Arkansas freshmen grew up fast in win over No. 19 Tennessee

Thomas scored 18 points in Saturday's win on 6-of-13 shooting from the field, including a 3-of-4 mark from beyond the arc and a 3-of-3 clip from the foul line. 

Darius Acuff Jr. becomes the hero

It was Acuff Jr., however, who was the hero in Fayetteville. 

Acuff Jr. scored 29 points in 36 minutes on 9-of-16 shooting from the floor, knocking down three three-pointers and going 8-of-9 from the free throw line. 

Tennessee managed to trim Arkansas' lead down to two with under 4:30 to play, but Acuff nailed a three to make it 71-66 at the final media timeout. The shot also stopped the Vols' momentum cold in its tracks, as Arkansas outscored UT 15-9 over the final 3:37. 

With under 2:30 to go, the Hogs had extended their lead to eight. A basket would put Arkansas up by double digits and essentially ice the game. 

Once again, Acuff Jr. answered the call, knocking down another clutch three to put Arkansas up by 11 with 2:09 to go. 

It was fitting that both Acuff Jr. and Thomas each made a pair of free throws in the final two minutes to officially seal a huge win for the Razorbacks. 

In the rough-and-tumble world of the SEC, head coach John Calipari needed his freshman duo to grow up quickly. They did just that on Saturday and proved why the nation should have its eye on them for the rest of the season.