Report: Ex-UCLA Coach Steve Alford 'in the Mix' for Arkansas Opening

The Arkansas Razorbacks finished the 2018-19 men's basketball season with an 18-16 record that resulted in the firing of eight-year head coach Mike Anderson. 

Former UCLA head coach Steve Alford might be patrolling the Arkansas sideline in his place, as Stadium's Jeff Goodman reported Tuesday evening that Alford's name is in the mix.

Earlier Tuesday, Goodman also relayed that Nevada head coach Eric Musselman as a "serious candidate" for the Razorbacks' vacancy. 

Under Anderson, the Razorbacks made three NCAA tournament trips but never beyond the second round. Overall, Anderson posted a 169-102 record since 2011. 

By comparison, Alford registered a 124-63 record before UCLA fired him 13 games into the 2018-19 season after a 15-point loss to Liberty on Dec. 29. The 54-year-old had led the Bruins since 2013, helping the team appear in three Sweet Sixteens but losing all three times. 

It marked the first time in program history UCLA has fired a coach in-season, per Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times.

However, Alford's statistics are not fully responsible for his ousting in Westwood. Bolch depicted the program's dysfunction under Alford the day after his firing and described the program's environment as "poisonous."

An excerpt: 

"Alford also struggled to develop his players. UCLA’s inability this season to maximize a young roster stacked with four- and five-star recruits triggered criticism from notable former alumni, including Darrick Martin, Andy Hill, Kris Johnson and Matt Barnes. ... 

"After holding himself accountable for a home loss to Belmont earlier this month, Alford increasingly blamed his players for the team’s shortcomings. He suggested that they needed to spend more of their free time in the gym after a 29-point loss to Cincinnati and seemed baffled after the loss to Liberty that his players were unable to execute what they had been taught in practice."

It was ugly on the outside, too. Fans paid to fly a banner over the UCLA campus calling for Alford's firing, fueled by the team's failure to advance into the 2018 NCAA tournament with a loss in the First Four game.

Prior to UCLA, Alford has coached collegiately since 1995 with stints at Missouri State, Iowa and New Mexico. Each of his tenures finished with overall winning percentages above .500. 

If reports are true, Arkansas must have full belief that a change of scenery can make all the difference.