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GameDay Visit Gives Rise to Hogs' Newest Little Big Man

Florida Gators rattled by Darius Acuff, relentlessness of 'Sparky'
Kent Smith|
Arkansas Razorbacks guard Darius Acuff Jr (5) dribbles during the first half against the Auburn Tigers at Bud Walton Arena.
Arkansas Razorbacks guard Darius Acuff Jr (5) dribbles during the first half against the Auburn Tigers at Bud Walton Arena. | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

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Arkansas RazorbacksFlorida Gators

One of the things that had Arkansas fans a little more excited than usual for a big game against No. 7 Florida is the news College Game Day had chosen the Hogs and Gators as the game of the week for their coverage.

It wasn't as big of a deal since Game Day would be in the O'Dome in Gainesville rather than Bud Walton Arena in Northwest Arkansas, but for one young fan it mattered a lot. The Razorbacks are set to face possibly the biggest starting five in the SEC Saturday night, but the elementary age fan proved size isn't going to matter as much when it comes to rattling Florida.

He walked down to the College Game Day desk draped in a 00 Arkansas jersey and a Hog hat for autographs from the hosts. He then turned to the stands that were packed with Florida college students and called the Hogs just feet away.

When he was acknowledged at the beginning of the show while being referenced as a six-year-old named Sparky, he jumped up and called the Hogs again toward the students while they booed him. A single young man had already flustered well over 1,000 fans who were upset to see the gall he had to support his team regardless of how he might be treated.

Speaking of Seeing No Love

If Arkansas freshman guard Darius Acuff wants to know if he has earned a ton of respect lately, Florida fans made it clear that's the case. Hogs head coach John Calipari has been pushing for him to be named National Player of the Year because he claims people aren't taking enough note of what Acuff is doing down in the SEC on a nightly basis.

Well, they certainly know him down in Florida. College GameDay tried to feature Acuff for a few moments, but every time Acuff was mentioned on the show in any fashion, the crowd immediately burst into changs of "Overrated."

It immediately became incredibly hard to hear and understand anything being said about Acuff, but here's roughly what was said.

"It is now time for the Wooden Watch presented by Principal," Reece Davis said as he began his introduction. "At Arkansas it's Darius Acuff, Jr. scoring or assisting on 37 points per game. That's the most in the Southeastern Conference, He has 20 points and five assists in six consecutive games. That is the longest streak by an SEC player in the last 30 seasons. This big chant overrated behind us, I would suggest that it's overcompensating or perhaps wishing it away."

Following an interview with John Calipari that was thankfully prerecorded to get all the chants out of the way, Davis got a bit of support.

"[The most impactful SEC player in March] is the guy that we just showed all of those highlights of, and the guy that you said is responsible for 37 points a game, scoring and assisting in Darius Acuff," Andraya Carter said. "And I know these Florida fans don't like to hear it, but the Florida fans should be grateful, because Florida has so many options. Arkansas, at times, Darius Acuff is their best option. Down the stretch, the ball is in his hands. He has complete control. He pushes pace. He chooses when he wants to score. He chooses when he wants to find his teammates. There's so much on his plate. He handles it well as a freshman when it when it comes to clutch shots. Down the stretch, being able to make plays, it will be Darius Acuff leading the way individually, because of the way he finds his team."

Unexpected Hog Gets Flowers

Of the four players named as having the most potential in March to take over and carry an SEC team further into the NCAA Tournament, two were Razorbacks. That's because of all the attention Billy Richmond has drawn as Calipari has routinely beaten the drum at all the things he does to impact the game that don't necessarily involve scoring, although that's not been an issue as of late either.

"I want to pick a guy that absolutely just impacts winning every single play, and he's playing in today game tonight," Seth Greenberg said to a chorus of boos. "That's Billy Richmond. Because since Billy Richmond has been in the starting line-up, Arkansas is a different basketball team. He impacts the game offensively, defensively. With his energy, he gets 50-50, balls. He gets to the up class. He gets easy baskets because the defensive rebound is a one man fast break. Billy Richmond has changed the identity, the toughness, the physicality and the energy that Arkansas plays with."

"His first 60 games didn't score 20," Jay Bilas said before referencing Florida players who had wandered in. "His last four, he's averaging 22 and these guys will probably agree with me in the black sweaters. These guys are triggered, man. They don't want to give you the love with you. I'm with you about this."

Calipari Gets His Words in

On developing younger players...
"I am not afraid of it and I kind of like seeing that growth that gets me going. I also like when I go into home and I know it's going to change pretty quickly that these kids are chasing but the one thing that's hard is what happens is you they feel overwhelmed by stuff, and I got to keep an eye on that. They're playing two expectations. You can't do that. The two I have right now. There's nothing I can do to convince them that they're not good. They'd look at me like, I'm not good. You're crazy. But they do that because both of them are gym rats. They're in the gym all the time."

On growth of Darius Acuff...
"His body language is unbelievable. He's like some of the guys I've had, where their demeanor doesn't move, doesn't matter. He was one for 12 last game and never moved. And you know who made every big shot down the stretch? He did, because his demeanor is never up and down. He just plays."

On big games preparing for postseason..
"Well, we just played [Texas] A&M who presses you all over and scrambles the game and bump and grind and shoot threes. We haven't played that very often. Now we're playing a team that is so big, maybe the biggest team in the country. We've got to see how are we going to do this? We played against teams that have gone zone. You want everything in the regular season so when it comes postseason time you could say we've seen this before. You know how we're playing against this."

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Kent Smith
KENT SMITH

Kent Smith has been in the world of media and film for nearly 30 years. From Nolan Richardson's final seasons, former Razorback quarterback Clint Stoerner trying to throw to anyone and anything in the blazing heat of Cowboys training camp in Wichita Falls, the first high school and college games after 9/11, to Troy Aikman's retirement and Alex Rodriguez's signing of his quarter billion dollar contract, Smith has been there to report on some of the region's biggest moments. 

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