Cinderella Ole Miss Rebels win third straight to earn berth opposite Arkansas Saturday afternoon
Not a great performance by coach John Calipari's Razorbacks in their opening game of the SEC Tournament Friday night, but it was good enough to advance. Arkansas, paced as usual by freshman Darius Acuff, survived a determined effort by the pesky Oklahoma Sooners to advance to Saturday's semifinals with a 82-79 victory at Bridgestone Arena.
The No. 3 seed Razorbacks got 37 points from Acuff, who was named SEC Player of the Year earlier in the week. Acuff is also the SEC Freshman of the Year, joining Anthony Davis of Kentucky and Brandon Miller of Alabama as the only players to ever earn both awards in the same season. Acuff netted 21 first-half points, but it was his contested 18-foot jumper with 25.9 seconds left — and just four on the shot clock — that might've been the game's biggest shot. That gave Arkansas a 79-75 lead and the Hogs closed it out with five-of-six from the free-throw line. Acuff's performance was phenomenal. It was the highest point total in the SEC Tournament in 10 years since Stefan Moody of Ole Miss. The Hogs might've dealt a death blow to the NCAA Tournament hopes of Oklahoma, the No. 11 seed in the SEC Tournament. Arkansas will face the tournament's miracle maker, 15th-seeded Ole Miss, at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, with the winner advancing to the championship game. As usual in most SEC Tournament games, Razorback rooters dominated the crowd versus Oklahoma and should have the same advantage against Ole Miss.Coach Chris Beard's Rebels continued their amazing run in the SEC Tournament with a third straight win. They've led for every second of those games while shocking Texas, Georgia and No. 2 seed Alabama just prior to Arkansas' win over Oklahoma. The Razorbacks beat the Rebels 94-87 at Ole Miss back in January and will be a prohibitive favorite to do it again. Acuff led the Hogs with 26 points and nine assists in that earlier match-up. He's playing even better as Arkansas gears up for a postseason run that Calipari hopes will end with his team reaching a Final Four. It's possible if Acuff stays hot, Trevon Brazile keeps posting double-doubles like he against Oklahoma, and the Hogs hold their own on the boards. Acuff was sensational against the Sooners, starting the game and ending the first half with a three-pointer. He pulled the sluggish Hogs within 39-37 at intermission. Acuff had 21 of the Razorbacks' 37 points in the first 20 minutes as Calipari's team looked like it would rather go home and rest than advance to the semifinals of the SEC tourney.Now the Hogs are a win away from facing Vanderbilt, a team they beat by 25 points in Bud Walton Arena on Jan. 20, or Florida. The Gators embarrassed the Hogs with a dominating performance in a 37-point beatdown Feb. 28. No doubt Calipari's Hogs have a better chance to win the tournament trophy if they square off with Vanderbilt Sunday. But they might prefer a rematch with Florida with the hopes of getting revenge, erasing the humiliating memory, and improving their seed in the NCAA Tournament.Bob Stephens won more than a dozen awards as a sportswriter and columnist in Northwest Arkansas from 1980 to 2003. He started as a senior for the 1975 Fayetteville Bulldogs’ state championship basketball team, and was drafted that summer in the 19th round by the St. Louis Cardinals but signed instead with Norm DeBriyn's Razorbacks, playing shortstop and third base. Bob has written for the Washington Post, Chicago Sun-Times, San Diego Union-Tribune, New Jersey Star-Ledger, and many more. He covered the Razorbacks in three Final Fours, three College World Series, six New Year’s Day bowl games, and witnessed many track national championships. He lives in Colorado Springs with his wife, Pati. Follow on X: @BobHogs56Acuff's Big Night Lifts Razorbacks to Semifinals of SEC Tournament
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