Brazile begins to look like the player Razorback fans have envisioned

Forward delivers steady scoring, late leadership, offering Arkansas performance that hinted at new level of consistency

Arkanas Razorbacks forward Trevon Brazile puts up a shot against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. | Michael Morrison-allHOGS Images

Arkansas made a trip to Dallas and finally got the Trevon Brazile performance fans have been saving emotional space for since the day he arrived.

In a 93–86 win over Texas Tech, the senior forward didn’t just score. He led, he finished, and he carried himself like someone who realized that waiting three years for a breakout moment was roughly two and a half years too long.

The Razorbacks trailed 49–43 at halftime, played more like a team wandering through a shopping mall than a top-25 group, and then turned into something completely different once Brazile remembered he is, in fact, 6-foot-10 with guard skills and enough athleticism to make people say things they later regret.

From that moment, Hogs fans finally saw the version of Brazile that had been advertised through coaching changes, injuries, and more preseason optimism than his body of work had previously justified.

It wasn’t just the 24 points and 10 rebounds. It was how he did it, and when he did it.

Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari on the sidelines against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. | Michael Morrison-allHOGS Images

John Calipari made that point afterward. He said he told the team in front of Brazile that leadership matters, and Brazile responded with communication on the floor that Calipari had been trying to pull out of him since the first workout.

Calipari said it builds confidence when a player steps forward on his own, and nothing about Saturday suggested the coach was overselling it.

This wasn’t a performance built on a fast start. It was built on a late roar. Across the final eight minutes, Brazile scored 16 of his 24 points while Arkansas outscored Texas Tech 27–13. Every time the Red Raiders tried to keep it close, he found a jumper, a rebound, or a free throw that steadied the game for the Razorbacks.

“I told the team in front of him, leading,” Calipari said after the game. “Could you imagine now? Talking, getting guys right, and what does that do to your team? It builds your confidence … it’s not what I’m doing, it’s what he’s doing.”

Meleek Thomas helped push Arkansas ahead 72–70 with a three-pointer, and from there the Razorbacks leaned heavily on the veterans.

Brazile took ownership of the moment and played like the leader fans have been asking to see since the day he put on a uniform.

Neutral site or Bud Walton Southwest? 👀🤭 pic.twitter.com/65QkqczF7P

— Arkansas Razorbacks Men’s Basketball 🐗 (@RazorbackMBB) December 13, 2025

Offense finds rhythm after slow first half

Texas Tech made life difficult early, as JT Toppin and Christian Anderson hit big shots and kept the Razorbacks from building any rhythm.

Arkansas shot the ball well but offered little resistance defensively, which left the Hogs stuck in a narrow deficit at halftime.

The second half told a different story. Brazile’s defense picked up, rotations tightened, and Arkansas looked more connected.

Shots stopped feeling rushed. Movement improved. The Hogs played with energy that had been missing for much of the day.

It wasn’t just Brazile who stepped up. Karter Knox finished with 20 points on 8-for-11 shooting, continuing a season trend of quiet efficiency that somehow still surprises people.

Darius Acuff Jr. added 20 points and eight assists with only two turnovers, giving Arkansas exactly the kind of settling presence that a back-and-forth game demanded.

Arkansas Razorbacks forward Trevon Brazile (7) drives against Fresno State Bulldogs center Wilson Jacques (16) during the second half at Simmons Bank Arena. | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

But every major turning point circled back to Brazile. When the Razorbacks needed defensive boards, he grabbed them.

When they needed spacing, he hit from outside. When they needed something steady at the line, he delivered. It was the kind of complete finish that turns a solid player into one a team trusts.

The Hogs improved to 8–2 with the win, and the stat sheet reflected more than just a victory. It reflected growth.

Arkansas won points off turnovers 17–10, second-chance points 17–8, and closed the game with poise that had been missing earlier in the season.

Calipari has pushed Brazile to become more vocal, more assertive, and more emotionally invested. Saturday showed signs the message got through.

IMPOSE YOUR WILL 7⃣ pic.twitter.com/ai2ENK3pXM

— Arkansas Razorbacks Men’s Basketball 🐗 (@RazorbackMBB) December 13, 2025

Defining moment for a long-awaited leader

For the Razorbacks, beating a ranked team that knocked them out in last year’s Sweet 16 felt like steady progress rather than payback.

Arkansas didn’t sprint past Texas Tech so much as calmly outlast it, and Brazile was the backbone of that shift.

The performance felt like something that could carry forward. Hogs fans have waited for this version of Brazile long enough that some probably began to wonder whether it was ever arriving.

On Saturday, he delivered the show they had always hoped to see: skilled scoring, tough rebounding, and leadership that made teammates better.

HOGS UP BY 1 AFTER 3 QUICK BUCKETS 🔥 pic.twitter.com/GwOaBdE445

— Arkansas Razorbacks Men’s Basketball 🐗 (@RazorbackMBB) December 13, 2025

Whether this becomes the night everyone points back to depends on what comes next. But this was a step, a big one, toward becoming the consistent force Arkansas needs.

Brazile played with urgency. He played with authority. And he played like someone who finally realized what the program expects from him.

Those expectations will not shrink after this, of course. The program never shrinks expectations.

But if this is the version Arkansas gets going forward, the Razorbacks will have more than highlight dunks to talk about. They will have a leader.

Key takeaways

• Trevon Brazile delivered 24 points, 10 rebounds and vocal leadership in Arkansas’ comeback win.
• The Razorbacks outscored Texas Tech 27–13 over the final eight minutes to close out the victory.
• Strong support from Karter Knox and Darius Acuff Jr. helped the Hogs secure a ranked win.