Even with the foot injury, no one, not even head coach John Calipari, could have denied Arkansas Razorbacks star Darius Acuff from playing against Alabama on Wednesday. The 19-year-old freshman almost delivered for Arkansas in the overtime thriller.
The star point guard dropped 49 points on 16-of-27 shooting, along with five rebounds and as many assists. He went 6-of-10 from deep and knocked down 11 of his 12 free throw attempts while playing all 50 minutes in the marquee matchup. Despite his incredible outing, Arkansas just fell short of Alabama 117-115.
After the game, Calipari made a surprising revelation regarding the freshman’s health. The head coach said Acuff was in a walking boot for two days coming into this matchup.
”He was in a boot for two days, and still did that,” Arkansas head coach John Calipari said postgame. “And I said, ‘do you think you might have to miss this game?’ He said, ‘are you nuts?’ He doesn’t care. Hurt, whatever it is.”
Darius Acuff Unimpressed Despite Record Breaking Night
For Darius Acuff, a win comes on top of individual accomplishments.
His 49-point outing was the most by a freshman in Arkansas history. No other freshman has scored that much against an AP-ranked opponent in program history. Moreover, he becomes just the second player in the last 15 years to register 49 points, five rebounds and five assists in a Division I game. However, those accomplishments mean nothing to Acuff if they didn’t came in a win.
”It don’t mean nothing,” Acuff said. “We lost.”
The freshman added why he believes the Razorbacks fell short against Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
”We blew a lead, but we fought,” Acuff said postgame. “Had a couple guys go down, but we did everything we could. Just came up short.”
Acuff was right in his assessment, as Karter Knox and Isaiah Sealy missed the game due to injury. Meanwhile, because of early foul trouble, Arkansas kept struggling for depth options in the second overtime period of the game.
Calipari walked away from this game with high praise for his freshman forward, claiming Acuff makes the team overall better.
”His body language, his ability to make everybody better, his will to win and make big baskets, like he thrives in that, and there’s not many,” Calipari said. “And I’ve coached some really good guards over the years, and I’ve had a few this way, but he’s right there with them. I’m just telling you. He’s unique and special, and I would imagine everybody saw it today.”
Acuff will ride back home to face Missouri on Saturday.
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