No. 4-seeded Arkansas' NCAA Tournament run came to an end in the Sweet 16 with a 109-88 loss to the top-seeded Arizona Wildcats on Thursday, closing the Razorbacks' season at 28-9 despite a historic individual campaign from freshman guard Darius Acuff Jr.
Acuff scored a game-high 28 points, including 17 in the second half, setting an SEC record with 88 points across three tournament games, 24 against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors and 36 against the High Point Panthers, the most ever by an SEC player in their first three NCAA appearances.
He finished his season with 845 points, a Razorbacks single-season record. He averaged 23.5 points and 6.4 assists per game, becoming the only player in the nation to average at least 20 points and six assists. He was highly efficient, converting 48.4% from the field and 44.0% from three-point range, ranking 7th and 2nd in the SEC in those categories, respectively
The freshman also made conference history, becoming the first SEC player since Pete Maravich to lead the league in both scoring (23.47) and assists (6.44). Moreover, he set a school record with 232 assists and led the SEC in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.97) and playing time (35.12 minutes per game). His performance earned him both SEC Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year honors from coaches and media, placing him alongside Anthony Davis and Brandon Miller as the only players to sweep both awards.
While Acuff carried the offensive load against Arizona, Arkansas found the three-point shot elusive, converting only 22% of attempts (5-of-17). Meleek Thomas scored 17 points, while Billy Richmond III contributed 13 before fouling out. The Razorbacks were stymied by foul trouble and defensive inefficiencies, allowing the Wildcats to shoot 64% from the field and score 60 points in the paint.
For the second consecutive season, Arkansas exited in the Sweet 16, its fifth showing at that stage in six years, as the program continues its pursuit of a first Final Four berth since 1995.
