Head coach Eric Musselman landed an elite 2020 recruiting class for Arkansas basketball. How will this quartet impact the Razorbacks?
Arkansas basketball put together a fairly strong campaign in its first year under head coach Eric Musselman. While some bumps during conference play likely pushed them to the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament bubble prior to its cancelation, the Razorbacks finished with a 20-12 (7-11 SEC) record and were slotted at No. 47 in the final KenPom rankings. This marked the program’s third 20-win season in the last four years and it feels as though that will continue to be the norm moving forward.
This is largely due to the success that Coach Musselman is experiencing on the recruiting trail, particularly within The Natural State. The energetic leader has instantly made his mark by targeting some of the best players in the program’s surrounding areas and it is likely that the Razorbacks will only improve over the coming years. This quartet of 2020-21 incoming freshmen is ranked as the No. 6 overall group in the country and should be ready to contribute right away.
It is also important to mention that NBA Draft decisions still await for star players Mason Jones and Isaiah Joe. If they elect to return (mostly likely only Joe does), the Razorbacks should be a lock for the preseason Top 25. This optimism even goes without mentioning the arrival of transfer additions Jalen Tate and Vance Jackson, both of whom could immediately slide into the team’s starting lineup.
It certainly appears as though this program is trending in the right direction and several of its incoming freshmen could be impactful right away. This recruiting class breakdown will look into how each of the four commits (only incoming freshmen, not transfers) could make their mark in Year 1 and beyond. All recruiting rankings were found via 247Sports Composite.
Spoiler Alert: This is a group to be very, very excited about in Fayetteville.