Arkansas Razorbacks NCAA Tournament History: A Legacy of Hog Hoops

The Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball team, known as the Hogs, represents the University of Arkansas in NCAA Division I men's basketball. As a member of the Southeastern Conference, the team competes under the leadership of head coach John Calipari. Their home court is the Bud Walton Arena, located on the University of Arkansas campus.

The Razorbacks boast a rich basketball tradition. They are a top-twenty-five program in all-time winning percentage (.641), rank among the top twenty in NCAA tournament games played and won, and are a top-fifteen program in Final Four appearances. They are also within the top thirty in all-time wins, despite having played fewer seasons compared to most major conference programs.

Early Years and Southwest Conference Dominance (1923-1941)

Arkansas' basketball program began relatively late, with its first team in 1923. Coach Schmidt oversaw the construction of the gymnasium that served as the Razorbacks' home from the inaugural season through 1936-37. Schmidt and Jay Fulbright organized a group of businessmen that facilitated the transfer of a former car showroom to the university to serve as the gym for the Razorbacks. Despite a challenging first year (17-11 overall, 3-9 in conference play), Schmidt quickly turned the program around.

The 1924-25 team finished third in the conference with a 9-3 conference record. In the program's third year, the 1925-26 team won the conference championship outright with a 23-2 (11-1) record. This marked the beginning of four consecutive Southwest Conference championships under Schmidt, and five straight overall. The 1927-28 season saw the Hogs achieve their first perfect SWC season, going 12-0 in conference play with an average margin of victory of 15.25 points.

Coaching Changes and Continued Competitiveness (1942-1974)

Following Schmidt's departure, Charles Bassett took over as head coach in the 1929-30 season. Despite having multi-sport star Wear Schoonover, Arkansas's success under Bassett was limited to his first season. The Razorbacks did not finish above third place in the Southwest Conference standings for the rest of Bassett's tenure.

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Glen Rose, a Helms Athletic Foundation First-Team All-American as a Hog in 1928, returned the program to a competitive position within the SWC, starting in the 1933-34 season. Named a Helms Athletic Foundation First-Team All-American as a Hog in 1928, Rose was the first former player to coach the Razorbacks. In his first season as coach, Rose produced a .500 conference record (6-6) and a tie for third place in the final SWC standings. The 1935-36 season ended with the Hogs competing for the right to represent the United States in the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin for the first year of basketball being an official medal sport. The Razorbacks won the Southwest Conference outright three times and tied for first two more times during this nine-year run. In the 1940-41 season, Rose led Arkansas to its second perfect conference record ever (12-0) en route the NCAA Final Four in the Razorbacks' first NCAA Tournament appearance. The 1940-41 season is also notable for the outstanding play of John "Johnny" Adams, a Helms First-Team All-American who is credited as being one of the players responsible for the proliferation of the jump shot in basketball.

Former Razorback and All-American Eugene Lambert took the coaching job starting in the 1942-43 season. After winning a share of the Southwest Conference Championship for the 1943-44 season, Lambert and Arkansas were selected for the NCAA tournament for the second time in program history. However, the team was forced to withdraw after tragedy struck when a car accident injured two of their starters, Ben Jones and Deno Nichols, and killed Eugene Norris, a physical education teacher that accompanied the players on their trip. The next year the Hogs earned another tournament berth and advanced to the Final Four, losing to eventual champions Oklahoma A&M. The Razorbacks did not make the tournament again until the 1948-49 season, when the Hogs shared the SWC crown with Baylor and Rice. During Lambert's seven seasons, Arkansas won a share the Southwest Conference Championship twice, with three second-place finishes and never fell lower than third in the conference.

Presley Askew took over for the 1949-50 season and coached through the 1951-52 season. Arkansas tied for first place in the Southwest Conference in Askew's first season, but bottomed out in his third and final season, posting the program's first losing record of 10-14 (4-8). The Razorbacks did not make the NCAA Tournament during Askew's tenure.

