Column: Can the Razorbacks stop the rise of Dan Hurley?

The media is excited about the Razorbacks’ next opponent, the #4 UConn Huskies. Dan Hurley is the headliner of the optimistic predictions about the Huskies’ chances to win a title this year.

The name says it all, though. His father built the Hoops dynasty in New Jersey. His brother, Bobby, was Coach K’s first great guard at Duke. The Hurley name is prestigious in grassroots athletics, but Dan is starting to build his legacy in college basketball.

Before UConn, he had stints at Wagner and Rhode Island. The majority of his success came during his time at Rhode Island. He took the Rams to the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back years, leading to UConn’s call.

Dan Hurley has gained much attention recently because of this resurgence of UConn basketball. However, Arkansas has an opportunity to show that this resurgence is still in the works by slowing down the momentum of Hurley’s media train.

The biggest issue for the Hogs will be trying to slow down the big man in the middle, Adama Sanogo, averaging 17.3 ppg and 7.5 RPG this season.

Sanogo is one of the best big men remaining in the tournament, and Hurley speaks highly of his best player. It will be interesting to see how Eric Musselman approaches the Huskies after playing Kansas forward Jalan Wilson, who is widely considered to be the best player in college basketball.

Musselman once again proved he is a master at in-game adjustment, and it will be interesting to see how the two coaches clash.

Story originally appeared on Razorbacks Wire