Arkansas guard Darius Acuff has led the No. 14 Razorbacks to an impressive 9-2 start to the season. Acuff has distinguished himself as one of the best prospects in the draft class of 2026 with his impressive performances for the Razorbacks.
Acuff and Arkansas coach John Calipari will face perhaps their stiffest test when they face the No. 8 Houston Cougars on Saturday.
Kelvin Sampson Lavishes Praise on Darius Acuff Ahead of Clash
During an interview on Thursday, Houston coach Kelvin Sampson broke down the attributes that make Acuff one of the standout point guards in college basketball currently.
“Elite talent, elite basketball IQ, elite passer, tough,” Sampson said. “He’s as good as any point guard I’ve seen. He just makes everything easier. He gets guys shots, he knows when to go, he knows when to change speeds.
“The biggest separator for him is his ability to make threes,” Sampson said. “There’s a lot of point guards that can do everything but shoot. He does it all and he’s tough, competitive. I just been really impressed with him.”
Acuff has averaged 18.2 points on 47.7% shooting from the floor and 44.3% shooting from beyond the arc, 3.1 rebounds, and 6.1 assists for the Razorbacks this season.
Acuff Details Learning Journey at Arkansas
Acuff was a five-star prospect and the No. 9-ranked player in the country in the class of 2025, according to On3, and he chose to commit to Calipari’s Arkansas over several elite programs, due to the coach’s reputation for developing elite NBA-ready guards.
During his postgame news conference after the Razorbacks defeated the No. 19 Texas Tech Red Raiders on Saturday, Acuff detailed the learning curve he was on.
“It’s just all about having confidence and just knowing how to play, knowing when to drive it, knowing when to kick it back to him or anybody on the team, or just knowing when to pass it,” Acuff said. “That’s what I’m still learning, when to pass and when to shoot. I got it going a little bit tonight, but it was good.
“Like I said, I’m just trying to win,” Acuff said. “I’m not out there playing for myself. I’m just trying to win for them, my whole team. It’s coming out with the W. That’s my main focus, that’s my approach every game.”
Despite Kansas Jayhawks’ Darryn Peterson, BYU Cougars’ AJ Dybantsa, and Duke Blue Devils’ Cameron Boozer dominating the 2026 NBA Draft class discourse, Acuff has started to make his way up several draft boards as he has continued to drop impressive performances every week.
