Arkansas five-star freshman guards Darius Acuff Jr. and Meleek Thomas were sensational Saturday afternoon inside Bud Walton Arena.
For Tennessee five-star freshman forward Nate Ament, the trip to Fayetteville was another learning opportunity.
Acuff scored 29 points and Thomas added 18 as the No. 18 Razorbacks broke free late to defeat the No. 19 Volunteers 86-75 in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams. Acuff and Thomas each made three 3-pointers, and they combined to go 11-of-12 from the free-throw line.
“It’s killing people that these two are this good,” Arkansas coach John Calipari said afterward in a news conference. “We’ve got two of the best freshmen in the country. I’m doing this with freshmen.
“I know the game is different now and people are older with beards and children and stuff, but Darius Acuff is a beast.”