Arkansas Reacts to Darius Acuff Jr Announcement

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Will Chesanek | Last updated Mar 21, 2026 2:37 PM ET

Darius Acuff Jr and the Arkansas Razorbacks are having a strong season. The Razorbacks are off to a scorching start during March Madness. Arkansas remains unbeaten in March and entered the NCAA Tournament fresh off a 86-75 SEC Tournament win over the Vanderbilt Commodores. Receiving a No. 4 seed in the West bracket, the Razorbacks opened with a dominant 97-78 victory over the No. 13 seed Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors.

Arkansas is powered by standout guard Darius Acuff Jr.. The freshman phenom leads the team with 23.0 points, 6.6 assists, and 35.1 minutes per game. Draft analysts believe he could declare early, potentially joining current NBA stars like Anthony Davis of the Washington Wizards and Karl-Anthony Towns of the New York Knicks as another “one-and-done” under John Calipari.

Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr. (5) pushes past Mississippi guard Travis Perry (11) during overtime in a SEC tournament semifinal game at Bridgestone Arena on March 14, 2026.ANDREW NELLES / THE TENNESSEAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On Friday, it was announced that the Razorbacks star guard was named a semifinalist for the Naismith Player of the Year award. Joining the Arkansas star on the list are:

Arkansas reacted to the news, posting on Instagram, "The best player in the country is officially a Naismith Trophy Men’s POY Semifinalist. #AcuffPOY"