LAS VEGAS — It's been an up-and-down season for the University of Arkansas men's basketball team.
From injuries, finishing 8-10 in SEC play to the upset over top-seeded Kansas on March 18— Eric Musselman's wife, Danyelle Musselman, has seen it all. has been an up-and-down season for the razorback men's basketball team from the injuries to the 8-10 conference season, and to the upset over no.1 Kansas.
"It's incredible where we are," Danyelle Musselman said. "Everyone who has been watching the Razorbacks knows that there have been lows and highs. To see them in the Sweet 16, I'm so so proud of them."
Part of that upset over the Jayhawks was made possible by junior guard Davonte Davis' 25 points. Davis has been with Eric Musselman since he arrived on the hill in 2019.
Danyelle Musselman, like many Razorback fans, is excited for the Jacksonville native.
"He's been to two Elite Eights," Danyelle Musselman said. "He's someone that's only experienced greatness whenever it comes to March Madness, and here you are part of a team that has had issues. Seeing him step up and be a leader, seeing the joy, he's like a son to Eric and me. I have no words for how proud I am of him."
Eric Musselman's passion was on full display following the Razorbacks upset victory when he took off his shirt and celebrate with Razorbacks fans. Danyelle Musselman said it's nothing new either, and that it started when he was the head coach at Nevada.
"It's a total spur of the moment," Danyelle Musselman said. "It started at Nevada. He wanted to wear the shirt that said conference champs, so the team just grabbed him into the celebration. He went with it and celebrated with the shirt off so it became a thing where every time you celebrate you take your shirt off. I think it's so fun that he continues that here at Arkansas and it shows he has a playful side and a fun side. This is very serious, but it's a game and we need to celebrate these wins and have our fans hyped. I'm proud of them for that"
The Musselman family spent plenty of time in the Silver State, but mostly in Reno which is about seven hours away. However, they've been to Las Vegas multiple times for conference tournaments and games against rival UNLV.
Danyelle Musselman said it's nice to have the Sweet 16 game against Connecticut in Nevada as they have family in California.
"What's really cool is that I have several friends from Reno that are coming down," Danyelle Musselman said. "It's great for family members on the west coast to come that we don't see often. My mother-in-law just came into town, so that's easy and awesome for her. I love Vegas, we spent so much time here. We would play here once a year and We'd play in the Mountain West tournament here."
The Razorbacks hope to stay in Las Vegas even longer with a win over UConn on Thursday in the Sweet 16. Coverage from T-Mobile Arena begins at 6:15 p.m. Central on THV11.