NBA Draft

Multiple Draft Prospects Shine in Arkansas' Win Over Texas Tech

One of college basketball's top matchups on Saturday gave us impressive performances from NBA Draft prospects.
Jed Katz|
Arkansas' Karter Knox finishes an alley-oop against Texas Tech during a non-conference men's basketball game, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in American Airlines Center in Dallas.
Arkansas' Karter Knox finishes an alley-oop against Texas Tech during a non-conference men's basketball game, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in American Airlines Center in Dallas. | Nathan Giese/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Texas Tech Red RaidersArkansas Razorbacks

Saturday's college basketball slate gave us a flurry of marquee matchups across the top conferences. One of the best games of the day came in the early afternoon, with No. 17 Arkansas Razorbacks taking on the No. 16 Texas Tech Red Raiders.

At the American Airlines Center in Dallas, it was the Razorbacks who pulled off a 93-86 win despite finding themselves down at halftime. Arkansas managed to outscore Texas Tech 50-37 in the second half, moving to 8-2 on the season. The Red Raiders are now 7-3.

More importantly, for NBA Draft scouts and analysts, the contest gave some impressive performances from multiple prospects. On Texas Tech's side, JT Toppin put up his third 30-point double-double of the season. The junior forward recorded 30 points, 11 rebounds, two steals and three blocks.

The 6-foot-9 star was elite on both ends for his team, scoring almost all of his points inside the paint. Despite being 'undersized' for someone who plays almost exclusively inside the arc, Toppin has a knack for using his motor, athleticism and touch around the rim to score at a high level.

As for Arkansas, Trevon Brazile was fantastic with 24 points and 10 rebounds, but two draft prospects stood out in the win. The first was Darius Acuff, who proved that he is still one of the best freshmen in the country, averaging 17.4 points and 5.4 assists per game.

On Saturday, the 6-foot-3 point guard recorded 20 points and eight assists while shooting 50% from the field and 40% from three. He worked so well off of screens coming from Brazile. His IQ was on full display, able to decide when to get aggressive and score or dish to a teammate for an easy look at the basket.

The third prospect who impressed was Karter Knox. The 6-foot-6 sophomore could have entered the draft earlier this year, but decided to return for another season under John Calipari.

Against Texas Tech, Knox was everywhere, putting up 20 points, six rebounds, two steals and two blocks while hitting eight of 11 shots (3-for-4 from three). He was aggressive on defense but also let the game come to him on the other end, allowing for buckets at all three levels.

Right now, Acuff is the highest of the three performers on Draft Digest's NBA big board at No. 24. Toppin and Knox aren't too far behind at No. 30 and 34.

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Jed Katz
JED KATZ

Jed is a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison majoring in journalism. He also contributes at several other basketball outlets, including has his own basketball blog and podcast — The Sixth Man Report.

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