John Daly wants to leave his mark on March Madness by helping Arkansas make a strong run. So, to help the Razorbacks with any potential free throw woes, the two-time major champion has some advice for head coach Eric Musselman.
No, seriously. Daly has been sending text messages to Musselman recently about ways to help the team’s foul shooting. And what’s the best way to help with free throws? Putting drills, of course.
Following Arkansas’ 72-71 upset of No. 1 seed Kansas on Saturday, Musselman said that Daly has been sending some pointers. He also thinks the PGA Tour legend will be proud of the Hogs converting on 21-of-26 attempts from the floor.
“You know, I mean he’s been texting me even drills,” Musselman said. “Like, he wanted our guys to get a putter out and hit a ball into a cup. We haven’t tried it yet. Luckily we’ve been making foul shots.
“But I know the state of Arkansas is on fire right now and I know John Daly’s pretty pumped up, too.”
Arkansas struggled quite a bit from the charity stripe during college basketball’s regular season. The Hogs shot just 69% from the free throw line, not an ideal percentage heading into March.
Things have changed for Musselman’s team the past two games. Arkansas made 22-of-29 (75.9%) in the first round win over Illinois. Against Kansas, it was even better at 80.8%.
So far, Musselman hasn’t needed any of Daly’s tips. But if the Razorbacks run into any trouble, he’ll know exactly who to call.
March Madness Sees Crazy Ratings for First Round
March Madness has lived up to its name thus far. Through the first weekend, it’s been unlike any other tournament we’ve seen. Most of that comes via first-round chaos.
Just to recap, here were some of the insane first-round upsets:
- No. 13 Furman def. No. 4 Virginia: 68-67
- No. 15 Princeton def. No. 2 Arizona: 59-55
- No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson def. No. 1 Purdue: 63-58
- No. 11 Pitt def. No. 6 Iowa State: 59-41
Guess what that led to? Some insane ratings for this year’s March Madness tournament.
The total audience for the first round — Thursday and Friday — averaged 9.2 million viewers. The viewership increased on Friday to an average of 9.3 million. CBS says that’s the best first round day it’s ever had.
Along with record ratings, the first-round nonsense from the NCAA Tournament busted everyone’s bracket. By the end of Friday night, no more perfect brackets remained.
Chaos continued into Saturday when No. 8 Arkansas defeated No. 1 Kansas and No. 15 Princeton upset No. 7 Missouri.