With Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr. dominating the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week Award, the No. 18 Razorbacks and their emerging star turn their attention to the next opponent in what has been a testing schedule.
The Razorbacks (9-3) will host James Madison (7-6) in Fayetteville, Ark., on Monday, with Acuff looking to earn the league’s best freshman honor for the fourth straight week.
Acuff scored a career-high 27 points to go with seven assists and five rebounds in a 94-85 loss to No. 8 Houston on Dec. 20, the Razorbacks’ fifth game against a team currently ranked in the top 16 of the AP Top 25.
The Hogs have beaten No. 15 Texas Tech and No. 16 Louisville and lost to No. 6 Duke and No. 9 Michigan State.
“I love it,” Arkansas coach John Calipari said after the Houston game. “We played five tremendously tough teams. This is the only one I never felt we had a chance.
“I told the guys we’ve had a heck of a run. That team is better than us right now. The others, I thought, we could have won. We have a good team. We have to have guys play better. We have work to do.”
James Madison, picked to win the Sun Belt Conference in a preseason coaches’ poll, also has not played since Dec. 20 — a 96-92 overtime loss at Georgia Southern, the Dukes’ second straight loss.
Acuff, the only Arkansas player to score in double figures in all 12 games, was 9 of 15 from the floor against Houston, which even went to a seldom-used zone defense in an attempt to keep him in check.
The Hogs shot 49.1% from the floor against the Cougars but made only 21 of 35 free-throw attempts (60%). Houston shot 51.6% from the field and had an effective field-goal percentage of 60.5%, both season worsts for Arkansas’ defense.
“We could not stay in front of them,” Calipari said. “They didn’t even run anything. They just spread the court, went on the dribble and shot layups.”
Reserves center Malique Ewin and wing Billy Richmond III were bright spots against the Cougars, combining to go 10 of 15 from the field. Ewin had 20 points and Richmond 12, but Ewin was only 10 of 17 from the foul line.
Forward Justin McBride (17.2 points per game) and guard Bradley Douglas (14.6) lead the Dukes in scoring. Douglas had 27 against Georgia Southern. Forward Eddie Ricks III had 16 points and 10 rebounds, his second double-double of the season.
The match features a contrast in styles. Arkansas likes to push the tempo, averaging 72.4 possessions per 40 minutes according to KenPom, which ranks 36th in Division I.
James Madison has developed a more deliberate style, averaging 66.6 possessions, 303rd in Division I.
“Everybody has an idea of how you’d like to play,” Dukes coach Preston Spradlin said. “Early in the year, we really wanted to play a little faster and run on makes and put pressure on teams.
“Then, we realized that really wasn’t going to work as well for this team. I like where we have settled in.”
