Arkansas Survives Late Push, Defeats Ole Miss 94–87 in Oxford

The No. 15 Arkansas Razorbacks left Oxford on Wednesday night with a 94–87 victory that tested both their balance and their composure, holding off a late push from Ole Miss to remain unbeaten in Southeastern Conference play.

Arkansas improved to 12–3 overall and 2–0 in the SEC by spreading its offense across the lineup. Five Razorbacks finished in double figures, and the team recorded 19 assists. Ole Miss fell to 8–7 overall and 0–2 in league play but refused to let the game slip quietly, staging a late rally that tightened the margin and shifted the atmosphere inside the arena.

A Back and Forth Opening Half

The game began unevenly, with both teams struggling to establish an offensive flow. Arkansas scored first when Trevon Brazile jumped a passing lane and finished a coast-to-coast dunk, but Ole Miss responded with pressure defense and timely stops to keep the contest close. After a series of early turnovers and missed three-point attempts on both ends, the teams were deadlocked at 6–6 at the first media timeout.

Arkansas began to gain momentum out of the break, using Ole Miss turnovers to fuel an 11–0 run. Billy Richmond scored twice in transition, Meleek Thomas knocked down an open three, and Karter Knox finished in stride to push the lead to 15–6. Ole Miss responded behind Kamardine and Dia, but Arkansas continued to answer, with Knox and Richmond connecting from the perimeter and Pringle cleaning up inside to maintain control.

The Razorbacks extended the margin late in the half with steady execution and improved ball movement. After Ole Miss trimmed the lead to 32–30, Arkansas closed on an 8–0 run, highlighted by two three-pointers from Brazile in the final minute. The surge sent Arkansas into halftime with a 42–32 lead, as Ole Miss misfired on a desperation attempt at the buzzer.

Arkansas Builds a Cushion, Ole Miss Pushes Back

Ole Miss opened the second half with an alley-oop from Kamardine to Scott. Both teams again struggled to score before Scott caught another lob from Kamardine to make it 42–36. Darius Acuff Jr. was fouled by Dia and converted both free throws to put Arkansas on the board in the half.

Knox followed with a steal and jumper to stretch the lead back to 10. Ole Miss responded with a quick 4–0 spurt before Richmond was fouled and made both free throws. Richmond and Acuff then forced a jump ball on Giffa, leading to an Acuff layup that made it 50–40.

Giffa drilled a three off a Storr assist to cut the deficit to 50–43. Thomas missed a three, and Pringle fouled Cassia on a layup attempt, sending him to the line after the under-16 media timeout.

Cassia split his free throws. Pringle answered by hitting both at the other end. Dia converted a layup while being fouled by Brazile and completed the three-point play to make it 52–47. Richmond responded with a putback off a Thomas miss before Dia hit a turnaround jumper.

Thomas then knocked down an open three off an Acuff assist to make it 57–49 with 14:08 remaining. After traded misses, Storr hit a jumper. Richmond and Acuff both missed three-point attempts before Brazile secured a rebound and Acuff converted a second-chance jumper.

Brazile fouled Storr, who made both free throws to cut the lead to 59–53 with 12:40 to play. The next stretch featured frequent fouls, as Richmond and Knox were each whistled before Dia committed an offensive foul. Giffa was called for a loose-ball foul at the under 12 timeout.

Razorbacks Build Their Largest Lead

Ewin converted a layup after a Pinkins turnover, then split a pair of free throws on the next trip down the floor. The teams traded free throws before Acuff drilled a three to give Arkansas a 67–55 advantage.

Storr missed a three, but Dia rebounded and scored to make it a 10-point game, prompting Ole Miss coach Chris Beard to call a timeout. Richmond scored on a layup out of the break before Pinkins hit two free throws. Acuff missed a layup, but Ewin grabbed the rebound and put it back to keep Arkansas ahead 71–59.

Dia missed a three, and Acuff converted two free throws. Storr raced down for a layup seconds later, but Wagner answered with a circus layup and completed the and-one to extend the lead to 76–61 at the under 8 timeout.

Ole Miss Rally Falls Short

Brazile split a pair of free throws before Klafke began to heat up, drilling a three. Knox answered with a three of his own, but Pinkins converted a layup off a Klafke assist. Klafke then scored four straight points before Brazile and Pinkins traded three-pointers.

With 4:20 remaining, Acuff found Brazile in the corner for another three, making it 88–75. Ole Miss responded by increasing defensive pressure as Arkansas began to break down on that end of the floor.

Pinkins hit two free throws, Klafke blocked an Acuff layup and found Cassia for a layup plus a foul, completing the three-point play to make it 88–80. After a Thomas miss and a held-ball call, Klafke hit a tough jumper to cut the deficit to 88–82. Acuff split a pair of free throws before Johnson drilled a three, trimming the margin to 89–85.

Acuff turned the ball over, but Pinkins missed a three that would have cut the lead to one. Acuff then hit two free throws to push the lead to 91–85. Kamardine answered with a jumper in the paint, but Acuff responded with a tough finish through traffic to make it 93–87 with 35 seconds remaining.

Giffa missed a three, and Brazile split a pair of free throws to seal the 94–87 Arkansas victory.

Balanced Scoring Leads the Way

Five Razorbacks finished in double figures, led by freshman Darius Acuff Jr., who scored 26 points and dished out nine assists. Acuff finished 7 of 18 from the field and 11 of 12 from the free throw line.

Senior forward Trevon Brazile added 18 points, while Billy Richmond and Meleek Thomas each scored 13. Karter Knox chipped in 10 points as Arkansas secured its third consecutive win.

Arkansas recorded 19 assists on 31 made field goals, its season high against a Power Four opponent. Acuff led the team with nine assists, continuing a trend emphasized by head coach John Calipari, who has said he wants his point guard averaging 10 assists per game.

Acuff has reached double digit assists twice this season and leads the team at six per game. Thomas averaged 2.8 assists per contest, and Wagner contributed four assists against Ole Miss.

The victory gave Arkansas a 2–0 start in SEC play for the first time since the 2014–15 season. The Razorbacks remain on the road Saturday with a matchup against Auburn, scheduled for a 5 p.m. CST tipoff on ESPN.