‘Killer mentality’ makes Darius Acuff Jr. one of March Madness’ top players

SAN JOSE, CA — Darius Acuff Jr. stood at the top of the arc inside the Moda Center and took a deep breath.

The second-round game against High Point was in the balance, Arkansas up by two points with two minutes to go. The Razorbacks needed a bucket to stave off the upset, and the ball was in the hands of the right man.

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Acuff looked at the clock and looked back down at the court. Like a lion grazing through the prairies, a rattlesnake rattling its tail, a hawk circling the sky, he let everyone know it’s time for the deadly strike.

“We know who he is, that killer mentality that he’s got,” said forward Billy Richmond III. “We just knew he was going to score that play.”

Sure enough, Acuff drove down the lane for a picturesque finger-roll layup, making it a two-possession game. On the Razorbacks’ next possession, he hit the dagger 3 to finish off the kill.

Of all the talented freshmen in the country, none of them may be more clutch than the SEC Player of the Year. He has elevated his game on the biggest stage, becoming a deadly assassin, turning anyone standing in his way into his next victim.

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“He’s like all the best players that I’ve coached,” said Arkansas coach John Calipari. “He’s like that.”

Arkansas Razorbacks guard Darius Acuff Jr. (5) drives against High Point Panthers forward Cam’ron Fletcher (11) in the second half of their NCAA Tournament second round game.

Acuff has been lighting it up for Arkansas all season, but what has been most impressive is he did it largely not at 100%. An ankle injury had been nagging him for the majority of the final month of the regular season. Calipari employed strategic load management to get him back healthy.

It’s worked wonders, leading to an incredible stretch of performances.

There’s a lot of ways to measure Acuff’s success. He led the SEC in scoring (24.8) and assists (6.6) per game. His numbers actually went up in conference play. What he’s done when the games have mattered most is the most impressive.

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Since the calendar flipped to 2026, he has been a second-half monster. He averages 14.5 points in the second half,…

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Publish date : 2026-03-26 00:25:00

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