All Hogs

Career-High Scoring Performance from Brazile Zooms Hogs by Longorns

Brazile leaves Bud Walton with memorable performance as Razorbacks dominate archrival
Jacob Davis|
Arkansas Razorbacks forward Trevon Brazile (7) goes up for a dunk during the first half against the Texas Longhorns at Bud Walton Arena.
Arkansas Razorbacks forward Trevon Brazile (7) goes up for a dunk during the first half against the Texas Longhorns at Bud Walton Arena. | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

In this story:

Arkansas Razorbacks

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — In an age of college athletics where loyalty to a single program for multiple years is rare.

Arkansas senior forward Trevon Brazile has withstood a devastating injury, confidence issues, and limited playing time early on during coach John Calipari's tenure to become one of the Razorbacks favorite sons.

Brazile, a native of nearby Springfield, Missouri, enjoyed arguably his finest performance on Senior Night inside Bud Walton Arena Wednesday in a 105-85 victory. He scored a career-high 28 points on an efficient 9-of-11 from the field while pulling down seven rebounds, and blocked three shots.

From epic dunks, to deep three pointers and everything in between, Brazile's final game inside Bud Walton Arena was everything a senior could ask for on their way out.

His story of fighting through adversity to come out better than he came in is a testament to the type of character, patience and effort to be great at anything.

After beginning his career at the school up north, Brazile has trekked through the highest of peaks and lowest of valleys an athlete can ever have. From a devastating ACL injury that sidelined an electric start to his Razorback career, followed by a not-so bounce back year in 2023-24 probably left a sour taste in his mouth.

Instead of looking for a fresh start elsewhere, he stayed the course under new coach John Calipari. But it was more of the same at the start scoring just over five points per game in 18 minutes per game through the end of February.

Arkansas Razorbacks forward Trevon Brazile
Arkansas Razorbacks forward Trevon Brazile (7) celebrates after a play against the Texas Longhorns during the first half at Bud Walton Arena. | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

Once the calendar flipped to March last season, Brazile's level of play matched the expectations upon his arrival. Over the final seven games, he doubled his scoring to 13 points, and 10 rebounds per game to give the Razorbacks a solid interior presence alongside a late emerging Jonas Aidoo for a run to the Sweet 16.

That stretch of play bled over into this season as he became a steady piece to Calipari's rotation a career-high 19 games scoring in double figures while becoming a shot blocking specialist with 47 blocks on the season.

He is playing the best basketball of his career thus far and will be relied upon over the next few weeks for an Arkansas squad looking to play role of spoiler in the NCAA Tournament.

Acuff's Curtain Call

One of the finest freshman seasons in program history has finished its last chapter as Darius Acuff closed SEC play as one of the most dominant point guards in SEC history. He finished with 28 points on 8-of-15 from the field, 4-of-6 from three and 8-of-10 at the free throw line.

He razzled fans in attendance with highlight reel plays as the facilitator of Arkansas' offense, dishing out 13 assists in what will most likely be his final home game in a Razorbacks uniform. Although he has been hampered by an apparent foot injury of sorts during the final stretch of the season, Acuff has fought through it and appeared to look more like himself against Texas.

With one regular season remaining, Acuff has scored a total of 666 points which places him at No. 8 in school history for points in a single-season.

The Detroit native, a former 5-star McDonald's All-American was thought to be one of the best combo guards in the country out of high school. He's wowed recruiting evaluators by outplaying his ranking and soaring up NBA Draft boards by averaging 25 points and seven assists per game in SEC play alone.

Some national talking heads have labeled him the best point guard to ever play under Calipari. A lot of Arkansas fans firmly believe he is the best freshman to ever suit up for their beloved basketball program.

Build the Statue

Legendary Razorbacks coach Nolan Richardson will finally receive a statue in his honor directly in front of Bud Walton Arena soon.

Richardson led the Razorbacks to a national championship in 1994, two more Final Four appearances and several NCAA Tournament appearances across 17 seasons in Fayetteville.

He is the all-time winningest coach in program history with a 389-169 overall record and is the only coach in college basketball history to have won the NCAA Tournament, NIT and JUCO national championship.

The announcement was met with a long standing ovation, much deserved for a man who elevated the Razorbacks from the doorstep of national relevancy to one of the most respected programs in the country.

Hogs Feed

Published
Jacob Davis
JACOB DAVIS

Jacob Davis is a reporter for Arkansas Razorbacks on SI, with a decade of experience covering high school and transfer portal recruiting. He has previously worked at Rivals, Saturday Down South, SB Nation and hosted podcasts with Bleav Podcast Network where his show was a finalist for podcast of the year. Native of El Dorado, he currently resides in Central Arkansas with his wife and daughter.

Home/Men's Basketball