What John Calipari had to say about Alabama after Arkansas’ 2OT loss

If the Alabama Crimson Tide have another deep March Madness run in them, Wednesday night’s game at Coleman Coliseum might prove to be a significant catalyst.

No. 25 Alabama overcame a 10-point deficit at halftime, and a spectacular performance from Arkansas true freshman Darius Acuff Jr., to defeat the 20th-ranked Razorbacks in a 117-115 double-overtime shootout in Tuscaloosa.

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Acuff dazzled both the crowd and a national audience watching on ESPN with 49 points, the second-most points scored by a player in Arkansas history, as well as the second-most by anyone in college basketball this season.

Labaron Philon’s 35 points were a career-high for Alabama (19-7 overall, 9-4 SEC) along with seven assists. Aiden Sherrell added 26 points for the Crimson Tide to go with 13 rebounds. Freshman Amari Allen also had a double-double with 19 points and 11 boards.

Alabama would need every shot, every rebound, every possession it took to topple the Razorbacks.

Arkansas (19-7, 9-4) took the lead early and would go up by as many as 14 points in a first half that saw the Hogs shoot lights-out from the field. Alabama used an 18-4 run in the second half to tie the game. The Tide would lead by six with five minutes left in regulation before Acuff’s 3-pointer with 11.9 seconds remaining sent the game to overtime.

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Even with Arkansas in foul trouble and four Razorbacks players fouling out, neither team was able to separate too far from the other or go on too big a run late. Houston Mallette gave Alabama a 117-113 lead on a 3-pointer with 51 seconds left in the second overtime to put the Crimson Tide ahead for good.

Arkansas picked up 24 points from freshman guard Meleek Thomas and 20 from sophomore Billy Richmond. The Tide had a 43-36 edge in rebounds.

Alabama beat the Razorbacks for the sixth consecutive time dating back to 2022. The Crimson Tide have won five straight games since their 100-77 loss to the SEC-leading Florida Gators on Feb. 1 in Gainesville. Arkansas saw a…

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Publish date : 2026-02-19 11:07:00

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