Can Darius Acuff Jr., Hogs get huge upset against the West's top-seeded team team Thursday?
The Wildcats have depth, an elite coaching staff and a talent pool deep enough to win the program's first national championship since 1997. A lot of folks have them going all the way. At least they did before the first two rounds where the Wildcats didn't look particularly dominant.
There are questions being asked and not many answers. Thursday night at 8:45 p.m. on CBS, they'll face a No. 4-seeded Arkansas team that's been anything but a sure thing getting here.It won't be easy, and it won't be clean, but there's a path. Let's walk through it.Before we talk about what the Hogs have to do, it's worth understanding exactly what they're walking into. Arizona hasn't just been winning in this tournament — the Wildcats have been winning in a specific, disciplined way that most fans don't appreciate until it's too late. Arizona has averaged 26.3 free throw attempts per game this season and has recorded 72 free throw attempts in just two NCAA tournament games.That's not a fluke. The Wildcats are one of the best teams in the country at drawing fouls and getting to the free throw line, and they're effective at it.Arkansas can defend the perimeter all night, limit Arizona's transition opportunities and play textbook half-court defense, and the Wildcats can still manufacture points simply by getting to the stripe. That's a problem. A big one. For the Razorbacks to have any shot Thursday, they've got to stay disciplined defensively without fouling. That's easier said than done against a team that has made drawing contact into a repeatable skill. One bad stretch of foul trouble — particularly involving a starter — and this game gets away from Arkansas fast.Acuff's production has been genuinely remarkable, but the Hogs can't run every play through him and expect it to work against a team as deep and talented as Arizona. More importantly, he'll need help. His teammates need to knock down open shots when Arizona's defense collapses on him in the lane. He'll need ball movement. Acuff needs a secondary scorer to step up so Arizona can't simply zero in on stopping one player. If he goes for 36 and the Razorbacks lose by 10, it won't mean Acuff failed. It might just mean he needed Calipari to draw up a way to get more support from his teammates and that didn’t happen .24 PTS | 7 AST | 7-21 FG | 2-7 3FG36 PTS | 6 AST | 11-22 FG | 3-6 3FG There's really one central challenge Arkansas faces and it keeps circling back to the same issue: foul discipline. Arizona's ability to get to the free throw line is described as an uncanny skill — a trait that might've been overlooked heading into the tournament, but has already proven itself with 72 free throw attempts through two games. The Hogs don't have the luxury of playing loose defensively and gambling for steals. Against this Arizona team, that style of defense turns into free points at the other end. Arkansas has to be physical enough to challenge shots, but controlled enough not to hand the Wildcats the bonus. Beyond foul management, the Razorbacks have to rebound. Arizona has the size and depth to overwhelm teams on the glass, and second-chance opportunities compound the free throw problem. If the Wildcats are getting to the line and also getting extra possessions, this game has a runaway potential that doesn't favor Arkansas. Pace also matters here. Arkansas is at its best when it's playing with tempo and getting out in transition. The Hogs' offense showed flashes of that against Hawaii in the first round and dug in during the grind against High Point, but Arizona won't give them clean looks in the open court.The Case That Thursday Not Foregone Conclusion Here's what makes this game genuinely interesting despite the seeding gap. Arkansas got here by finding a way to win a game it probably shouldn't have. High Point pushed the Hogs to the edge and Acuff delivered when it counted most. That kind of competitive experience — winning a close game when your back's against the wall — doesn't hurt heading into a Sweet 16 match-up. Arizona, for all its strengths, hasn't been tested yet in this tournament. The Wildcats defeated No. 16 Long Island 92-58 in the first round and No. 9 Utah State 78-66 in the round of 32.It doesn't mean the Hogs are likely to win. It means the Razorbacks have a puncher's chance if everything breaks right. And there are a ton of if's because Acuff's supporting cast has to show up, the Razorbacks have to keep Arizona off the free throw line and manufacture enough early-game momentum to make the Wildcats uncomfortable.Sports columnist, writer, former radio host and television host who has been expressing an opinion on sports in the media for over four decades. He has been at numerous media stops in Arkansas, Texas and Mississippi.
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