Arkansas
What Josh Heupel Said Previewing Arkansas On SEC Coaches Teleconference | Rocky Top Insider
Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel answered questions from reporters on the SEC Coaches Teleconference Wednesday in his last media availability before the Vols head to Fayetteville to face Arkansas.
Heupel discussed Arkansas’ success offensively on third down, the challenges that quarterbacks Taylen Green presents and much more. Here’s everything Heupel said on Wednesday.
More From RTI: Best of Arkansas Sports’ Andrew Hutchinson Talks Tennessee’s Trip To Fayetteville
Opening Statement
“Good afternoon everybody. Big football game in front of us this week. Obviously we’re playing a really good Arkansas football team. You can look really in every phase of the game and see that they’re playing well. It’s a football team that’s a couple plays away from being undefeated and I know that’ll be a great environment Saturday night. So we got to do ordinary things at a really high level and, and play extremely smart football to give ourselves a chance in this one. Defensively, those guys are doing a great job against the run. And really all three levels of the defense are playing in coordination, in sync. And offensively, their ability to run the football, running back is playing extremely well. And their quarterback, being as mobile as he is, got a chance to have a huge impact on the football game. So we got to do a great job on him on quarterback designed runs. We got to do a great job of as we’re applying pressure and trying to push the pocket, not letting him escape and extend and make plays. And it’s a football game that our team’s looking forward to.
They’ve had good preparation so far this week. We got to continue to prepare the right way to give ourselves a chance to go play good football on Saturday.”
On Tennessee transfers Addison Nichols and Doneiko Slaughter starting for Arkansas
“That’s the era of college football that we’re in, where you have an opportunity to, at times during the season, play guys that were inside of your own program. And those two guys are really good kids. They do things the right way off the field. They compete extremely hard on the field and both of those guys are playing extremely well for Arkansas right now.”
On how different this Arkansas team is from last season, what Tennessee has seen while preparing for the Razorbacks
“I just think they’re playing extremely well in all three phases of the game. They play smart football, don’t give up a ton of big plays defensively. They’ve been really good against the run. They’re big, strong physical. I think on the offensive side of the football, the quarterback is a difference maker for them. And just as a complete team, they’re playing extremely well together. And like I said, there are a couple plays away from being undefeated. I have a ton of respect for coach.
I think he does a great job. He’s one of the good good guys in the business. You can tell that his team believes in him and that they play extremely hard for him.”
On Arkansas’ ability to convert on third down this season and what he’s seen out of Bobby Petrino as the offensive coordinator
“Yeah, coach has done a really good job for a really long time on the offensive side of the football. And that’s him being able to subtly tweak what he’s seeing from the structure on the other side of the football, the defenses that he is facing. He’s put his guys in a position to be successful. They’re playing smart football, assignment sound on the offensive side of the football, o-line is playing extremely well. And then they put their quarterback in a position where he’s got a chance to impact the football game.”
On if he seems any vulnerability in Arkansas’ protection as it prepares to face Tennessee’s pass rush and blitz packages
“Yeah, their offensive line is playing well, in my opinion. We’ve done a good job of affecting the quarterback. That’s with our front four and also being able to do that within our pressure packages on normal downs and third down. Our pressures, I think we’ve gotten better. Fundamentally, we’ve done a better job of keeping contain within our pressure packages. Our linebackers and safeties have done a nice job when they’ve been pressuring. In this football game, the quarterback’s ability to escape is something that all 11 got to do a great job of understanding. And if he does break contain, we got to find a way to make him uncomfortable. You got to chase him down. He’s got great speed. We got to do a great job of matching out the wide receivers on scramble drill.”
On Arkansas running back Ja’Quinden Jackson
“Man, he is a really good player. I think he does a great job of pressing the line of scrimmage, using the double teams, escaping to space when it’s time to. Does a good job of getting behind his pads as well at the end of the run.”
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.
Arkansas
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Darius Acuff Jr. and the fourth-seeded Arkansas Razorbacks will face Brayden Burries and the top-seeded Arizona Wildcats as the 2026 NCAA men’s basketball tournament continues with the Sweet 16 Thursday in San Jose, California.