Glen Rose returned for the 1952-53 season; his second stint with the Hogs lasted until 1966. For the second time in his career as head coach, Rose oversaw a transition from one home court to another. Eighteen years after the transition from "Schmidt's barn" to the Men's Gymnasium, the Razorbacks began playing their home games in Barnhill Arena (then known as Razorback Fieldhouse) in the 1955-56 season.

After Glen Rose's teams continually failed to be competitive in the SWC during his second stint as coach, he retired following the 1965-66 season. Duddy Waller became head coach for the 1966-67 season, but only lasted until the 1970-71 season. Waller was replaced by Lanny Van Eman, who coached the Hogs from the 1970-71 season through the 1973-74 season. Van Eman started his career as head coach of the Razorbacks with the worst season in school history, a 5-21 (1-13) campaign that still holds the record for most losses in a season, lowest winning percentage for a season, most SWC losses in a season, and fewest conference wins in a season. Despite such an awful first season, Van Eman did manage to lead Arkansas to its first winning conference record in a decade, when the Hogs finished with a 9-5 record in the SWC for the 1972-73 season and tied for second place in the conference.

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Of note is the fact that these coaches oversaw the gradual integration of African-American players into the basketball program under their leadership. Thomas A. Johnson was the first African-American to play for the Razorbacks on the 1967 team headed by Waller. Following in the footsteps of Johnson were the first African-American stars of Razorback basketball, guard Martin Terry and center Dean Tolson.

The Eddie Sutton Era: A Turning Point (1974-1985)

Broyles hired Sutton starting with the 1974-75 season, and the hire proved to be a turning point in the program's history. Sutton's first campaign with the Hogs turned out to be a mildly successful one that put fans on notice, with an 11-3 conference record that was good for second place in the SWC, as high as the program had finished in conference play in seventeen years. The 1976-77 Razorbacks were the team that established Arkansas as a basketball power in the modern era. Beginning play in a renovated Barnhill Arena with an expanded capacity of 6,200, the Hogs won the SWC with a perfect 16-0 conference record, going 26-1 overall in the regular season and spent more weeks in the AP Poll that season than every season prior, combined, with a peak ranking of #6. The Hogs earned their first tournament invitation in nearly two decades, but fell in the first round, while still finishing ranked in the AP Poll for the first time in school history.

Barnhill Arena was expanded further prior to the 1977-78 season, this time to a capacity of 9,000. The Hogs started the season ranked #7 by the AP Poll, and lived up to the high expectations of their recent success by winning their first fourteen games and never falling out of the top ten of the AP Poll the whole season. Arkansas ascended to the top spot in the AP Poll for the first time in program history on February 13, 1978. The Hogs received an at-large bid to the tournament after winning a share of the SWC Championship and beat AP #2 UCLA in the Sweet Sixteen before falling to eventual champion, Kentucky, in the Final Four in St. Louis.

Sutton's eleven seasons remain the third longest tenure in Razorback basketball history. During these eleven seasons, Arkansas won or shared the Southwest Conference Championship four times. The Hogs finished ranked seven times, including four top-ten finishes and two top-five finishes. The Razorbacks were invited to the NCAA Tournament during each of the last nine seasons of Sutton's tenure.

The Nolan Richardson Era: National Champions (1985-2002)

Tulsa coach Nolan Richardson replaced Sutton beginning with the 1985-86 season. Arkansas joined the Southeastern Conference for the 1991-92 season and won the regular season conference championship in 1992 and 1994, also winning the SEC Western Division title in 1992, 1993, 1994, and 1995. The Razorbacks also won the 2000 SEC tournament. Arkansas made the NCAA Tournament thirteen times during Richardson's seventeen seasons, and made the Final Four during the 1990, 1994 and 1995 seasons.

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Under the coaching leadership of Nolan Richardson, the Hogs won their first national championship in 1994, defeating Duke, and appeared in the championship game the following year, finishing as runner-up to UCLA.

