In a Statement Win, Arkansas Topples Sixth Ranked Louisville Before a Roaring Home Crowd

Calipari appears to be building something special in Fayetteville. On Wednesday night, his Razorbacks delivered one of their strongest performances of the season, defeating Louisville, one of the nation’s top teams, 89-80. Arkansas handed the Cardinals their first loss of the year in the SEC and ACC Challenge and controlled the game for long stretches. 

By halftime, Arkansas had built an 18-point lead and scored 47 points, matching or surpassing the total Louisville had allowed in three of its previous seven games. The Cardinals found their rhythm after the break, shooting 50 percent and cutting a 20-point deficit to just four with 2:27 remaining. Even with the late surge, Arkansas stayed composed and closed out a statement win.

Arkansas Establishes Control Early

Louisville won the opening tip, but Conwell’s misstep immediately handed possession to Arkansas. Brazile nearly caught a lob and slammed it home, only to be fouled by Hadley. He calmly sank both free throws to open the scoring, setting the tone for the night. Another strong defensive stand forced Louisville into a deep three, which clanged off the rim, sending the rebound out of bounds. Brazile followed with a tough layup after Knox forced a held ball, and when Conwell turned the ball over again, Acuff stepped up with a jumper to make it 6-0. Louisville countered with a second-chance three from McKneely, refusing to fold.

Knox hit a difficult jumper from the top of the key, but McKneely converted an and-one, cutting the lead to 8-6. Knox responded immediately with a three, and Wooley, escaping notice on a walk, found Fru for a layup to make it 11-8. Amid the early chaos, Calipari received a coaches box warning just before the first media timeout.

Out of the timeout, Arkansas stumbled briefly. Acuff turned it over, and Rooths missed a three. Acuff missed another jumper, but Rooths found an opening for an easy layup. Richmond, Thomas, and Ewin checked in, and then Brazile took over. He went on a personal 8-2 run, throwing down an alley-oop and sinking back-to-back threes, asserting Arkansas’ dominance.

Ewin and Fru traded tip-ins, but Brazile was fouled and converted a layup, pushing the Razorbacks ahead 23-14 at the under-12 timeout. He missed the and-one free throw, and Conwell answered with a three for Louisville. Thomas split a pair of free throws, then scored a second-chance layup off an offensive rebound from Acuff. McKneely and Richmond traded layups before two Acuff free throws extended the lead to 31-19.

Brown hit a three in response, but Arkansas countered with a 5-0 run on Thomas’ free throws, stretching the lead to 36-22 with just under four minutes remaining in the first half. At that point, the Razorbacks were 11 of 26 from the field, including 4 of 9 from three. Louisville struggled, shooting 9 of 28 overall and just 3 of 18 from deep.

Following the timeout, Richmond added two more free throws. Brazile then stole a pass from Conwell and drained a corner three, making it 41-22.

On the next possession, he appeared to tweak his ankle contesting a dunk from Brown and briefly left for the locker room. Louisville seized the moment, going on a quick 6-2 run as Fru contributed a dunk and a second-chance tip-in.

Acuff sank a jumper with one minute left to make it 45-28, before he and Brown traded empty trips to the free-throw line. A pair of Thomas free throws pushed the lead to 47-28, and Brown split his free throws to close the half at 47-29.

Arkansas shot 14 of 34 from the field in the first half, including 5 of 11 from three. Louisville managed just 12 of 36 overall and 3 of 20 from deep. The Cardinals had no points off turnovers or fast-break opportunities, while Arkansas produced 12 and 8 in those categories. Brazile led all scorers with 17 points and added two rebounds, setting the stage for a dominant Razorback performance.

Cardinals Mount a Second Half Push

Arkansas had a couple of early chances but came up empty, setting the stage for a back-and-forth stretch. A turnover by Wagner led to a Conwell three, giving Louisville a brief spark. Wagner answered with a strong layup, but a miscue by Fru handed Brazile a second chance, which he converted with ease.

After two free throws from Brown, Wagner knocked down his first three of the game, extending Arkansas’ lead to 20 at 54-34. 

Louisville quickly fought back with an 8 to 2 run. Hadley nailed a three to bring the Cardinals closer, but Pringle answered with a layup, keeping Arkansas ahead at 56-42.

Ewin sank two free throws before Pryor delivered a thunderous dunk. Acuff followed with a jumper, only to be answered by Brown. Acuff then turned the ball over, and Pryor slammed home another dunk. McKneely and Ewin traded paint jumpers, trimming the lead to 62 to 50 with 11 minutes and 51 seconds left on the clock.

