Musselman & Moody on CollegeInsider.com Finalist Lists

Mike Cawood March 12, 2021

Jim Phalen Coach of the Year Finalists Kyle Macy Freshman of the Year Finalists

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman was named a finalist for the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year and Moses Moody a finalist for the Kyle Macy National Freshman of the year, CollegeInsider.com announced.

Musselman led Arkansas to a 21-5 record with an 11-game SEC win streak to end the regular season. The streak was the best in the SEC this season and ties the program record for consecutive SEC wins with the 1993-94 team. Arkansas, ranked eighth in both polls, is among the nation’s top 10 since the 1994-95 season. During that 11-game win streak, Arkansas was 6-0 in the month of February with five NCAA NET Quad 1 wins.

Arkansas finished second in the SEC. The Razorbacks tied for 10th in the SEC in Musselman’s first year and were picked to finish sixth in the 2020-21 SEC media preseason poll. Arkansas lost two players – Mason Jones and Isaiah Joe – early to the NBA in the offseason and only had two players returning from last year’s team with nine newcomers (four freshmen, three graduate transfers and two sit-out transfers). Musselman has won at least 20 games in each of his six years as a head coach and is the only Razorback head coach to win 20 games in each of his first two years.

Moody was named the SEC Freshman of the Year by the league’s coaches and the SEC Newcomer of the Year by the media. He was a consensus first team All-SEC pick, the only Razorback freshman to ever earn first team by both the coaches and media. He ranked third in the SEC in scoring and ranked third in scoring among the nation’s freshmen.

Moody was one of just three NCAA freshmen to average 15.0 points and 5.0 rebounds. Also, he was one of two players in the SEC – the only freshman – to average 16.0 points and 5.0 rebounds, while being the only freshman (two players total) to rank among the SEC top 20 in scoring, field goal percentage, 3-point percentage, free throw percentage and rebounds.

Moody, who ranks eighth in the NCAA in free throws made, set an Arkansas record, in a pandemic-shortened season – for free throws made by a freshman with 125 in 26 games played to date. Kareem Reid previously held the mark with 116 in 1995-96.

For more information on Arkansas Men’s Basketball, follow @RazorbackMBB on Twitter.