Arkansas slips in AP Top 25 as Acuff keeps rewriting SEC history

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas managed to do two very SEC things at once this week.

The Razorbacks slid backward in the AP Top 25, and yet somehow still looked like a program sitting on top of something big.

That’s the league in January. You lose big, you win big, and nobody panics unless social media tells them to.

The Razorbacks dropped two spots to No. 17 in the latest AP poll after a week that included a solid home win over Ole Miss and a humbling road loss at Auburn. The result was enough for voters to tap the brakes without yanking the emergency cord.

In other words, the Hogs didn’t fall off the map. They just lost a little altitude.

The loss at Auburn did most of the damage.

Arkansas trailed by as many as 29 points and walked out with a 95–73 defeat that felt longer than the final score suggested. Poll voters noticed, as they usually do when a ranked team gets treated like a scrimmage squad on the road.

Still, the Razorbacks remain one of the highest-ranked teams in the SEC, checking in behind only Vanderbilt among league programs in the poll. In a conference that’s allergic to stability, that still matters.

And while the team ranking slid, one Hogs' player just made sure his résumé didn’t.

Freshman guard Darius Acuff Jr. was named SEC Freshman of the Week for the fifth straight time, a run that’s never happened before in league history. Not once. Not since the award began in 1988.

That’s not hype. That’s paperwork.

Acuff became the first SEC player ever to win the honor five consecutive weeks, and he did it while Arkansas was dealing with the kind of schedule that usually humbles newcomers.

In road games against Auburn and Ole Miss, Acuff averaged 22.5 points and five assists. He wasn’t hiding from the moment. He was dragging it with him.

The freshman has now scored in double figures in all 16 games to start his Arkansas career, setting a program record in the process. He’s also been the Razorbacks’ leading scorer in three straight games and four of the last five.

That kind of consistency is rare for any player in this league. For a freshman, it’s borderline suspicious.

More to prove. Back to work 💪 pic.twitter.com/4KFNzCzOkD
— Arkansas Razorbacks Men’s Basketball 🐗 (@RazorbackMBB) January 12, 2026

Poll movement reflects SEC reality, not panic

The Hogs’ drop from No. 15 to No. 17 wasn’t dramatic, and it wasn’t punitive. It was a reflection of what the SEC has become in the middle of conference play.

You win at home, you lose on the road, and you get judged accordingly.

The Razorbacks’ win over Ole Miss helped soften the blow of the Auburn loss, but getting run off the floor by one of the league’s toughest home teams is still going to cost you with voters.

That doesn’t erase Arkansas’ body of work. It just reshuffles it.

Vanderbilt climbed to No. 10 and currently sits as the SEC’s top-ranked team, while the Hogs remain firmly in the next tier with several other league contenders hovering nearby.

The gap between “top 10” and “still dangerous” in this conference is thin, and it tends to disappear entirely once March arrives.

Arkansas is still very much in that conversation, even if the poll says otherwise for the moment. What’s changed is the margin for error.

With SEC play grinding forward, every road game now carries consequences. Every blowout loss gets remembered. Every missed opportunity gets revisited.

That’s life in a league where nobody lets you off easy.

5️⃣ straight. History made. @DariusAcuff pic.twitter.com/nTbhWVMF0N
— Arkansas Razorbacks Men’s Basketball 🐗 (@RazorbackMBB) January 12, 2026

Acuff’s streak puts him in rare SEC company

The more interesting story might be the one happening inside Arkansas’ backcourt.

Acuff is now just the 13th player in SEC history to win at least five Freshman of the Week honors. Only five players have ever reached six.

The names on that list don’t need much explanation. Bradley Beal. Jabari Smith. Brandon Miller. Players who didn’t stay long and didn’t need to.

Several of the others — John Wall, Devin Booker, Terrence Jones, TyTy Washington — came under John Calipari, whose presence still hangs over the SEC like a watermark.

Acuff now shares statistical air with that group, and he’s doing it while carrying a heavy workload for a ranked team.

The award streak matters because it reflects more than just scoring. It reflects responsibility.

Arkansas hasn’t protected Acuff. It’s trusted him. And he’s responded by showing up every week, regardless of venue or opponent.

Five straight weeks of recognition in this league doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when a player forces the conference to keep noticing him.

That’s exactly what Acuff has done.

Darius starting us off 💪

📺: Catch us on ESPN pic.twitter.com/4C87W5cjzX
— Arkansas Razorbacks Men’s Basketball 🐗 (@RazorbackMBB) January 10, 2026

Arkansas faces another proving week ahead

There won’t be much time to enjoy individual honors.

Arkansas returns home Wednesday night to face South Carolina before hitting the road again for a matchup with No. 21 Georgia on Saturday. Another split might keep the Razorbacks where they are. Another stumble could cost them more poll ground.

Another strong showing, though, and the narrative changes again.

That’s the rhythm of SEC basketball. Rankings move. Reputations wobble. Freshmen grow up fast.

Arkansas hasn’t separated itself yet, but it hasn’t fallen out of contention either. And as long as Acuff keeps producing at this level, the Razorbacks won’t be ignored for long.

The poll dipped. The freshman didn’t. In January, that’s usually the better problem to have.

Key takeaways

Arkansas dropped two spots to No. 17 in the AP Top 25 after splitting games, including a lopsided loss at Auburn.
Freshman guard Darius Acuff Jr. made SEC history by winning his fifth straight Freshman of the Week award.
Acuff has scored in double figures in all 16 games this season and remains Arkansas’ most consistent offensive player.

Poll movement reflects SEC reality, not panic

Acuff’s streak puts him in rare SEC company

Arkansas faces another proving week ahead

Key takeaways

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