Arkansas Razorbacks guard Darius Acuff Jr. is being showered with love and praise by fans after his successful first year of college hoops. On Monday, March 9, Acuff was named the SEC Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year for his memorable performance in the 2025-26 season.
Acuff is leading the charge for coach John Calipari’s Razorbacks, despite being a rookie. Nevertheless, Acuff is likely a one-and-done standout for Arkansas, as he is projected to be at least a top-five pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. For now, he has spearheaded his team to a winning campaign in a tough SEC.
Fans online started hailing Acuff with NBA comparisons, including NBA legend and 2001 regular season MVP Allen Iverson.
“Iverson Vibes 🔥🔥🔥🔥,” one fan said with four fire emojis.
“He’s got a lot of Iverson in his game 👀,” another fan shared with a pair of eyes emoji.
“Say what you want about Calipari but he has groomed a lot of the current NBA talent Anthony Davis, Devin Booker, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Bam Adebayo, Karl-Anthony Towns, Jamal Murray, and Tyrese Maxey 🔥🔥🔥,” another user wrote with a trio of fire emojis.
“Flashes of Marbury with floor game. Strength and speed off the bounce,” a fan posted.
Other users in the comments section lauded him as one of the best players in college basketball at the moment.
“Best PG in the country. It’s a no brainer 🔥,” one fan commented with a fire emoji.
“Kid is so fun to watch. Big fan,” another fan pointed out.
“Best in the nation,” a fan claimed.
As it stands, Acuff and the rest of the Arkansas-based program currently possess an overall record of 23-8 (13-5 SEC) and are the second seed in the 2026 SEC standings. In their last game, the Razorbacks defeated coach Dennis Gates’ Missouri Tigers 88-84 in an overtime thriller on the latter’s home court, the Mizzou Arena, that served as their final matchup of the 2025-26 regular season.
Darius Acuff Joins Brandon Miller And Anthony Davis As The Only SEC Player And Freshman Of The Year
With his recent accomplishments, Darius Acuff actually became just the third player ever to win both the SEC Player of the Year award and the Freshman of the Year award in the same season.
According to the official Arkansas Razorbacks website, the only other players to have done this are Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller (2023) and Washington Wizards big man Anthony Davis (2012), both of whom have become standouts in the NBA.
Read More: John Calipari Demands Darius Acuff Jr.’s Inclusion in Special List Ft. AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer, Darryn Peterson And More
Also Read: John Calipari in Awe of Darius Acuff Jr’s Brave Action for Arkansas’ Win vs Missouri
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