The Razorbacks (28-8) reached the West Region semifinals by beating Hawaii and High Point. Meanwhile, the Wildcats (34-2) beat Long Island and Utah State.
Here’s how to watch the Razorbacks-Wildcats game, including time, TV schedule and streaming information:
Watch March Madness live with Sling TV
What time is Arkansas vs Arizona today? When is NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 game today?
- Date: Thursday, March 26
- Start time: 8:45 p.m. CT
- Where: SAP Center in San Jose, California
What channel is Arkansas vs Arizona on today? How to watch, stream NCAA Tournament Sweet 16
- TV: TBS/truTV
- How to watch online: Sling (free trial)
Arkansas vs Arizona betting odds for March Madness Sweet 16 game
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Thursday, March 26:
- Moneyline: ARI -375 | ARK +290
- Spread: Arizona (-8.5)
- Over/under: 165.5
All times CT
All times CT
Print your own March Madness bracket for 2026 NCAA men’s basketball tournament
The Arkansas Razorbacks parlayed an SEC Tournament Championship into two straight wins to start their NCAA Tournament run, getting past Hawaii and High Point in impressive fashion. Now, they’ll face their toughest challenge yet, a Sweet 16 showdown with the 1-seed Arizona Wildcats.
Arizona cruised past both Long Island University and Utah State in the first two rounds, and still has just two losses on its record all season. As you’d expect, they’re favored in this SEC vs. Big 12 showdown. Let’s take a look.
Arkansas vs. Arizona Odds, Spread, and Total
Odds via Caesars Sportsbook
Spread
- Arkansas +7.5 (-110)
- Arizona -7.5 (-110)
Moneyline
- Arkansas +278
- Arizona -355
Total
- OVER 166.5 (-110)
- UNDER 166.5 (-110)
Arkansas vs. Arizona How to Watch
- Date: Thursday, March 6
- Game Time: 9:45 pm ET
- Venue: SAP Center at San Jose
- How to Watch (TV): CBS
- Arkansas Record: 28-8
- Arizona Record: 34-2
Arkansas vs. Arizona Betting Trends
- The OVER is 9-2 in Arkansas’ last 11 games
- The OVER is 5-1 in Arkansas’ last six games vs. Big 12 opponents
- Arkansas is 12-5 ATS in its last 17 games as an underdog
- Arizona is 4-1 ATS in its last five games
- The OVER is 4-2 in Arizona’s last six games
- Arizona is 5-1 ATS in its last six games vs. SEC opponents
Arkansas vs. Arizona Best Prop Bet
- Brayden Burries OVER 17.5 Points (-106) via FanDuel
Brayden Burries has a chance to have a phenomenal performance on Thursday night. Arkansas may be a strong offensive team, but its defense leaves a lot to be desired. They rank 200th in the country in defensive efficiency and are allowing 80.3 points per game this season, which ranks 325th. If Burries brings his best stuff, the Razorbacks are going to be in trouble.
Arkansas vs. Arizona Prediction and Pick
Let’s try our best not to overreact to Arkansas being in the Sweet 16. They had a relatively easy path to win the SEC Championship, squeaking by both Oklahoma and Ole Miss by just three points before beating Vanderbilt in the final, completely avoiding the Florida Gators. Then, in the NCAA Tournament, they had the easiest path to the Sweet 16, getting to face a 13-seed and a 12-seed in the first two rounds.
The Arizona Wildcats are no joke and will be by far the Razorbacks’ biggest challenge. There’s a case to be made that Arizona is the best team in the country, and they have the interior defense to completely shut down the Arkansas offense. The Razorbacks rank 50th in the country in two-point shot rate. Now, they have to face an Arizona defense that ranks second in the country in opponent two-point field goal percentage, keeping teams to shooting just 43.7% from two-point range.
Arizona also mainly shoots two-point shots, ranking third in two-point shot rate, and now they get to face an Arkansas team that ranks 278th in opponent two-point field goal percentage, allowing teams to shoot 54% from two-point range.
This is a nightmare matchup for Arkansas.
Pick: Arizona -7.5 (-110)
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