1993–94 Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball team

1993–94 Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball
1993–94 Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball
NCAA tournament National Champions; NCAA tournament Midwest Regional champions; SEC regular season champions; SEC West Division champions
National Championship Game, ; W 76–72 vs. Duke
Conference	Southeastern Conference
	West
Ranking
Coaches	No. 1
AP	No. 2
Record	31–3 (14–2 SEC)
Head coach	Nolan Richardson (9th season);
Assistant coaches	Nolan Richardson III; Mike Anderson (9th season); Brad Dunn;
Home arena	Bud Walton Arena
	Seasons ← 1992–93 1994–95 →

1993–94 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf.				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
East
No. 14 Florida	12	–	4	.750	29	–	8	.784
No. 7 Kentucky †	12	–	4	.750	27	–	7	.794
Vanderbilt	9	–	7	.563	20	–	12	.625
Georgia	7	–	9	.438	14	–	16	.467
South Carolina	4	–	12	.250	9	–	19	.321
Tennessee	2	–	14	.125	5	–	22	.185
West
No. 2 Arkansas	14	–	2	.875	31	–	3	.912
Alabama	12	–	4	.750	20	–	10	.667
Mississippi State	9	–	7	.563	18	–	11	.621
Ole Miss	7	–	9	.438	14	–	13	.519
LSU	5	–	11	.313	11	–	16	.407
Auburn	3	–	13	.188	11	–	17	.393

† 1994 SEC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll^[1]

The 1993–94 Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball team represented the University of Arkansas in the 1993–94 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. It was Nolan Richardson's ninth season as head coach at Arkansas. The Razorbacks played their home games at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Arkansas as members of the West Division of the Southeastern Conference. Arkansas finished the season 31–3, 14–2 in SEC play to win the West Division and regular season overall championships. The Hogs defeated Georgia in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament before losing to Kentucky in the semifinals. The Razorbacks received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the 1 seed in the Midwest Regional, their seventh straight trip to the tournament. Arkansas defeated North Carolina A&T and Georgetown to advance to the Sweet Sixteen for the fourth time in five years. There the Razorbacks defeated Tulsa and Michigan to earn a trip to the Final Four. It was Arkansas's fifth trip to the Final Four in program history. In the Final Four, they defeated Arizona before beating Duke in the National Championship game. Thanks to Scotty Thurman's high arching three-point shot with less than a minute to play in the national championship game, the team earned its first national championship in school history. Thurman's shot is known as the "Shot heard 'round Arkansas",^[2] and is considered one of the greatest plays in Arkansas Razorbacks sports history. Corliss Williamson was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. 1993–94 is considered the greatest single season in Arkansas' one-hundred-year history of men's basketball.

Previous season

The Razorbacks finished the 1992–93 season 22–9, 10–6 in SEC play to win the SEC West Division championship. Arkansas defeated Georgia before losing in the semifinals of the SEC tournament to Kentucky. The Razorbacks received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the 4 seed in the East Regional. Arkansas defeated Holy Cross and St. John's to advance to the Sweet Sixteen for the third time in four years. There they lost to 4th-ranked and eventual national champion North Carolina. This team was dubbed "Richardson's Runts", due to the fact that Dwight Stewart was the tallest player on the team at 6'9".^[3]

Roster

1993–94 Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown
G	3	Alex Dillard	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Jr	Bessemer, AL
G	12	Clint McDaniel	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Jr	Tulsa, OK
G	13	John Engskov	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Fr	Berryville, AR
G	14	Corey Beck	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Jr	Memphis, TN
C	15	Dwight Stewart	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	270 lb (122 kg)	Jr	Memphis, TN
G	22	Davor Rimac	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Jr	Zagreb, Croatia
F	23	Ken Biley	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Sr	Pine Bluff, AR
F	24	Ray Biggers	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Jr	Houston, TX
F	30	Scotty Thurman	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	So	Ruston, LA
G	31	Roger Crawford	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Sr	Birmingham, AL
C	33	Lee Wilson	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	Fr	Waco, TX
F	34	Corliss Williamson	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	So	Russellville, AR
G	35	Reggie Merritt	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	So	Little Rock, AR
F	40	Elmer Martin	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	Jr	Memphis, TN
C	44	Darnell Robinson	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	Fr	Oakland, CA

Head coach

Nolan Richardson (UTEP)

