Darius Acuff Jr. Bolsters NBA Draft Stock en Route to SEC Title

On Sunday afternoon, the Arkansas Razorbacks took down Vanderbilt in the SEC title game, grabbing its first conference title in over a quarter century.

Freshman guard Darius Acuff Jr. has been the catalyst for the Razorbacks all season long, and that continued to be the case in the 11-point win over the Commodores.

A 6-foot-3 guard, Acuff came in with interesting draft stock: a smaller guard with a tough shot profile and a history of streaky-ish shooting. But from the get-go he’s effectively been a collegiate superstar under head coach John Calipari, and has steadily boosted his stock over the course of the season.

He’s had plenty of fiery outings, none more pivotal than Sunday’s. Across from fellow NBA Draft hopeful Tyler Tanner, Acuff would go for a game-high 30 points on 9-for-20 shooting, adding 11 assists to four turnovers. Notably, he would hit five of his eight triples, adding 15 points beyond the arc alone.

He was the lynchpin to the team's entire offensive process, helping the Razorbacks score 86 points in total.

Darius Acuff in the SEC title game:

30 PTS | 5-8 3PT | 11 AST | 37 MINS

best player in the country? pic.twitter.com/diPDG6BaKo
— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) March 15, 2026

It wouldn't be the first time he was spectacular in SEC play, having helped Arkansas through a solid conference slate and into the tournament. He scored 37 points, inlcuding a game-winning jumper, against Oklahoma, and added 24 points and seven assists against a white-hot Ole Miss squad.

All in all, he averaged 28 points, eight assists and five rebounds through a tough conference tournament, more than enough to shine his stock a bit more. Now he'll be looking to do so in March's NCAA Tournament, where guard play is even more volatile on a game-to-game basis.

Guards of Acuff's mold have often risen to the occasion, and he could be the next in line for an Arkansas team that more than has the tools to make noise.

Acuff helps to make up a high-octane guard class, alongside Kingston Flemings, Mikel Brown Jr., Labaron Philon and plenty more. Each has strengths and weaknesses, with Acuff’s being his lights-out scoring and passing ability, and up-and-down defense, respectively.

Still, his range is likely to start at No. 5, should teams value him as a high-end NBA scorer, extending to somewhere around the 12 range. His limitations will likely keep him from the top-four — made up of Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, AJ Dybantsa and Caleb Wilson — though all it will take is one team to pull the trigger on his star guard profile.