PORTLAND, OR – Not long after losing a double overtime thriller to Alabama on Feb. 18, the battle betweenArkansascoach John Calipari and Darius Acuff Jr. began.
Acuff, the Razorbacks star freshman guard, scored 49 points against the Crimson Tide, all while dealing with an ankle injury that required him to wear a boot when he wasn't playing. Given the performance he had in 50 minutes of action, Calipari suggested sitting out the next game against Missouri.
That didn't sit well with Acuff.
"We lost, I'm not sitting out," he told his coach.
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Thus began the weeklong contest between a coach desperate to get his leading scorer off his legs and a player adamant on not missing anything.
The tug-of-war finally swayed in Calipari's favor on the final week of the regular season, getting Acuff to sit out the finale against Missouri. Even then, "we had to go back and forth," Calipari said.
While Acuff didn't want to miss a thing, Calipari was thinking of the big picture.Arkansashad the SEC tournament coming up and March Madness right after. Of course you want your star 100% for that.
So, Calipari took a page from the pros.
"I took a chance. We did the NBA load management," he said.
A chance well-taken.
It's a wonder what a little rest can do. Acuff healed up, and showcased what he can do at full strength with an SEC tournament performance for the ages. In three games, he averaged 30.3 points and 7.6 assists, running hog wild to getArkansas' first conference tournament titlesince 2000.
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"We needed him in the SEC tournament run to be that guy," Calipari said. "So I'm glad I did it."
Acuff has been exceptional all season for the Razorbacks. You don't get named SEC freshman of the year for nothing, especially averaging 22.2 points and 6.4 assists per game.
There have been little snippets of load management trickling its way to the college level, notably with Kansas guard Darryn Peterson andConnecticut women's star Sarah Strong.
Acuff's run in Nashville showed how it can work, showcasing a clutch gene that is so rare to find at this level. Not only is he another recognizable freshman, but he may just be the best player in the whole sport.
He certainly has the attention of Arkansas' first round opponent Hawai'i, who now have the difficult task of trying to stop a guy that is scorching. Rainbow Warriors guard Dre Bullock said the team isn't scared of anybody and "everybody's excited to guard" Acuff, but "it's a great challenge for us."
In the preparations, Arkansas' opponent can't help but marvel at the play.
"Not too often, a lot of times you see these point-of-attack guys that score 20-plus points a game. Maybe the play making isn't there or the shooting isn't there. This is a guy scoring 20, 25 a game. Obviously he had some big games, playing a lot of minutes as a freshman at the most important position," said Hawai'i coach Eran Ganot. "The way he does it with six, seven assists a game efficiently. The way he shoots it, gets guys involved. Makes big plays.
"How can you not respect him from afar?" he added.
VCU Rams (27-7)VCU closed the season with a 21-3 record over the final 24 games and won 16 of its last 17 games. A matchup against No. 6 North Carolina in the first round, before a potential matchup against No. 3 Illinois, sets up the Rams as well as an 11-seed can be set up." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
Miami (Ohio) RedHawks (31-1)With 90.7 points per game, Miami was second in the nation in points per game, trailing only Alabama, while leading the nation with 52.4% shooting from the field." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
South Florida Bulls (24-8)South Florida enters the NCAA Tournament on an 11-game winning streak. winning the American Conference tournament championship game 70-55 over Wichita State." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
Troy Trojans (22-11)Troy could be the biggest Cinderella this year after winning back-to-back Sun Belt tournament titles. Nebraska is officially on upset alert with a matchup against Troy." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
Saint Louis Billikens (28-5)Saint Louis can light up the scoreboard, averaging 87.2 points per game, and ranking among the national leaders in 3-pointers per game." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
High Point Panthers (30-4)The Panthers offense is explosive enough to threaten any higher seed it faces. They average 90 points per game shooting 49.1% from the field." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
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VCU Rams (27-7)VCU closed the season with a 21-3 record over the final 24 games and won 16 of its last 17 games. A matchup against No. 6 North Carolina in the first round, before a potential matchup against No. 3 Illinois, sets up the Rams as well as an 11-seed can be set up.
Acuff is the exact player Calipari has needed to get his March Madness mojo back. After the surprise run to the Sweet 16 in his first season with the Hogs got him to the second weekend of theNCAA Tournamentfor the first time since 2019, he is trying to break his 11-year Final Four drought.
Even better, Acuff will enter the NCAA Tournament not having worn a boot "for a while," according to his coach.
When those close games reach the final minutes, or "winning time," as Acuff calls it, he becomes the most dangerous man on the court, on a warpath to victory.
"Whatever I need to do to get our team to win, whether it's me passing or me shooting or getting a stop, I'm going to do it," he said.
A hot run sparked by a tussle between Calipari and Acuff. In this battle, the point goes to coach.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:How John Calipari prepared Darius Acuff Jr for March Madness