The Arkansas Razorbacks wasted no time making a statement in the NCAA Tournament.
Arkansas opened Thursday’s first-round matchup with an 11-0 run and never looked back, cruising to a 97-78 win over the Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors inside the Moda Center.
Freshmen Darius Acuff Jr. and Meleek Thomas led the charge, combining for 45 points in a dominant performance. Acuff finished with 24 points and seven rebounds, while Thomas added 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists. The duo became the first freshman pair in NCAA Tournament history to each record at least 20 points and five assists in the same game.
Acuff continued his historic season, breaking Kareem Reid’s single-season and freshman assist record with 223. He also climbed to second on Arkansas’ single-season scoring list with 781 points, trailing only Todd Day.
Trevon Brazile added another milestone, surpassing 1,000 career points as a Razorback and finishing with 19 in the win.
Arkansas set the tone early, forcing Hawai’i into seven straight misses to start the game while building a double-digit lead in the opening minutes. The Razorbacks pushed the advantage to 19 in the first half before Hawai’i trimmed the deficit, but Arkansas closed the half on an 8-0 run punctuated by dunks from Billy Richmond III, Malique Ewin and Brazile.
The Razorbacks maintained control throughout the second half, never allowing the lead to dip below 11 points.
Five Arkansas players scored in double figures. Ewin recorded a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds along with a career-best six assists, while Richmond added 10 points.
Arkansas’ ball movement proved key, finishing with 26 assists the most since a 27-assist performance earlier this season against a Hawai’i team that entered the game allowing the fewest assists per game in the nation.
With the win, Arkansas advances to the second round to face High Point Panthers, which upset Wisconsin Badgers earlier in the day. Game time for Saturday’s matchup will be announced later.
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