College Basketball

Arkansas’ Eric Musselman whips off shirt following upset win over Kansas

Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman couldn’t contain himself.

The 58-year-old head coach ripped off his shirt following one of the biggest wins of his career, a 72-71 win over the No. 1-seeded and defending champion Kansas Jayhawks.

Arkansas, a No. 8 seed, punched its ticket to the Sweet 16 with the win.

“That’s such an unbelievable win for our program,” Musselman said after the upset victory. “I keep telling people that we’re getting better. Not many teams can get better this time of year. I’ve never been prouder of a team like tonight.”

The third-year Arkansas coach jumped on the scorer’s table right after the buzzer sounded, pumping his fist to hype up a wild Arkansas crowd in Des Moines, Iowa.

Ricky Council IV made five clutch free throws in the closing seconds to close out the win for Musselman’s Razorbacks.

Arkansas previously upset Gonzaga, who was also ranked as a No. 1 seed last season, under Musselman.

Before the head coach joined the Razorbacks, Arkansas was 0-10 against No. 1-seeded teams in the NCAA Tournament.

Arkansas Razorbacks head coach Eric Musselman (without shirt) celebrates with forward Makhel Mitchell (left) after defeating the Kansas Jayhawks at Wells Fargo Arena.
Eric Musselman whipped off his shirt following Arkansas’ upset over Kansas. USA TODAY Sports

The head coach has whipped off his shirt before – while coaching Nevada in 2018, he was seen celebrating shirtless in the locker room after pulling off a 22-point comeback against then-No. 2-seeded Cincinnati.

He also took off his shirt after winning against then-No. 1 Auburn last season.

While Arkansas’ head coach was loud, and shirtless, Kansas was without its head coach, Bill Self, on the sideline due to a medical issue.

Head coach Eric Musselman of the Arkansas Razorbacks celebrates after defeating the Kansas Jayhawks in the second round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena on March 18, 2023 in Des Moines, Iowa.
Eric Musselman hyped up the crowd with his shirt off. Michael Reaves/Getty Images

Arkansas previously ousted Illinois in the NCAA Tournament’s first round on Thursday before facing Kansas.

The Razorbacks will take on the winner of No. 5 St. Mary’s and No. 4 UConn in a Sweet 16 matchup.

With AP