Assistant coach(es)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Regular season
November 29* 7:05 p.m.	No. 2	Murray State	W 93–67	1–0	13 – Tied	7 – Robinson	6 – Beck	Bud Walton Arena (20,048) Fayetteville, AR
December 2* 8:30 p.m., ESPN	No. 2	Missouri	W 120–68	2–0	18 – Thurman	8 – Robinson	5 – Beck	Bud Walton Arena (20,212) Fayetteville, AR
December 4* 7:05 p.m., Learfield Sports	No. 2	Northwestern State	W 111–76	3–0	21 – Dillard	12 – Williamson	7 – Crawford	Bud Walton Arena (19,886) Fayetteville, AR
December 8* 8:30 p.m., ESPN	No. 1	at Memphis	W 96–78	4–0	18 – Williamson	7 – Wilson	5 – Beck	Pyramid Arena (20,142) Memphis, TN
December 11* 7:05 p.m., Learfield Sports	No. 1	Delaware State	W 123–66	5–0	39 – Dillard	9 – Robinson	5 – Crawford	Bud Walton Arena (20,184) Fayetteville, AR
December 18* 7:05 p.m., Learfield Sports	No. 1	Jackson State	W 96–80	6–0	25 – Williamson	12 – Stewart	5 – Beck	Bud Walton Arena (20,084) Fayetteville, AR
December 23* 7:05 p.m., Learfield Sports	No. 1	at Tulsa	W 93–91 ^OT	7–0	27 – Williamson	9 – Williamson	5 – McDaniel	Tulsa Convention Center (8,659) Tulsa, OK
December 28* 7:05 p.m., Learfield Sports	No. 1	Texas Southern	W 129–63	8–0	18 – Rimac	9 – Stewart	9 – Beck	Bud Walton Arena (20,098) Fayetteville, AR
January 3* 7:05 p.m.	No. 1	SMU	W 96–70	9–0	23 – Dillard	8 – Thurman	7 – Thurman	Bud Walton Arena (20,008) Fayetteville, AR
January 5 7:00 p.m., JP Sports	No. 1	Ole Miss	W 87–61	10–0 (1–0)	25 – Williamson	10 – Williamson	5 – Beck	Bud Walton Arena (20,096) Fayetteville, AR
January 8 1:30 p.m.	No. 1	at Alabama	L 64–66	10–1 (1–1)	14 – Beck	8 – Williamson	2 – Tied	Coleman Coliseum (15,043) Tuscaloosa, AL
January 11 8:30 p.m., ESPN	No. 4	LSU	W 84–83	11–1 (2–1)	24 – Williamson	8 – Williamson	8 – Beck	Bud Walton Arena (20,208) Fayetteville, AR
January 15 1:30 p.m.	No. 4	at Auburn	W 117–105	12–1 (3–1)	32 – Thurman	11 – Williamson	4 – Tied	Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum (11,236) Auburn, AL
January 19 7:30 p.m.	No. 3	at Mississippi State	L 71–72	12–2 (3–2)	26 – Williamson	6 – Beck	3 – Tied	Humphrey Coliseum (9,711) Starkville, MS
January 22 1:00 p.m., JP Sports	No. 3	South Carolina	W 79–53	13–2 (4–2)	27 – Williamson	9 – Stewart	7 – Beck	Bud Walton Arena (20,118) Fayetteville, AR
January 29 3:00 p.m.	No. 5	at Tennessee	W 65–64	14–2 (5–2)	15 – Beck	9 – Tied	5 – Beck	Thompson-Boling Arena (14,275) Knoxville, TN
February 1 8:30 p.m., ESPN	No. 6	Vanderbilt	W 89–76	15–2 (6–2)	24 – Williamson	8 – Thurman	9 – Beck	Bud Walton Arena (20,246) Fayetteville, AR
February 5* 7:05 p.m.	No. 6	Montevallo	W 131–63	16–2	21 – Thurman	9 – Biley	7 – Tied	Bud Walton Arena (20,034) Fayetteville, AR
February 9 7:00 p.m., JP Sports, ESPN2	No. 3	at No. 4 Kentucky	W 90–82	17–2 (8–2)	26 – Thurman	14 – Williamson	9 – Beck	Rupp Arena (24,236) Lexington, KY
February 12 1:00 p.m., JP Sports	No. 3	No. 20 Florida	W 99–87	18–2 (9–2)	24 – Thurman	7 – Stewart	3 – Tied	Bud Walton Arena (20,230) Fayetteville, AR
February 16 7:00 p.m., JP Sports	No. 1	Alabama	W 102–81	19–2 (10–2)	20 – Williamson	6 – Stewart	5 – Thurman	Bud Walton Arena (20,262) Fayetteville, AR
February 19 7:35 p.m.	No. 1	vs. Ole Miss	W 90–73	20–2 (11–2)	21 – Williamson	9 – Wilson	5 – Tied	The Pyramid (20,142) Memphis, TN
February 22 8:30 p.m., ESPN	No. 1	at Georgia	W 74–65	21–2 (12–2)	25 – Thurman	8 – Tied	3 – Beck	Stegeman Coliseum (8,458) Athens, GA
February 26 7:05 p.m.	No. 1	Auburn	W 91–81	22–2 (12–2)	21 – Thurman	11 – Williamson	4 – Robinson	Bud Walton Arena (20,208) Fayetteville, AR
March 2 7:00 p.m., JP Sports	No. 1	at LSU	W 108–105 ^OT	23–2 (13–2)	27 – Thurman	9 – Beck	8 – Beck	Maravich Assembly Center (11,712) Baton Rouge, LA
March 5 3:00 p.m., JP Sports	No. 1	Mississippi State	W 80–62	24–2 (14–2)	27 – Williamson	9 – Williamson	4 – Tied	Bud Walton Arena (20,224) Fayetteville, AR
SEC Tournament
March 11* 2:15 p.m., JP Sports	(W1) No. 1	vs. (E4) Georgia Quarterfinal	W 95–83	25–2	30 – Williamson	8 – Williamson	6 – Beck	Pyramid Arena (20,218) Memphis, TN
March 12* 2:30 p.m., JP Sports	(W1) No. 1	vs. (E2) No. 10 Kentucky Semifinal	L 78–90	25–3	23 – Williamson	16 – Williamson	3 – Tied	Pyramid Arena (20,431) Memphis, TN
NCAA tournament
March 18* 9:38 p.m., CBS	(MW1) No. 2	vs. (MW16) North Carolina A&T First Round	W 94–79	26–3	24 – Williamson	7 – Williamson	9 – Thurman	Myriad Convention Center (13,366) Oklahoma City, OK
March 20* 3:55 p.m., CBS	(MW1) No. 2	vs. (MW9) Georgetown Second Round	W 85–73	27–3	21 – Williamson	8 – Beck	5 – Williason	Myriad Convention Center (13,376) Oklahoma City, OK
March 25* 7:02 p.m., CBS	(MW1) No. 2	vs. (MW12) Tulsa Sweet Sixteen	W 103–84^[4]	28–3	21 – Tied	9 – Williamson	8 – Wilson	Reunion Arena (16,297) Dallas, TX
March 27* 3:00 p.m., CBS	(MW1) No. 2	vs. (MW3) No. 11 Michigan Elite Eight	W 76–68^[5]	29–3	20 – Thurman	7 – McDaniel	5 – Beck	Reunion Arena (16,297) Dallas, TX
April 2* 4:42 p.m., CBS	(MW1) No. 2	vs. (W2) No. 9 Arizona Final Four	W 91–82	30–3	29 – Williamson	14 – Williamson	5 – Tied	Charlotte Coliseum (23,674) Charlotte, NC
April 4* 8:22 p.m., CBS	(MW1) No. 2	vs. (SE2) No. 6 Duke National Championship	W 76–72	31–3	23 – Williamson	10 – Beck	4 – Tied	Charlotte Coliseum (23,674) Charlotte, NC
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.

