Arkansas
‘Lot Of Excitement!’ Arkansas HC Sam Pittman Looking Forward To Southwest Classic
If it weren’t for the Longhorns or the LSU Tigers, there is no doubt that the biggest SEC rivals for the Texas A&M Aggies would be the Arkansas Razorbacks.
The Aggies and Razorbacks have met 80 times in the “Southwest Classic” that dates all the way back to 1903, where the Aggies won the first meeting 6-0.
Arkansas currently leads the all-time series 42-35-3, but the Aggies have won 11 of the last 12 contests.
Since then, the two teams met sporadically until 1934, when the game became an annual event and the rivalry we all know today. This occurred until 1991 when the Razorbacks left the Southwest Conference to join the Southeast Conference.
The rivalry remained dormant until 2009, when the two teams squared off again in a renewal of the classic, this time inside what was then known as Cowboys Stadium. The game has been played annually ever since, especially after Texas A&M joined the Southeastern Conference in 2012, and since 2014, the game has been held at AT&T Stadium.
However, recently in the past year, there have been talks of the rivalry returning to College Station and Fayetteville, meaning that this year is most likely the last time the two teams will face off at “Jerry World,” of course, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones being an Arkansas alumnus himself.
Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman spoke in a press conference about his players’ optimism of playing inside the stadium, even though the scoreboard hasn’t gone in the Pigs’ favor much in recent years.
“It hasn’t been a great series for us, but there is excitement in recruiting about the game,” Pittman said. “There’s excitement for the players, you know we have a lot of Texas kids and (they look forward to) going back to Dallas and playing in the stadium.”
The 81st edition of the “Southwest Classic” is going down on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
Arkansas
Acuff scores 29 points to lead No. 18 Arkansas to a 86-75 win over No. 19 Tennessee
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Freshman Darius Acuff Jr. scored a career-high 29 points, including a key 3-pointer with just over two minutes left in the second half, to help No. 18 Arkansas to an 86-75 win over No. 19 Tennessee in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams on Saturday.
Arkansas (11-3) used a 18-5 run over a 6-minute, 37-second span midway through the second half to turn a five-point deficit into an eight-point lead with 5:40 left. Tennessee shot just 2 for 10 from the field during Arkansas’ run, missing eight shots in a row before finally scoring.
The Volunteers (10-4) took advantage of an Arkansas cold shooting spell — the Razorbacks picked up 12 of their 18 points during the run from the free-throw line — to close within two points with under four minutes to play. Acuff made a 3-pointer from the wing with 2:09 remaining to give the Razorbacks a 79-68 lead.
Tennessee shot 49% from the field and was outscored at the line, going 12 for 23 while Arkansas shot 29 for 33.
Acuff was the only Arkansas player to shoot better than 50% from the floor, going 9 for 16. The Razorbacks shot 42% overall. Acuff was joined in double-digit scoring by Meleek Thomas, who scored 18 points. Malique Ewin added 12 points and Karter Knox 11.
Amari Evans’ 17 points on 7-for-7 shooting led three Tennessee players in double figures.
Arkansas won its opening SEC game for the first time since the 2020-21 season. The Razorbacks have reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in four of the five seasons since and made two Elite Eight appearances.
Arkansas guard Meleek Thomas (1) shoots over Tennessee defenders Ja’Kobi Gillespie, left, and Felix Okpara, right, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in Fayetteville, Ark. Credit: AP/Michael Woods
Up next
Arkansas: At Ole Miss on Wednesday.
Tennessee: Hosts Texas on Tuesday.
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Sheila Yount
Sheila Yount is a features editor for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. An Arkansas native and communications professional with 42 years of experience, she edits and writes for the Style sections with a primary focus on the Saturday home and garden section and the Monday style section, which includes content on outdoor recreation, physical fitness and health, as well as history and other topics.
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