Tuscaloosa, Ala. — Wearing a protective boot earlier this week, the Arkansas Star Darius Acuff Jr.. He backed off when coach John Calipari asked if he would miss Wednesday night’s game at Alabama.
“He said, ‘Are you crazy?'” Calipari recalled.
Acuff not only played, he dazzled. And the new guard almost delivered a surprise victory 117-115 double-overtime loss That night the 20th-ranked Razorbacks were on a seven-man rotation against the No. 25 Crimson Tide.
Acuff scored 49 points, the second-most in a single game in college basketball this season, and led Arkansas all night. He made 16 of 27 shots, including 6 of 10 from 3-point range, and added five rebounds and five assists.
He played the full 50 minutes for Calipari’s injury-plagued team, taking on an even bigger role after four teammates fouled out in overtime. He missed jump shots at the end of each extra frame.
Calipari quipped, “He was in a boot for two days and he still did it.”
Acuff scored the most points by a freshman against a team ranked in the AP Top 25, as well as the most points by an Arkansas freshman and the most points in a Southeastern Conference game by any Razorback player. He finished just two points shy of Rotnei Clark’s program-record 51, set against Alcorn State in 2009.
“We took the lead, but we fought,” Acuff said. “[My performance] Makes no sense. We lost. Whatever I had, we lost. I wish I could take back that loss.
“It was a good game, man. We had some guys lose. No excuses, but proud of the way we fought.”
Arkansas led by 14 points on two separate occasions, but could not hold off Alabama and lost for the first time in four games. It ruined an otherwise memorable performance.
Acuff had the ball in his hands for the final shot. His floater in the lane bounced off the backboard and Alabama nailed the rebound for their fifth consecutive win. Acuff sent the game to overtime with a 3-pointer with 12 seconds remaining in regulation. He scored or assisted 35 of Arkansas’s 58 points in the second half and overtime.
It was the pinnacle of an impressive expansion. It was his third consecutive game with at least 25 points, his seventh consecutive game with at least 20 points and his third 30-point game in that span. Arkansas is 5-2 over that stretch.
Despite the loss, Arkansas (19-7, 9-4 Southeastern Conference) remains in a three-way tie for second place in the league. The Razorbacks, Alabama and Tennessee are all two games behind the defending national champion and 12th-ranked Florida.
But with Acuff’s condition worsening, the Razorbacks are looking like they will be contenders in March.
“His body language, his ability to make everyone better, his desire to win,” Calipari said. “I’ve coached some very good guards over the years, and he’s right up there with them. He’s unique and special and I think everyone saw that today.”
