Arkansas freshmen Darius Acuff Jr. and Meleek Thomas were plotting their on-court relationship in chats while they were still recruits.
“We talked about it in high school when we first committed and like I said, it don’t just take a game, it takes practice, workouts, just it takes a lot of communication, I would say, and we have that,” Acuff said.
The duo’s chemistry is a big reason the Razorbacks (28-8) have advanced to the Sweet 16. Fourth-seeded Arkansas faces No. 1 seed Arizona (34-2) on Thursday in the NCAA Tournament’s West Region.
Acuff, an AP first-team All-American, scored 36 points in the Razorbacks’ 94-88 second-round victory over High Point on Saturday night. Thomas scored 19.
“It takes a lot of communication, a lot of togetherness, like Darius said,” Thomas said. “We spoke about that before the season and when you’re genuinely happy for your teammate, you’re genuinely happy for your brother, then you really get excited and you get enjoyment out of seeing him dominate and do well. So like when he’s on, it’s like, ‘Yeah, keep doing you.’”
The duo stands out in a season of fantastic freshmen, including Duke’s Cameron Boozer and BYU’s AJ Dybantsa. Together, Acuff (23.3) and Thomas (15.6) combine for an average of nearly 40 points per game.
“And you know what’s great? They’re playing off of one another,” Arkansas coach John Calipari said. “All they have done is helped each other. People are like, `How are you going to get these two to play together?’ They’re both good young people with good hearts and they care about each other.”
Acuff, the Southeastern Conference player of the year, holds Arkansas single-season records with 817 points and 229 assists, eclipsing the previous marks during March Madness. His 36 points against High Point were the most ever for a Razorback during the tournament.
Acuff’s combined 60 points in the first two tournament games are the most scored by a freshman in the opening rounds, passing the record of 57 reached by Cam Thomas at LSU, Zion Williamson at Duke and Kevin Durant at Texas.
The 6-foot-3 Acuff is considered among the top picks in the NBA draft, should he choose to go pro. Known for his strength and a focused determination on the court, he had 30 points and 11 assists in the SEC title game victory over Vanderbilt.
“Always wanted to be the big moment. Always just thinking win,” he said. “Like whatever I got to do to win that’s what I’m going to do.”
Thomas gives balance to the Razorbacks’ backcourt, often knocking down the key shot. Against High Point he hit a long 3-pointer with 6:11 left in the game as Arkansas started to shift the momentum.
“I’m trying to get Meleek Thomas to catch and shoot it. Quit bouncing it and side stepping, just shoot. So the last one he just caught and shot. He’s one of the best scorers in the country,” Calipari said after the game.
Against Arizona, the Razorbacks will face another high-scoring freshman duo in Brayden Burries and Koa Peat. Arizona beat No. 9 seed Utah State 78-66 on Sunday to advance.
Arkansas is making its 37th NCAA Tournament appearance. The Razorbacks won the national title in 1994 and were runners-up in 1995. They have been to the Final Four five times, but not since ’95.
The program is in its second straight Sweet 16 and fifth in the last six years. It has made it to that round 16 times. Last year’s Sweet 16 team fell 85-83 in overtime to Texas Tech.
This season, Arkansas has its supremely confident freshman twosome.
“I don’t care how they’re playing. They both have otherworldly confidence in themselves,” Calipari said. “That’s why I say they could run for president. They’re so confident in themselves, they could do fine.”
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
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