PORTLAND, Ore. — A stoic Darius Acuff Jr.
couldn't help himself.
As he left the floor of the Moda Center for the final time this weekend, his reliable scowl inversely curved into an undeniable smile.
Advertisement
Acuff headed for the tunnel and waved toward the Arkansas basketball
faithful with his teammates trailing behind him. It was a fitting image — just as he has all season, Acuff led the way.
The All-American put the No. 4 Razorbacks
(28-8) on his shoulders and carried his team into the Sweet 16 with a 94-88 victory over No. 12 High Point
on Saturday, March 21. For 37 minutes, the Panthers (31-5) met every Arkansas
challenge with a punch of their own in the second round of the NCAA Tournament
.
Then, Acuff took over and sent Cinderella home. He scored 36 points, with 23 coming in the second half, and planted three daggers into the High Point
chest inside the final stages of a thrilling March Madness
showdown.
"It's just how I was raised," Acuff said. "Always wanted to be the big moment. Always just thinking win. Like whatever I got to do to win, that's what I'm going to do.
Advertisement
Panthers point guard Rob Martin
torched Arkansas
all night. He finished with 30 points and tied the game at 83-83 on a fastbreak layup with 3:19 remaining. It capped off a 5-0 run and sent an arena primarily cheering for High Point into a frenzy.
But that brought out the best in Acuff.
On the next Arkansas
possession, Acuff drove left past Cam'Ron Fletcher. He finished with his right hand and gave Arkansas an 85-83 lead.
After a steal by Billy Richmond III
, Acuff once again put his head down and got inside the paint, laying a right-handed finger roll through the bottom of the net. That made it a four-point game.
Advertisement
High Point called timeout, but after the stoppage, Richmond supplied another clutch defensive play with a block. That set up the haymaker, with Acuff calling for a screen from Malique Ewin
and rising up for a long 3-pointer off the right wing.
In a flash, a tie game became a 90-83 lead. Arkansas had one foot in the door of the Sweet 16.
"Gave us some breathing room," John Calipaqri said of Acuff's late 3-pointer. "But he's done it (all season). Like, I'll even ask, do you want a screen or do you want an open court? Tell me what you want."
There were other key contributors in Arkansas' survival. Richmond's defense was vital, and the lefty chipped in 15 points. Meleek Thomas
scored 19 and Malique Ewin had a second-straight double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Advertisement
Arkansas needed every last bit of that production after High Point drained 10 3s, scored 46 points in the paint and averaged a whopping 1.13 points per possession. Fletcher scored 25 in support of Martin, and this was Fletcher's first game going against his former coach in Calipari.
But once again, Acuff is the hero in what's turning into one of the greatest individual campaigns in Arkansas history. In the first half, Acuff made a 3-pointer to give him the most points in a single season in program history. During the first-round win over Hawaii
, he set the single-season assists record.
And his teammates are enjoying the ride. The late smile seemed rare, but Ewin said he's a "jokester" within the locker room. Every Hog sings Acuff's praises, even the one who thought he might be the starting point guard this season, if not for a generational talent.
"(Acuff) deserves it. As a person. As a player," D.J. Wagner
said. "He works super hard, and I mean, he's a special player. He deserves moments like that, just playing the way he does and make the plays he's making. He deserves all of that."
Advertisement
Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at jfuller@usatodayco.com or follow him
@jacksonfuller16
on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record:
Arkansas basketball rides Darius Acuff's heroics into Sweet 16
