Sean Miller Had Rave Reveiws of Arkansas Star After Texas Loss

Texas Longhorns' head coach Sean Miller did not have much interest in sugarcoating what Texas ran into on Wednesday night. After the Longhorns gave up 105 points in a loss to No. 20 Arkansas, Miller made it clear that the Razorbacks' freshman guard, Darius Acuff Jr., was at the center of it.

Acuff Jr. ended his night against the Longhorns with 28 points, 13 assists, and three rebounds. The true freshman has been doing this all season, becoming one of the most dangerous players in the country.

What made Acuff Jr.'s performance even more impressive was how he completely took control of the game. It's hard enough to score nearly 30 points against an SEC opponent, but to facilitate the offense at that level as well made his night even more damaging for Texas.

Miller's Comments Put Acuff In Rare Company

Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr. — Mar 4, 2026; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks wing Billy Richmond III (24) and guard Darius Acuff Jr (5) celebrate after a play against the Texas Longhorns during the first half at Bud Walton Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

After the loss to the Razorbacks, Miller didn't immediately rip his own team for a poor performance. The Longhorns had a horrendous night on the defensive side of the court, allowing the Razorbacks to fully take control of the game.

Instead, Miller took a different approach and credited Arkansas for showing out for their last home game. Shortly after, he shifted his focus to Acuff Jr. and made a notable comparison to a college basketball legend.

“And when people talk about, who’s going to be the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, or who’s the best player in the conference, I mean, just for a perspective, I think our conference is great, he averages 25 points a game,” Miller said. “He shoots 40% from the 3-point line. He leads our league and assists. I think he’s the first player since Pete Maravich, who’s led our league in both points and assists.”

Based on what the country has seen from Acuff Jr. in his first season at the college level, that seems like a fair comparison. While he is not averaging 44 points per game like Maravich once did, Acuff has still managed to dominate as both a scorer and facilitator. He's one of the prime reasons why Arkansas has reached the 20-win mark this season.

“If you look at Arkansas as a team, the best thing they do is they never turn the ball over, and that’s because he has the ball in his hands 80% of the time. His assist to turnover ratio is astonishing, and not until you actually are in the game and you feel his presence. … I have never been on a court where one player at that position is any better than he is.”

That's one aspect of Acuff Jr.'s game that doesn't get highlighted enough. Because he possesses the ball so often, he's at more of a risk to turn the ball over. Despite taking nearly 16 shots per game this season, Acuff Jr. is only averaging 2.0 turnovers in each contest.

If there's one silver lining from the Arkansas loss, it might be that Texas forced Acuff Jr. to turn the ball over on three occasions. Regardless, the praise and comparison from Miller speaks volumes about the talent the Longhorns faced on Wednesday night.