Hawaii Will Make Hogs' Acuff Prove to World He's the Man

On the same day a new trailer release by Marvel showed Spiderman's Peter Parker is going to have to evolve into a different type of super hero to withstand his next challenge, hours of watching Hawaii basketball revealed it's going to need to be the same case for Arkansas guard Darius Acuff.

Acuff has faced a lot of challenges against overall better teams and has risen to the occassion, but the unique nature of this battle is going to push him either into elite of elite superstar status or it's going to temporarily break him. That's because everything on film indicates the Rainbow Warriors are about to make the opening round of the NCAA Tournament a battle of Acuff versus all of Hawaii.

Video after video shows the Rainbow Warriors playing this unique, intense style of man-to-man defense that locks the ball into the hands of the man who brings the ball down the court and gives him little option for passes because of proper angle choices and body movement. Instead of popping open for dunks of threes, players like Trevon Brazile and Meleek Thomas will have to come to Acuff if they want to get their hands on the ball.

Passes are made in the smallest of spaces on the regular against Hawaii, similar to a hand-off to a wingback or a slot receiver coming across the formation in football. There will be no option for passes more than a couple of feet in most cases, which means, more often than not, Acuff will have to attack the rim nearly every trip down.

He can't count on rebounds from his teammates because the Rainbow Warriors are psycho about rebounding. Even the ninth guy in the rotation puts up close to three rebounds per game because it's such a focus.

Look for this to be a game a lot like Alabama. Acuff may hit 49 points, but does he have the resolute focus of former Arkansas guard Tramon Mark? Can he rise up like the sixth year veteran did for Texas in the First Four game and coldly knock down a jumper with 1.1 seconds left and hit his 51st point to win it for the Hogs?

A good example of Hawaii taking on strong guards in this manner came against Arizona State. In that instance, the Sun Devils took turns having veterans Maurice Odum and Bryce Ford bring the ball up the floor.

The Rainbow Warriors isolated the guards from the rest of the team, putting the game on each man's back individually when it came his turn to run the offense. And despite Arizona State having better talent overall, the plan worked to perfection.

For 36 minutes of the game, Hawaii controlled the flow and led on the scoreboard for all but 10 seconds. Odum and Ford grinded all game long, chipping in shots here or there, but missing more than they took as a unit.

However, the Sun Devils finally broke through in the closing four minutes as the two teams traded the lead down the final stretch. Hawaii had a chance to regain the lead one last time with around 30 seconds left, but couldn't capitalize.

In the end, Odum's 20 points and Ford's 15 were enough to pull away in the closing seconds. However, that was a junior and a senior leading the way early in the season in a much different environment than what Acuff will face.

Hawaii coach Eran Ganot knows what Arkansas fans have forgotten. Acuff is just a freshman.

He's never been to the NCAA Tournament. This isn't the SEC Tournament where winning and losing literally mean nothing and claiming a championship can actually hurt a team.

This is one-and-done in a strange environment with the world watching. Every missed free throw and lay-up is magnified 1,000 times.

It's the perfect opportunity for Hawaii to not only put the entire game on a freshman, but to get into all kinds of mental games on the court. All of those awards that have earned Acuff praise suddenly become taunts that add to the pressure, reminding him that he has to live up to the reputation of an All-American and SEC Player and Freshman of the Year.

They can get in his ear all game long no matter how many shots he makes. If the game is close, all that talk can add up and bring down many of the best players at the end of a great game when it matters most.

To make matters worse, Hawaii goes to the free throw line a lot. Acuff's teammates are going to become targets and the Rainbow Warriors are going to put up a lot of points at the charity stripe.

As this things wears on, odds are high Acuff is going to lose one or two of his teammates. Billy Richmond may lose his cool and foul out.

Nick Pringle may continue to be a prime target of the referees and see his minutes minimized greatly. Brazile and Malique Ewin may be unavailable down the stretch.

Just more variables to increase the pressure on Acuff when he has to deliver most. Arkansas fans will believe in him through and through as they have all season long.

He may once again reward their faith with a mind-blowing game like he did against Alabama. However, just like when the Tide took down the Hogs, Acuff's best might be a point short of being enough.

He's going to feel more alone than he has all season long. The challenge will be on the table.

If Arkansas wins, it will be because Acuff carried them to the second round. Hawaii's defensive style is going to make sure of that.

Thursday afternoon, Hogs fans will know for certain whether their super star and his 23 points and 6.5 assists per game are enough. Against Hawaii he either officially becomes "The Man" in front of the entire college basketball world, or a missed opportunity that so many casual fans around the country wish they could have seen before he went off to the NBA.

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