Behind Brazile and Acuff, Arkansas Pulls Away From Texas in Home Finale
Trevon Brazile and Darius Acuff Jr. each scored 28 points as No. 20 Arkansas defeated Texas 105-85 in its final home game, securing a double-bye in the SEC Tournament.
No. 20 Arkansas closed its home schedule Wednesday night with the kind of authority that left little doubt about its postseason ambitions.
Before a crowd at Bud Walton Arena, the Razorbacks (22-8, 12-5 SEC) rolled past Texas, 105-85, leading for all but one minute and 38 seconds. Any residue from last weekend’s lopsided loss in Gainesville was gone almost immediately, replaced by a sharpness that carried Arkansas wire to wire against the Longhorns (18-12, 9-8).
For senior forward Trevon Brazile, the evening carried added weight. Playing his final game at Bud Walton Arena, Brazile turned his farewell into a showcase, delivering a career performance that underscored both the moment and the margin of victory.
A Blitz From the Opening Tip
Arkansas controlled the opening tip, and though Darius Acuff Jr. missed the first attempt, the Razorbacks wasted little time asserting themselves. After Swain put Texas on the board with two free throws, Arkansas answered with a decisive 16-2 run, building a 16-4 lead by the first media timeout.
Trevon Brazile and Acuff fueled the surge with five points apiece. Brazile ignited the arena with a steal and coast-to-coast dunk, then buried a three-pointer. Acuff followed with two free throws and a transition three of his own. Pringle added a fastbreak dunk off an Acuff assist as Arkansas opened 5 of 6 from the field, while Texas stumbled to 1 of 6 with two turnovers.
Even through a brief scoring lull, the Razorbacks remained firmly in control. After a blocked layup attempt, Acuff found Ewin for a slam to stretch the margin to 19-4. Texas responded with a 6-0 push, but Arkansas still led 23-13 at the under-12 timeout, bolstered by a 14-5 advantage in fastbreak points.
The lead only grew from there. Brazile knocked down his second three of the half, Wagner converted an acrobatic finish, and Acuff set up Brazile for a tomahawk dunk. A 15-4 run late in the half, sparked by Acuff’s personal 6-0 stretch, effectively broke the game open.
Brazile added an and-one and another three-pointer, and Acuff drilled a three just before halftime to send Arkansas to the locker room ahead 56-34. Acuff paced all scorers with 19 points at the break, followed by Brazile with 17 and Thomas with 10. The Razorbacks shot 19 of 33 from the field, including 6 of 8 from beyond the arc, and held a commanding 27-6 edge in fastbreak scoring.
During halftime, the school announced that former head coach Nolan Richardson will receive a statue outside Bud Walton Arena, officially beginning the process of honoring the legendary Arkansas coach.
Control, a Scare, and a Closing Surge
Mark and Darius Acuff Jr. traded free throws to open the second half before Matas finished a dunk off a pass from Wilcher. Pringle split a pair at the line but chased down his own miss and converted the put-back, igniting a 7-0 Arkansas run that Wagner punctuated with an emphatic slam.
The Razorbacks stretched that push to 15-6 by the under-16 timeout when Acuff buried a three off Richmond’s feed, extending the lead to 72-47. Texas answered with a 10-5 spurt to trim the margin to 20, but Acuff responded with a layup to make it 79-57 at the under-12 break.
Arkansas edged Texas 9-8 over the next stretch to build an 88-65 advantage. Wagner and Thomas knocked down three-pointers, Richmond added a layup and Ewin split a pair at the line.
Texas, however, kept pressing. Swain hit another three, and Mark followed with a tough pull-up jumper. From the 7:55 mark to 2:31 remaining, the Longhorns outscored Arkansas 17-10 during a 6-0 run, cutting the lead to 99-84 on Swain’s jumper and drawing a restless murmur from the Bud Walton Arena crowd before fans rallied behind the Razorbacks.
Acuff steadied Arkansas with two free throws after being fouled by Weaver. The Razorbacks put the game away when Swain split a pair, Wagner converted a contested layup, then stole a pass from Heide and set up Richmond for a transition slam to make it 105-85.
Arkansas closed its regular season at Bud Walton Arena with a decisive 20-point victory.
Brazile’s Finale, Arkansas’ Statement
Arkansas finished with four players in double figures, led by freshman point guard Darius Acuff Jr. and senior forward Trevon Brazile, who each poured in 28 points.
Brazile delivered one of the most efficient performances of his career, shooting 9 of 11 from the field (81.8 percent) and 3 of 5 from three-point range (60 percent), while adding three blocks and two steals. The 6-foot-10, 230-pound veteran wasted little time making his presence felt, soaring for a fastbreak windmill dunk at the 18:03 mark of the first half — Arkansas’ first field goal and the start of a 6-2 lead.
Acuff matched that production with 28 points of his own, finishing 8 of 15 from the floor (53.3 percent) and 4 of 6 from beyond the arc (66.7 percent). He also recorded a team-high 13 assists, controlling the tempo and distributing the ball with confidence throughout the game.
For Texas, sophomore center Matas Vokietaitis paced the Longhorns with 21 points on 9 of 15 shooting. Senior guard Tramon Mark contributed 18 points, going 6 of 12 from the field and 1 of 2 from three-point range.
As a team, Arkansas shot 35 of 60 (58.3 percent) and 11 of 19 from three-point range (57.9 percent). Texas went 33 of 67 (49.3 percent) and 5 of 13 from long distance (38.5 percent). The Razorbacks also held a 35-31 advantage on the boards, dominated fastbreak points 38-15 and led in assists 21-17.
With the win, Arkansas secured a double-bye in the SEC Tournament. The Razorbacks will close the regular season Saturday against the Missouri Tigers men’s basketball team in Columbia, Missouri. Tipoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. CST, with the game set to air on ESPN.
