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Hogs' Acuff Thankfully Everything Kansas Jayhawks' Peterson Isn't

Arkansas Razorbacks freshman taking different, respectable approach to drawing NBA's attention for upcoming draft
Kent Smith|
Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr. (5) drives against Alabama guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr. (3) at Coleman Coliseum. Alabama defeated Arkansas 117-115 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News
Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr. (5) drives against Alabama guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr. (3) at Coleman Coliseum. Alabama defeated Arkansas 117-115 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News | Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Arkansas RazorbacksKansas Jayhawks

Scratch the Kansas Jayhawks off the list of teams Arkansas would have to beat in the national championship game should the Hogs pull together a run in late March.

There's a chance Bill Self's team might bump into the Hogs in the Sweet 16, but there's no way the Jayhawks and their not so behind the scenes drama involving high profile freshman Darryn Peterson will advance much beyond that, if at all.

It's a feeling of frustration to which Arkansas fans can relate. Not too long ago, Nick Smith, Jr. laid down under the bleachers at Simmons Bank Arena claiming to be battling cramps and simply didn't return for a couple of months.

He reportedly practiced on his own in another gym. He even spent time in California.

Eric Musselman, head coach at the time, made excuses for Smith as he addressed questions about the freshman guard over and over, which visibly wore on him. It was clear Smith was becoming a pain for his coach.

It wasn't until Smith saw his draft status begin to drop that he suddenly thought he might be available to play. However, by then, the Hogs had learned to play without him.

The Razorbacks had grown into a better unit without him and had quite literally moved on. Smith tried to work his way back in, but not only was the chemistry not there, but since he hadn't progressed alongside his team, he was a liability, especially on defense.

When Musselman attempted to squeeze him into a starting role that would keep boosters happy, the result was three straight losses to close the season.

Smith tried to push forward with dreams of being the NCAA Tournament hero in front of NBA scouts, but Musselman had to bench him because teams were intentionally targeting him as a weakness.

Fast forward to today. At Arkansas, head coach John Calipari has a freshman who is an absolute dog who is knocking down reason after reason to not draft him near the top.

Rather than his team learning how to play without him like the Hogs did with Smith, Darius Acuff has proven himself to be indispensable. Arkansas found itself buried deep in a battle on the road against Alabama.

Several members of the Razorbacks were out with various illnesses and injuries, leaving the roster so terrifyingly short that the Hogs were almost unable to field a team. By the conclusion of two overtimes, Arkansas almost couldn't.

Calipari had to reach deep down the bench to technically have enough warm bodies to keep the clock running. And the only reason that was possible was because Acuff chose to gut it out.

What resulted was a stunning 49-point, five rebounds, five assists night that was almost enough when combined with fellow Razorbacks freshman Meleek Thomas' 24 points and Billy Richmond's career high 20 points to get Arkansas over the hump in an old school blue collar performance that left it all on the floor in a 117-115 double-overtime loss.

According to Calipari, his star spent the week in a walking boot and had good reason to put on the street clothes and take a night to enjoy a little load management along with a good view of an SEC game from the bench. However, when his coach asked him to consider sitting this one out, Acuff was borderline insulted that he was even being asked.

"He was in a boot for two days and still did that," Calipari said. "I said 'Do you think you might have to miss this game?' He said 'Are you nuts?' He doesn't care. Hurt or whatever it is. He was in a boot for two days."

Meanwhile, at Kansas, Bill Self is dealing with a much different type of freshman star. The kind who conducts himself as if he is already five years into his NBA career.

Peterson's entire reputation is one of a player who wants to sit out when things look a little tough. He's certainly not going to be someone who has to be drug off the court if there's any excuse whatsover to watch from the bench.

Self is having to come up with all kinds of excuses for Peterson, although he appears to be wearing thin on this task, especially after the Oklahoma State game Wednesday night.

"Well, we've had it more than a couple of times," Self said. "I didn't anticipate that tonight at all. I thought he was good to go. Obviously, we only got 18 minutes out of him. That's disappointing because he could have had a really big night. One thing about it is it's happened often enough that our guys have learned to play without him even though that's not the way we want to play, but that's something that we're not unaccustomed to right now."

It's downright habit at this point to not have Peterson on the court. He has missed at least 11 games in their entirety and has enjoyed the self-checkout process to its fullest during games in which he has clocked in to try to earn at least a little bit of his NIL money.

He has strategically managed to avoid a lot of teams that would hurt his points per game average or generated highlights that might not make him look good. Arizona, UConn and Duke, three high profile games that would have had Acuff attaching a metal rod to his leg to be able to play, join Tennessee, Syracuse, Notre Dame and Kansas State as convenient nights off.

Only eight times has he exceeded 25 minutes in a game. Against BYU, while going head-to-head with future NBA lottery pick AJ Dybantsa, Peterson clocked out early and simply watched others end up on his rivals video rather than him.

Then, in a game his coaches thought he might actually finish because there was every reason to believe he could put together good tape, Peterson abandoned his teammates once again.

"He was gonna come out I think before he made the three, and then he makes the three and then he said 'Get me,'" Self said. "I didn't know that he'd be done, but obviously he was cramping."

Of course, even though Peterson only shows up to half his games and checks out early on many of the ones he does bother to play, the Big 12 hypes him up like he is Michael Jordan in his Chicago Bulls prime.

The league acts as though it is fully financially invested in Peterson's NBA future. He is protected at all cost.

Meanwhile, Acuff is putting on show after show. Despite his gutsy performance that locked in viewers Wednesday night, the most recognition he can hope to get is another Freshman of the Week.

The SEC has shown time and again it isn't going to name Acuff SEC Player of the Week. That's for someone with 19 points and two assists, not a 49, five and five night.

Instead, he is expected to wear that freshman award with pride. Surely the NBA values that more than the alternative Player of the Week designation.

Meanwhile, all Acuff can do is hope the NBA knows how to properly value him when it comes to a final decision between "Dawg" or "Diva."

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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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