FAYETTEVILLE -- Eric Musselman asserts his Arkansas Razorbacks "are playing as good a basketball as any team in the entire country bar none at this point."
Of the four teams the Razorbacks play for their final five SEC regular season games, all variously this season could have said of themselves what Musselman says of his Hogs.
Starting with today's 3 p.m. ESPN televised game at Walton Arena against the 16th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers, 23rd-ranked Arkansas' final five games include next Tuesday night at annually touted Florida; next Saturday hosting No. 4 Kentucky at Walton; March 2 rematched at Walton, vs. LSU, ranked 12th when Arkansas beat the Tigers Jan. 15 in Baton Rouge, La., and finish March 5 rematched with Tennessee in Knoxville, Tenn.
Like Musselman says about Arkansas, Rick Barnes' Volunteers currently could claim they are playing as good a basketball as any in the country.
Coming off completing a home and home sweep of Missouri last Tuesday in Columbia, Mo., the Razorbacks, 20-6 overall and 9-4 for fourth in the SEC, have won 10 of their last 11 including Feb. 8 at Walton upending then nationally No. 1 Auburn.
The Vols, 19-6 and 10-3 SEC tied for second with Kentucky behind 12-1 Auburn, have won five consecutively capped last Tuesday by whipping Kentucky, 76-63 in Knoxville.
Arkansas plays them home and home bookending a formidable five final SEC games leading into the SEC Tournament.
Some in Musselman's presently comfortable NCAA Tournament shoes might fret such a formidable final five collectively could squeeze his team toward NCAA Tournament jeopardy and certainly affect SEC Tournament seeding.
Just the opposite, Musselman says regarding the NCAA Tournament.
"We understand there's not a lot of teams in any league that are going to play the competition we're going to have to play," Musselman said. "We understand that a lot of the media outlets are saying we have the hardest schedule in the country remaining. But that allows us opportunities."
More opportunities to rise without the "bad loss," connotations accompanying any that they might fall.
"When you play that tough a schedule it's hard to slip drastically because of strength of schedule," Musselman said.
Or slip into unnoticed bad habits that can accompany creaming cupcakes.
"I like where we're at," Musselman said. "It'll give us an opportunity to go into the SEC Tournament to understand some of our holes. Because some of these teams coming up, they're going to expose holes that you might have. It'll allow us to continue to get better."
While accommodating media discussing beyond today's game, Musselman asserted where his attention rivets.
"We're only worried about one game," Musselman said. "One team, and that's Tennessee. A really, really good and a really, really well coached basketball team."
It's what you'd expect from Rick Barnes, 746-393 since 1987 head coaching George Mason, Providence, Clemson, Texas and Tennessee.
"I don't think anybody in college basketball does a better job coaching his roster than Coach Barnes does," Musselman said.