• Listen: ESPN Arkansas 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home and HitThatLine.com
• Who: Rice Owls
• What: 2019-20 Season Opener – Arkansas Home Opener – Eric Musselman debut as Arkansas head coach
• When: Tuesday – Nov. 5, 2019 – 7 p.m.
• Where: Bud Walton Arena – Fayetteville, Ark.
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas will open the 2019-20 season and the Eric Musselman era on Tuesday when the Razorbacks host one of their oldest rivals, Rice.
Tip-off at Bud Walton Arena is set for 7 p.m. and the game.
Versus Rice
• Rice is one of Arkansas’ oldest rivals. In fact, the Owls are one of three teams on this year’s schedule that Arkansas played in its first season of basketball (1923-24) along with Texas A&M and TCU.
• The Arkansas and Rice rivalry dates back to the Razorbacks’ first season of basketball, 1923-24. The two squads played twice that year — both at Rice and it was Arkansas’ second-to-last series of the year.
• Arkansas owns a 102-41 advantage in the series, including a 54-11 mark in games played in Fayetteville.
• Arkansas has won 15 straight in the series and 40 of the last 43. Rice is one of three teams Arkansas has beaten at least 100 times along with TCU (104) and Texas A&M (103).
• With 143 games played, Rice is Arkansas’ fourth-most common opponent. The leaders being Texas A&M (158; 102-56), Texas (155; 87-68), SMU (155; 96-59), Rice (143; 102-41), Baylor (143; 95-48) and TCU (142; 104-38).
• However, the Razorbacks and Owls have only played once since Arkansas left the Southwest Conference to join the SEC for the 1991-92 season. That lone meeting was on Dec. 17, 2005 in Little Rock, a game Arkansas won 80-61.
Arkansas in openers
• Arkansas opens its 97th season of basketball in 2019-20 and the first under head coach Eric Musselman.
• Arkansas is 77-19 all-time in season openers and has opened the year in the win column in 45 of the last 48 seasons.
• The Razorbacks have won 44 straight home openers, including a 26-0 record in openers inside Bud Walton Arena.
• The Razorbacks had a streak of 23 consecutive season openers end last year with an overtime loss to Texas in the ESPN Armed Forces Classic in El Paso.
• Eric Musselman is 4-0 in both home and season openers. Over the last three seasons, his season opener was also his home opener. In his first year as a collegiate head coach, Nevada opened the season with a win in Hawaii and returned to Reno to win its home opener.
November to remember
• For the first time ever, Arkansas will play seven games in the month of November this season. Also, Nov. 5 is the earliest Arkansas has opened a season.
• Arkansas has played as many as six times in the month on 10 occasions.
• Arkansas is 119-40 (.748) all-time in the month of November.
• Arkansas did not play in the month of November until the 1969-70 season and only played seven total games in the month over the next 10 years.
• Arkansas has played at least once in November dating back to the 1993-94 championship season when they beat Murray State, 93-62, on Nov. 29.
Isaiah Joe on Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year watch list
• Arkansas sophomore Isaiah Joe was named to the 2020 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award watch list, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today.
• FANS CAN VOTE FOR THEIR FAVORITE PLAYER AT: http://www.hoophallawards.com/men/vote.php
