Razorbacks Cruise at Home, Leaving Little Doubt Against Queens

Everything seemed to fall into place for Arkansas on Tuesday night. Coming off a statement ranked win over Texas Tech on Saturday, the 14th ranked Razorbacks returned home in strong form and took care of business against Queens, pulling away for a convincing 108-80 victory.

The win pushed Arkansas to 9-2 overall and marked the second time this season the Razorbacks eclipsed the 100-point mark. The strong performance continued under John Calipari, with six Arkansas players finishing in double figures. Defensively, the Razorbacks limited Queens to just 24 percent shooting from three-point range on 25 attempts, dropping the Royals to 5-7 on the season.

Senior Trevon Brazile led the way with 25 points, while freshman guard Darius Acuff Jr. added 23 points and 10 assists. The only moment of real resistance came early, when the Hogs briefly trailed 9-7 with 16:38 remaining in the first half. Arkansas quickly responded with an 11-0 run, took firm control, and never looked back.

One Run, Complete Control

Queens won the opening tip, and Watford opened the scoring with a tough layup through traffic. A turnover by Knox on the next possession led to a Schwieger three, giving Queens an early 5-0 lead.

Knox answered with an open three to put Arkansas on the board, but Parker responded quickly with a layup to make it 7-3. After a pair of empty possessions, Wagner finished an impressive drive, and Parker followed with a tip-in off a missed layup by Watford.

At the other end, Acuff found Knox cutting along the baseline for an alley-oop. Shortly afterward, Brazile rebounded an Acuff miss and kicked it back out to the freshman guard, who buried a three to give Arkansas a 10-9 lead at the under-16 timeout.

Coming out of the break, Brazile jumped a passing lane and finished with an easy dunk. Knox followed with a steal of his own and found Brazile for an open three, and Acuff then connected from beyond the arc. The surge forced Queens to call timeout as Arkansas seized momentum.

The Razorbacks went on a 13-0 run over a two-minute span and a 16-2 run overall. Jabriel briefly halted the run with a three for Queens, but Arkansas continued to press. Thomas came up with a steal and fed Brazile for a layup, and back-to-back threes from Brazile pushed the lead into double figures.

By the under-8 timeout, Arkansas had knocked down seven of eight shots from three-point range and converted eight straight field goal attempts. Pringle added a put-back dunk, Knox converted two free throws, and Brazile punctuated the stretch with a windmill slam.

A pair of threes from Brazile and Thomas extended the lead to 43-22. Despite a brief response from Queens, Arkansas closed the half in control and carried a 60-36 advantage into the break.

No Letup After Halftime

Arkansas picked up right where it left off to open the second half. Brazile knocked down a corner three, Acuff split a pair at the free throw line, and Knox finished a tough look in the paint.

The Razorbacks briefly slowed offensively, but Queens was unable to take advantage. Richmond ended the drought with two free throws, allowing Arkansas to extend the lead to 68-40 at the first media timeout.

Coming out of the break, Richmond ignited the Razorbacks with a personal 7-2 run, highlighted by a corner three and capped by a baseline alley-oop slam off an Acuff feed. Acuff followed with a strong driving layup as Arkansas continued to widen the margin.

By the under-8 timeout, the Razorbacks had built an 81-51 advantage. Acuff continued to orchestrate the offense, finding Pringle on a pick-and-roll lob for a dunk, while Wagner and Knox added timely baskets.

Queens mounted a brief response, but Arkansas never lost control. Wagner buried a corner three, Brazile finished in transition off a steal, and the Razorbacks pushed the lead back beyond 30 as the game moved toward its conclusion.

Depth on Display Down the Stretch

With the outcome firmly in hand, Arkansas maintained its focus down the stretch. Calipari kept his regular rotation on the floor for several more minutes as Queens attempted a late push. With 2:05 remaining, Karuletwa checked into the game and made an immediate impact. Acuff found him open in the corner, and Karuletwa knocked down the three for his first career points and Acuff’s 10th assist of the night. Karuletwa followed by converting a pair of free throws.

Ayden Kelley and Amere Brown also entered the game, with Kelley splitting a pair at the line to score his first point of the season. Arkansas closed out the night with a 108-80 victory, capping a dominant performance from start to finish.

In addition to Brazile’s career-high nine made field goals on 9-of-11 shooting and Acuff’s double-double, four other Razorbacks reached double figures. Karter Knox scored 11 points, Nick Pringle added 14, Richmond finished with 15, and Wagner chipped in 10.

The Razorbacks shot 36 of 64 from the floor, good for 56.3 percent, connected on 14 of 28 three-point attempts for 50 percent, and went 22 of 27 from the free throw line. Queens was led by Nasir Mann with 16 points and five rebounds, shooting 30 of 68 overall, 6 of 25 from three-point range, and 14 of 20 at the stripe. 

Despite being outrebounded 34-33, Arkansas committed three fewer turnovers than the Royals and forced 17 giveaways, including 13 steals. The Razorbacks recorded 26 assists compared to 12 for Queens and scored 32 fast-break points to the Royals’ 14.

A Bigger Test Awaits

The Razorbacks will travel to the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, this Saturday to take on No. 8 Houston. The Cougars enter the game at 10-1 and have not played since a 99-57 win over New Orleans on Saturday.

Houston is 1-1 against SEC opponents this season, with a 73-72 victory over Auburn and a 76-73 loss to Tennessee. Arkansas will need to carry its momentum into what promises to be one of the toughest nonconference tests of the season.