College basketball is in its business end, March Madness is just around the corner, and the teams have gotten their possible seeds. This year’s freshman class is one of the best in a long while. One player who has played some splendid basketball but has been flying under the radar is Arkansas’ Darius Acuff Jr.
In 28 games this season, Darius averages 22.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 6.2 assists. Arkansas has had a great season so far. John Calipari’s team has performed to the best of its ability. They are 11-4 in the SEC and 21-7 overall. Arkansas has given fans some great games this season, and Darius has been involved in most of those wins. Apart from numbers, Darius has also impressed everyone with his commitment and dedication. He has played through injuries, as he just wanted to help his team out.
However, Darius has not been included in the Naismith Player of the Year watchlist, which includes BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, Duke’s Cameron Boozer, Kansas’ Darryn Peterson, Texas Tech’s J.T. Toppin, and Purdue’s Braden Smith. Calipari fumed and demanded Darius Acuff Jr.’s inclusion on the list.
“I’m a little disappointed,” Calipari said. “And I am not trying to put more on the kid. Why isn’t he in the equation for Player of the Year in the country? What are you saying? Why would you say? He’s averaging as many as all those people. He’s got six assists. He’s got three rebounds. He is doing things in the guts of the games. Maybe they are, but he is too. So why isn’t he being mentioned?”
“He’s playing when he could probably take some time off. He’s playing games anyway. I mean, he goes around the shoot around and only does half of it, so he has enough to play the game. Should he play down in Florida? Probably not, but I’ll tell you right now. If I said, you’re not playing down there, he’ll bust out laughing. You’re out of your mind. So I am a little disappointed in that,” he added.
Fans React to John Calipari’s Demand For Darius Acuff Jr.’s Inclusion on the Naismith Player of the Year Watchlist
Fans online were divided as John Calipari expressed his disappointment.
“Not just about offense Cal. What’s his stats vs Q1 teams,” one fan asked.
“Well for starters Duke has been ranked top 10 all season and are now the number one team in the country mainly because of Boozer, I think acuff is a great player, but Boozer is the clear NPOY and I don’t think there’s much of a debate about it anymore,” one fan explained.
“He’s great. But he’s just in the wrong class,” another claimed.
“Probably because Arkansas hasn’t played a meaningful game since December,” another said.
“Ky fan here.. Calipari is right in everything he is saying, it’s pains me to say this but Acuff should be national player of the year… I mean look at the man’s stats. He is an absolute pit bull on the court!! He reminds me of Westbrook, only Acuffs a better shooter,” one fan agreed.
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