Sources^[6]^[7]

Rankings

^[8]

Awards and honors

Nolan Richardson, Naismith College Coach of the Year
Nolan Richardson, SEC Men's Basketball Coach of the Year
Corliss Williamson, NCAA Men's MOP Award^[9]
Corliss Williamson, Second Team, 1994 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans
Corliss Williamson, SEC Men's Basketball Player of the Year
Corliss Williamson, 1st team All-SEC
Scotty Thurman, Honorable Mention, 1994 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans
Scotty Thurman, 1st team All-SEC

Player statistics

Player	G	GS	MP	FG	FGA	FG%	2P	2PA	2P%	3P	3PA	3P%	FT	FTA	FT%	ORB	DRB	TRB	AST	STL	BLK	TOV	PF	PTS
Williamson	34	34	989
Thurman	34	34	987
Dillard	34	0	421
Beck	34	34	876
Stewart	34	27	724
McDaniel	31	13	669
Crawford	30	4	536
Robinson	27	6	479
Rimac	34	12	406
Wilson	30	1	287
Biley	18	2	94
Martin	27	0	160
Engskov	9	0	23
Biggers	18	3	178
Merritt	9	0	21
School Totals	34

Team players drafted into the NBA

Year	Round	Pick	Player	NBA Team
1995	1	13	Corliss Williamson	Sacramento Kings
1996	2	58	Darnell Robinson	Dallas Mavericks

^[10]

Corey Beck and Clint McDaniel played in the NBA as undrafted free agents.^[11]^[12]

References

^ sports-reference.com 1993-94 Southeastern Conference Season Summary
^ Warner, Rick (April 5, 1994). "Thurman fires shot heard 'round Arkansas". The Desert Sun. Associated Press. p. D1. Retrieved May 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Newton, David (January 9, 1993). "'Suffering' Razorbacks meet USC". Sports. The State. p. 1C, 3C. Retrieved November 5, 2022. Thurman is one of seven Razorbacks 6-foot-5 or shorter, thus the team's nickname "Richardson's Runts." Sophomore center Dwight Stewart is the tallest player at 6–9.
^ "Arkansas, Michigan To Match". The New York Times. March 26, 1994. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
^ "Arkansas Bids Fab Four A Farewell". The New York Times. March 28, 1994. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
^ "1993–94 Arkansas Razorbacks Schedule and Results". Sports Reference. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
^ "1993–94 Arkansas Basketball Schedule". hogstats.com. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
^ *ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. Random House. 2009. pp. 1020–1021. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
^ "Final Four Most Outstanding Players". cbs.sportsline.com. Archived from the original on September 7, 2008. Retrieved March 31, 2008.
^ "1995 NBA Draft on Basketballreference.com". Archived from the original on March 17, 2010. Retrieved July 28, 2009.
^ "Corey Beck." www.basketball-reference.com. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
^ "Clint McDaniel." www.basketball-reference.com. Retrieved January 25, 2014.