NCAA BASKETBALL: Darius Acuff Jr., Arkansas hunt tournament win over Hawaii, 'Big Fish'

PORTLAND – Is there a better one-on-one player in the NCAA Tournament than Arkansas point guard Darius Acuff Jr.? Hawaii might be the first to find out.

Acuff leads fourth-seeded Arkansas into the West Region first-round matchup Thursday after the SEC Freshman of the Year starred in a remarkable run through the conference tournament. The Razorbacks (26-8) take on the No. 13 seed Rainbow Warriors (24-8), who won the Big West tournament.

Hawaii, led by 7-foot grad transfer Isaac "Big Fish" Johnson from Utah State, aims to make its mark mostly on defense. Johnson, who scored 41 points across two tournament games to earn MVP honors, gives the Rainbow Warriors size in the paint to disrupt Arkansas’ shot-makers.

But Arkansas has a player capable of changing the game. Acuff was dominant in the Razorbacks’ three-game run to their second SEC title, their first since 2000. He scored 30 points with five 3-pointers and 11 assists in the 86-75 title game victory over Vanderbilt, marking Arkansas’ second win over the Commodores this season.

"Just my teammates believing in me," Acuff said of his SEC tournament run. "They trust me with the ball, and I got to go make the plays. Downhill was working all weekend."

Arkansas head coach John Calipari, who has led his teams to multiple NCAA Tournament appearances and a national championship at Kentucky in 2012, emphasized the importance of taking one game at a time.

"The first game is the hardest game," Calipari said. "After that, you get a feel that it's no different than anything else. You stay in your little corner, one week at a time, one weekend at a time, see if you can get to the third weekend."

Acuff, who missed the regular-season finale against Missouri due to a left ankle injury, scored 91 points and recorded 23 assists in three SEC tournament games, hitting 12 of 24 3-pointers. His late 3-pointer helped Arkansas beat Oklahoma in the quarterfinals, and he added five points in overtime to defeat Ole Miss in the semifinals.

Arkansas averages 89.9 points per game, ranking fourth in Division I, with Acuff leading the SEC in scoring (22.6) and assists (6.5). Key contributors include freshman wing Meleek Thomas (15.4 points), forward Trevon Brazile (13.2 points, 7.4 rebounds), and wing Billy Richmond III (11.0 points).

For Hawaii, Johnson averages 14.1 points and 5.8 rebounds. He also made 34 3-pointers and shoots 88.5 percent from the free-throw line. Complementing him are Quandre Bullock (13.5 points, 5.8 rebounds) and Harry Rouhliadeff (10.8 points).

"We never wavered on character, talent," said Hawaii coach Eran Ganot, who led his team to their first NCAA appearance since 2016. "People who love the game, love to compete and love Hawaii."

The Rainbow Warriors are making their fifth NCAA Tournament appearance, their first since a No. 13 seed upset of Cal in 2016, which remains their only tournament win.

"I'm happy we got mission accomplished," Johnson said. "We still have work to do."

-Jack Magruder, Field Level Media/Reuters