Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr. makes a shot during the second half against the LSU Tigers at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. The Razorbacks won, 85-81. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Hank Layton)

With two defenders running at the freshman guard in the final minute with Arkansas hanging on with an 81-79 lead, Acuff fired a pass on the left wing to an open Trevon Brazile. The senior then nailed a 3-point shot, his only make from behind the arc in the game, to give the Razorbacks an 84-79 lead with 49 seconds remaining.

What. A. Performance. Darius Acuff Jr. carried Arkansas basketball across the finish line as the Hogs avoided an upset against LSU.

A 7-0 run by Arkansas tied the game 50-50 on Billy Richmond’s 3-point play with 12:56 remaining. Michael Nwoko made a pair of free throws the next time down the floor for LSU, but Meleek Thomas hit a 3-pointer with 12:29 left to give the Razorbacks a 53-52 lead — their first lead since early in the first half.

John Calipari praised toughness, crowd support, and resilience as Arkansas survived a cold, gritty night to beat LSU at home.