A lot of folks have said a lot of great things about Arkansas freshman Darius Acuff Jr. this season, myself included. But Texas coach Sean Miller took it to another level Wednesday following his Longhorns’ 105-85 loss to the Razorbacks at Bud Walton Arena.
Did you see the quote?
It’s a good one.
“In my time … I’ve never seen a point guard better,” Miller said before later adding, “I just have never been on a court where one player at that position is any better than he is. Greatness is how I would describe his game, and he seems like an amazing young man. … Guys like him, they just don’t come into college basketball very often. He’s a generational player. He’s really good. And this No. 1 pick thing, I don’t know why people aren’t talking about him more. I can’t imagine anybody better.”
Now that’s a quote.
Acuff took 15 shots against Texas, made eight and finished with 28 points and 13 assists. That means he’s now averaging 22.2 points and 6.4 assists, shooting 43.7% from 3, and recording an assist-to-turnover ratio better than 3-to-1. According to OptaStats, no Division I player has ever posted numbers that good in each of those categories for a season while appearing in at least 75% of his team’s games.
Acuff is on pace to be the first.
He’s already broken Arkansas’ record for most points in a season by a freshman. With 27 more assists, Acuff will also own the program’s record for most dimes by a freshman in a season. Simply put, the SEC Player of the Year trophy should be his.
Arkansas remains No. 20 in Thursday morning’s updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, where Duke is No. 1 for the 12th straight day. Next up for the Razorbacks is Saturday’s regular-season finale at Missouri.
