FAYETTEVILLE — Mississippi State Coach Chris Jans and University of Arkansas-Little Rock Coach Darrell Walker are scheduled to interview for the vacant University of Arkansas men’s basketball coaching job Sunday, sources told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
The interviews will be via Zoom, not in person at the Final Four in Phoenix.
Arkansas Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek has been in Phoenix attending College Football Playoff Committee meetings as well as interviewing potential basketball coaches.
Yurachek is working to find a coach to replace Eric Musselman, who on Thursday resigned at Arkansas after five seasons leading the Razorbacks to become Southern Cal’s coach.
Jans, 54, has led Mississippi State to a 42-27 record in his two seasons on the job with two NCAA Tournament appearances.
The Bulldogs lost to Michigan State 69-51 in an NCAA Tournament first-round game this season to finish 21-14.
Last season, Mississippi State was 21-13 and lost to Pittsburgh 60-59 in a First Four matchup.
Before going to Mississippi State, Jans led New Mexico State to a 122-32 record in five seasons with three NCAA Tournament appearances.
In 2022 New Mexico State beat Connecticut 70-63 in a first-round NCAA Tournament game, then lost to Arkansas 53-48 in a second-round matchup in what was Jans’ last game as the Aggies’ coach.
Jans is the last coach to beat Connecticut in the NCAA Tournament.
Connecticut won the national championship last season — including an 88-65 victory over Arkansas in a Sweet 16 matchup — and will play Purdue on Monday night for a shot at a second consecutive title after the Huskies beat Alabama on Saturday night.
Jans is 2-0 against Arkansas as Mississippi State’s coach. The Bulldogs beat the Razorbacks 70-64 at Walton Arena in 2023 — a road victory that was critical to Mississippi State’s NCAA Tournament resume — and beat Arkansas 71-67 this season at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, Miss.
Walker, 63, was the Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year after leading the Trojans to a 21-13 record this season and share of the OVC regular-season championship. He also won Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year in 2020 when UALR won the regular-season conference title with a 21-10 record. His overall record at UALR in six seasons is 82-99.
An All-American guard at Arkansas as a senior in 1983, Walker played 10 seasons in the NBA and was an NBA head coach for the Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards. He also was a long-time NBA assistant coach, and a head coach in the WNBA and CBA.
Walker’s first college job was at Clark Atlanta, where he had a 45-18 record with two NCAA Division II Tournament appearances.
Ole Miss Coach Chris Beard and Kansas State Coach Jerome Tang were reported to be leading candidates for the Arkansas job, but on Friday both withdrew their names from consideration.