What John Calipari said about Dairus Acuff after Arkansas basketball’s Sweet 16 exit

SAN JOSE, Calif. — A humbling loss to Arizona means Darius Acuff Jr.’s career with Arkansas basketball is likely over.

Acuff is projected to be a top-10 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. He scored a game-high 28 points as the No. 4 Razorbacks (28-9) fell to the No. 1 Wildcats (35-2) 109-88 in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, March 26.

After the loss, John Calipari reflected on Acuff’s historic season. The Hall of Fame coach will remember the Detroit native’s fierce spirit while hunting victories.

“(Acuff) was the ultimate competitor. He had a will to win and would make baskets because he wasn’t afraid to miss late in games,” Calipari said. “He and Meleek (Thomas) and the other guys, they set the stage for growth. You’re going to have an opportunity to get better, but it’s hard. The league is hard. You’ve got to be a gym rat if you really want to do this. Those guys proved it. I had a ball coaching them.”

Acuff became just the third person to win the SEC Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year awards handed out by both the coaches and media, joining Anthony Davis (2012) and Brandon Miller (2023). He became the league’s first player since Pete Maravich to lead the SEC in both scoring and assists.

His final season-long stats were 23.5 points and 6.4 assists per game. He shot 48.4% from the field and 44% on 3-pointers.

Acuff was short on words in his final press conference with the Hogs, but he didn’t bring up his individual accolades when asked what he will remember the most from a dynamic collegiate season.

“Brotherhood, for sure,” Acuff said. “With the team, great support from the fans. I don’t know, a lot of good stuff. It was a great year, for sure.”

Arkansas fans won’t soon forget his dominance.

Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at jfuller@usatodayco.com or follow him @jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter.