Arkansas Rides Freshman Backcourt Past High Point into Sweet 16

PORTLAND, Ore. — Arkansas rode its freshmen backcourt when it mattered most to defeat High Point 94-88, advancing to the Razorbacks' fifth Sweet 16 in six seasons.

The Panthers grabbed a four-point lead with just over 14 minutes remaining behind a surge from point guard Rob Martin, forcing the Razorbacks into a second-half response against a team that had already proven it could handle the moment.

Of course, when a team enters the tournament winning 30+ regular season games and already knocked off one high seed in the first round, the Razorbacks knew it would take every second of a 40 minute ball game to put the Panthers away.

Arkansas' freshmen duo of point guard Darius Acuff and shooting guard Meleek Thomas played inspired basketball Saturday.

The pair entered the season as ball dominant guards who had to learn to play off each other, and are closing out the season giving the Razorbacks a shot to win every game they play in.

Acuff scored 36 points Saturday night at the Moda Center, which is the second-most points scored by a true freshman in NCAA Tournament history.

The record is held by another former John Calipari guard at Kentucky, Da'Aaron Fox, who scored 39 points against UCLA in an 86-75 win in the Sweet 16 of the 2017 tournament.

Not only does Acuff make a difference in the scoring column, he makes sure to get his teammates involved and elevates their effectiveness on the court.

He passed a long-standing Arkansas record for assists in a season (223) previously held by Kareem Reid, and his assist-to-turnover ratio of 7:2 since the start of SEC play is such an underrated part of his historic season.

His 817 points scored this season smashed the single-season record held by Todd Day back in 1991. Acuff is a special talent who raises the ceiling for an Arkansas team looking to make it to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2022.

Probably the greatest part of Acuff's ascent to stardom is that his teammates understand their roles and what he means for ultimate team success.

"Just so you know, we play it through Darius [Acuff] and he just makes plays," Calipari said to open his post game press conference. "He's done it all season."

While Acuff will always be considered Batman, Thomas can fill up the statsheet as a greater Robin. He finished with 19 points against High Point and has displayed his ability to make a shot anywhere on the floor in catch-and-shoot, transition or creating for himself to get open.

Arkansas Razorbacks Darius Acuff against High Point in the NCAA Tournament. | Munir El-Khatib-allHOGS Images

"I want you to look at these two closely, okay," Calipari said. "They have otherworldly confidence, both of 'em. They could run for president and believe I could run this country, because that's how they think. I like that they're starting to talk in huddles about let's do this, let's do that.

"They're being empowered. I'm trying to get Meleek Thomas to catch and shoot it. Quit bouncing it and side stepping, just shoot. So the last one he just caught and shot. He's one of the best scorers in the country. He scores different ways, just like him."

Calipari continued to brag about his freshmen duo's ability to create with the ball in their hands without committing turnovers or making ill-advised plays. He has coached so many young players through the years who he can trust, and the combination of Acuff and Thomas is no different.

"You know what's great, they're playing off of one another," Calipari said. "All they have done is helped each other. People are like, 'how are you going to get these two to play together?' They're both good young people with good hearts and they care about each other. So now if he has it going, he's the one passing it to him. Keep shooting. If I get on him, he's telling him, just keep playing. If I get on him, he's telling him,' just keep playing.' Sometimes they're saying, 'don't even listen to him.'

"All I've had to do is the edges were a little rough, just had to get the edges around. And they're defending. I hear all this stuff about defense, they're both defending. They both get their hands on balls. They both can rebound. We had seven turnovers against a team that creates 16. We had seven turnovers. That's because these two are handling the ball."

Calipari's model using freshmen as lead guards has worked at other schools and appears to be working at Arkansas now. He would rather take talented young men over veteran transfers any day of the week.

Arkansas Razorbacks Meleek Thomas against Hawaii in NCAA Tournament. | Munir El-Khatib-allHOGS Images

In a tournament where guard play often dictates survival, Acuff’s control and Thomas’ scorers' mentality give the Razorbacks a combination few teams remaining can match.

What started as two talented, ball-dominant freshmen learning how to coexist has evolved into one of the most dynamic guard pairings left in the field.

If Saturday night was any indication, Arkansas is becoming a team built to last in the madness of March.

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