (3–1) | 30 – Whitt Jr. | 8 – Whitt Jr. | 8 – Jones | Bud Walton Arena (14,321) Fayetteville, AR |
| January 18, 2020 3:00 pm, ESPN | | No. 10 Kentucky | L 66–73 | 14–3 (3–2) | 19 – Jones | 6 – Jones | 2 – Tied | Bud Walton Arena (19,200) Fayetteville, AR |
| January 22, 2020 6:00 pm, SECN | | at Mississippi State | L 70–77 | 14–4 (3–3) | 20 – Tied | 7 – Tied | 4 – Jones | Humphrey Coliseum (6,337) Starkville, MS |
| January 25, 2020* 3:00 pm, ESPN2 | | TCU Big 12/SEC Challenge | W 78–67 | 15–4 | 22 – Whitt Jr. | 6 – Bailey | 6 – Harris | Bud Walton Arena (19,200) Fayetteville, AR |
| January 29, 2020 7:30 pm, SECN | | South Carolina | L 77–79 | 15–5 (3–4) | 34 – Jones | 12 – Jones | 4 – Jones | Bud Walton Arena (14,085) Fayetteville, AR |
| February 1, 2020 5:00 pm, SECN | | at Alabama | W 82–78 | 16–5 (4–4) | 30 – Jones | 11 – Chaney | 2 – Tied | Coleman Coliseum (12,461) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| February 4, 2020 6:00 pm, SECN | | No. 11 Auburn | L 76–79 $^{OT}$ | 16–6 (4–5) | 40 – Jones | 7 – Tied | 5 – Jones | Bud Walton Arena (17,196) Fayetteville, AR |
| February 8, 2020 2:30 pm, SECN | | at Missouri | L 79–83 $^{OT}$ | 16–7 (4–6) | 17 – Tied | 11 – Chaney | 4 – Harris | Mizzou Arena (11,439) Columbia, MO |
| February 11, 2020 6:00 pm, SECN | | at Tennessee | L 61–82 | 16–8 (4–7) | 19 – Whitt Jr. | 6 – Chaney | 2 – Tied | Thompson–Boling Arena (17,222) Knoxville, TN |
| February 15, 2020 12:00 pm, SECN | | Mississippi State | L 77–78 | 16–9 (4–8) | 38 – Jones | 6 – Tied | 3 – Whitt Jr. | Bud Walton Arena (19,200) Fayetteville, AR |
| February 18, 2020 6:00 pm, ESPNU | | at Florida | L 59–73 | 16–10 (4–9) | 21 – Jones | 8 – Bailey | 5 – Jones | O'Connell Center (9,023) Gainesville, FL |
| February 22, 2020 12:00 pm, SECN | | Missouri | W 78–68 | 17–10 (5–9) | 21 – Joe | 8 – Jones | 4 – Jones | Bud Walton Arena (19,200) Fayetteville, AR |
| February 26, 2020 7:30 pm, SECN | | Tennessee | W 86–69 | 18–10 (6–9) | 37 – Jones | 9 – Henderson | 4 – Whitt Jr. | Bud Walton Arena (14,101) Fayetteville, AR |
| February 29, 2020 5:00 pm, SECN | | at Georgia | L 89–99 | 18–11 (6–10) | 26 – Tied | 6 – Sills | 6 – Whitt Jr. | Stegeman Coliseum (10,017) Athens, GA |
| March 4, 2020 6:00 pm, SECN | | LSU | W 99–90 | 19–11 (7–10) | 36 – Jones | 15 – Whitt Jr. | 5 – Whitt Jr. | Bud Walton Arena (15,169) Fayetteville, AR |
| March 7, 2020 3:30 pm, SECN | | at Texas A&M | L 69–77 | 19–12 (7–11) | 30 – Jones | 5 – Tied | 4 – Whitt Jr. | Reed Arena (8,443) College Station, TX |
| SEC Tournament |||||||||
| March 11, 2020 8:30 pm, SECN | (11) | vs. (14) Vanderbilt First round | W 86–73 | 20–12 | 22 – Jones | 6 – Jones | 6 – Jones | Bridgestone Arena Nashville, TN |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||