Arkansas guard Darius Acuff had a career night in the No. 20 Razorbacks’ 117-115 2OT loss to the No. 25 Alabama Crimson Tide on Wednesday evening. Acuff registered 49 points, five rebounds, and five assists, while shooting 59.3% from the floor adn 60% from beyond the arc.
Acuff, who is a former five-star recruit in the class of 2025, has boosted his draft stock in what is expected to be one of the deepest draft classes in recent years.
Analyst Makes Huge Darius Acuff Claim
During Thursday’s segment of the “First Take,” analyst Kendrick Perkins made a huge claim about Acuff’s standing among guards coached by Calipari and paid him the highest compliment among the class of 2026 prospects.
“He is the best guard that John Calipari has coached. I’m not talking about NBA career, college career,” Perkins said. “I believe he just won seven consecutive SEC Freshman of the Week. He’s averaging six assists. So, not only is he getting his, he’s making guys around him better.
“I would actually take Darius Acuff Jr. with the No. 1 pick. He is Stephon Marbury times two, with a [Derrick] Rose mentality, as far as his demeanor. He is a bona fide killer. And, when you look at the guards, when you look at the scoring that can impact the league, he’s more NBA-ready right now than AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson.”
Calipari has carved out a niche in college basketball for developing NBA-ready guards, notably including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jamal Murray, De’Aaron Fox, John Wall, and Derrick Rose. Acuff is currently averaging more points than all of them have in their college basketball careers.
Calipari Includes Acuff Among the Greats
Acuff has leveled up in the last seven games, leading the Razorbacks to a 5-2 record, while dropping 20 points in each game in that stretch. The game against Alabama was his third consecutive game with 25+ points and his third 30-point game.
During his postgame news conference, Calipari revealed that Acuff was wearing a protective boot just two days before his career night against the Crimson Tide. The Razorbacks coach paid the talented guard the ultimate compliment while comparing him to the guards he had coached in the past.
“His body language, his ability to make everyone better, his will to win,” Calipari said. “I’ve coached some really good guards over the years, and he’s right there with them. He’s unique and special and I would imagine everyone saw it today.”
Acuff is averaging 22.3 points, three rebounds, and 6.2 assists, while shooting 50.9% from the floor and 44.3% from beyond the arc for the 19-7 Razorbacks this season.
