FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas men’s basketball guard Darius Acuff Jr. was named SEC Player of the Year and SEC Freshman of the Year by a vote of league coaches, the Southeastern Conference announced Monday, capping a historic freshman season for the Razorbacks.
Acuff, a 6-foot-3 guard from Detroit, averaged 22.2 points and 6.4 assists per game during the regular season, leading the SEC in both categories — a feat not accomplished since LSU’s Pete Maravich in the late 1960s. He helped guide Arkansas to a 23-8 overall record and 13-5 mark in conference play.
The honors make Acuff just the third player in SEC history to win both awards in the same season, joining Kentucky’s Anthony Davis (2012) and Alabama’s Brandon Miller (2023). He also earned first-team All-SEC and All-Freshman team selections.
Acuff set an SEC record with eight weekly awards this season, including a record seven Freshman of the Week honors (five consecutive) and one Player of the Week nod.
Teammates Billy Richmond earned All-Defensive team recognition, while Meleek Thomas was named to the All-Freshman team. Florida’s Todd Golden was selected SEC Coach of the Year.
Acuff, a top-five finalist for the Bob Cousy Award as the nation’s top point guard, becomes the first Razorback to win Freshman of the Year since Moses Moody in 2020-21 and the first to claim Player of the Year since Mason Jones shared the honor in 2019-20.
The Razorbacks, coached by John Calipari, now prepare for the SEC Tournament and potential NCAA Tournament action.