Richardson holds the school record for most wins by a head coach, with an overall record of 389-169 (.697). Coach Richardson led Arkansas to four NCAA Tournament Elite Eight appearances (1990, 1991, 1994 and 1995) and six NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen appearances (1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1996).

Post-Richardson Era (2002-2023)

Stan Heath coached the Hogs beginning with the 2002-03 season and remained in Fayetteville through the 2006-07 season. During Heath's five seasons, the Razorbacks did not enjoy the success that they achieved under Richardson. They never finished higher than third place in the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference. They were invited to the NCAA Tournament in Heath's final two seasons, although they were eliminated in the Round of 64 each trip.

John Pelphrey was hired as the head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks on Monday, April 9, 2007. Arkansas went 23-12 in Pelphrey's first season, defeating Indiana by 14 points in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before being put away by overall #1 seed North Carolina in the second round. On March 13, 2011, John Pelphrey was dismissed as the head coach of the Razorbacks after an 18-13 season in which the Hogs missed postseason play for the third consecutive season, despite an impressive incoming recruiting class.

Eric Musselman’s Arkansas Razorbacks heard their name called on Selection Sunday for the third consecutive season, when it was announced that they are set to head to Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa to open up the 2023 NCAA men’s basketball tournament with a round of 64 game against the Illinois Fighting Illini.

NCAA Tournament Record Since 1985

Since the tournament expanded in 1985, Arkansas has made 22 appearances. Here’s a breakdown of how they’ve fared.

Round of 64: 16-6
Round of 32: 8-8
Sweet 16: 6-2
Elite 8: 3-3
Final Four: 2-1
National Championship: 1-1
Overall: 36-21

Sweet Sixteen Appearances (Since 1985)

2022 (No. 4): Beat No. 1 Gonzaga, 74-68
2021 (No. 3): Beat No. 15 Oral Roberts, 72-70
1996 (No. 12): Lost to No. 1 Massachusetts, 79-63
1995 (No. 2): Beat No. 6 Memphis, 96-91
1994 (No. 1): Beat No. 12 Tulsa, 103-84
1993 (No. 4): Lost to No. 1 North Carolina, 80-74
1991 (No. 1): Beat No. 4 Alabama, 93-70
1990 (No. 4): Beat No. 8 North Carolina, 96-73

Elite Eight Appearances (Since 1985)

2022 (No. 4): Lost to No. 2 Duke, 78-69
2021 (No. 3): Lost to No. 1 Baylor, 81-72
1995 (No. 2): Beat No. 4 Virginia, 68-61
1994 (No. 1): Beat No. 3 Michigan, 76-68
1991 (No. 1): Lost to No. 3 Kansas, 93-81
1990 (No. 4): Beat No. 10 Texas, 88-85

Final Four Appearances (Since 1985)

1995 (No. 2): Beat No. 2 North Carolina, 75-68
1994 (No. 1): Beat No. 2 Arizona, 91-82
1990 (No. 4): Lost to No. 3 Duke, 97-83

National Championship Game Appearances (Since 1985)

1995 (No. 2): Lost to No. 1 UCLA, 89-78
1994 (No. 1): Beat No. 2 Duke, 76-72

NCAA Tournament Record Before 1985

Prior to 1985, they competed in the tournament 12 times. Here’s a breakdown of how they fared.

Round of 48: 1-1
Round of 32: 4-3
Sweet 16: 2-3
Elite 8: 3-2
Final Four: 0-3
Regional third place game: 1-1
National third place game: 1-0
Overall: 12-13

Overall NCAA Tournament Record

Arkansas has made a total of 34 trips to the NCAA tournament, with this being their 35th. Their all-time record is 48-34.

While their 34-loss total matches their appearance total, they did win a national championship back in 1994 as a No. 1 seed against the Duke Blue Devils. The extra loss came in 1958, when they dropped a regional third place game against the Wyoming Cowboys.

Looking Ahead

The Arkansas Razorbacks are looking to turn their third straight NCAA tournament appearance into their third straight Elite 8 and first Final Four since 1995.

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