Brown hit his second three of the night on his tenth attempt, cutting Arkansas’ lead to nine at 62-53. Wagner missed two free throws on the next possession, and Wooley knocked down a three to bring the Cardinals within six at 62-56. Ewin responded with a second chance tip-in, keeping the Razorbacks in control.

Ewin then made a key hustle play, chasing down a loose rebound and swatting it off a Louisville player to preserve possession. The effort paid off moments later when Thomas hit a jumper, pushing Arkansas ahead 66-56.

Brazile committed a foul on McKneely during a three-point attempt, and the guard sank all three shots. Hadley added a difficult layup, while Richmond made two free throws. Conwell and Thomas traded baskets, and Arkansas maintained a 70-63 lead with 7 minutes and 28 seconds remaining.

Out of a timeout, Thomas hit a jumper in the paint as the Razorbacks held a 9 to 10 point cushion. Conwell was fouled by Thomas and converted two free throws, and Richmond followed with two more, keeping Louisville at bay.

Acuff and Brown Go Shot for Shot

The next sequence saw Darius Acuff and Mikel Brown trading layups in a back-and-forth stretch. Acuff was fouled on his second attempt and calmly converted the and one, pushing Arkansas’ lead to 79-69.

Hadley responded with a runner in the paint, cutting Louisville’s deficit to eight. Brazile stole a pass from Brown and fed it to Acuff, but Louisville’s press forced a 10-second violation. Out of the final media timeout, the Cardinals had possession trailing 79-71.

Conwell sank two free throws to bring Louisville within six, but Ewin secured a crucial rebound, drew a foul, and converted both free throws, restoring an eight-point cushion. McKneely drilled a three to make it 81-76, but Acuff raced down the court and found Brazile for a powerful alley oop.

After several missed Louisville three-pointers, Acuff hit a tough layup in traffic. Following more empty possessions from the Cardinals, Acuff missed a layup, but Ewin fought for the rebound, drew another foul, and converted two free throws. Those shots pushed the lead to 11 before Fru slammed down a dunk to bring Louisville within nine.

Richmond traveled on the ensuing play, but Arkansas held strong, surviving two decent Louisville looks and marching to the free throw line. Acuff made both shots to extend the lead to 89-78. In the closing seconds, Richmond fouled Brown on a three-point attempt, but the outcome was no longer in doubt. Brown went 2 of 3 from the line, and Arkansas closed out an 89-80 victory.

A Brazile and Acuff Starrer 

Trevon Brazile fed off the energy of a packed Bud Walton Arena, delivering a performance that energized the crowd. Of his total 21 points, 17 came early in the first half, giving Louisville a deficit it struggled to overcome. Brazile made 8 of 11 shots from the floor and immediately followed with a thunderous alley-oop from Acuff on the next possession, keeping a comfortable margin over the Cardinals.

Freshman Darius Acuff Jr. recorded his first double-double of the season with 17 points and a career-high 10 assists, helping lift the Razorbacks to 6-2 on the season. Meleek Thomas added 17 points, Malique Ewin contributed 12 points and nine rebounds, and Billy Richmond III scored 10 as Arkansas defeated a top-ten opponent for the first time in Coach John Calipari’s two seasons. In total, five Razorbacks finished in double figures.

For Louisville, Mikel Brown Jr. led the way with 22 points, Ryan Conwell added 15, and Sananda Fru posted 14 points along with eight rebounds. The Cardinals, now 7-1, were playing their first true road game of the season.

Arkansas shot 28 of 67 from the floor and 6 of 18 from three-point range, while Louisville managed 29 of 70 and 8 of 37 from beyond the arc. The Razorbacks dominated the boards, 46-36, and outscored the Cardinals from the bench 39-11. Arkansas also converted 27 second-chance points to Louisville’s nine.

Louisville struggled on the perimeter, making only eight of 37 three-point attempts, including just three of 20 in the first half. Conwell was 3 of 12 and Brown 2 of 13 from deep. The Cardinals had entered the night ranked second in Division I in making three-pointers per game, but Arkansas’ perimeter defense kept them in check throughout.

Who Comes Next

The Arkansas Razorbacks will face the Fresno State Bulldogs (6-3) at Simmons Bank Arena in North Little Rock on Saturday, December 6, at 3 p.m. Although the game is not expected to be a major test, fans are eager to see Arkansas bring the same energy and intensity they showed against Louisville.