The Arkansas Razorbacks didn’t just pick up a road win on Saturday - they made a statement. In a game that had the potential to be a grind-it-out SEC battle, the No. 21-ranked Hogs turned a slow start into a full-blown rout, dropping Mississippi State 88-68 at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville.
Early on, it looked like we might be in for a back-and-forth affair. Arkansas held a slim 16-13 lead with just over 13 minutes to go in the first half.
But then came the knockout punch - a 13-0 run that stretched the lead to 29-13 and completely flipped the script. From that point forward, Arkansas never let Mississippi State back into the game.
The engine behind Arkansas’ dominant performance? Freshman point guard Darius Acuff Jr., who continues to look like a star in the making.
Acuff poured in 24 points on 9-of-19 shooting, including a scorching 3-of-5 from deep. But it wasn’t just the scoring - he also dished out a game-high eight assists, orchestrating the Razorbacks’ offense with poise beyond his years.
Whether it was pushing the pace in transition or breaking down the defense in the halfcourt, Acuff was in full control.
Senior forward Trevon Brazile backed him up with a strong showing of his own, finishing with 19 points on an efficient 7-of-12 from the field. He added two triples and was a steady presence on both ends of the floor. Arkansas’ offensive balance showed up in the box score, with four players hitting double figures and the team shooting a crisp 52.2% from the field.
Mississippi State, meanwhile, struggled to keep up once Arkansas found its rhythm. Junior guard Josh Hubbard led the Bulldogs with 16 points and five assists, while redshirt senior Achor Achor added 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting. But the Bulldogs couldn’t match Arkansas' firepower, especially from beyond the arc, where they hit just 3-of-15 (20%).
Arkansas also won the battle on the glass, out-rebounding Mississippi State 38-33, and dominated the paint with a 50-46 edge in interior scoring. The Hogs moved the ball well, racking up 22 assists to Mississippi State’s 15 - a clear sign of the Razorbacks’ offensive cohesion.
This was the 71st meeting between the two programs, and Arkansas now leads the all-time series 37-34. More notably, head coach John Calipari continued his dominance in Starkville, improving to 10-0 on the road against Mississippi State and 22-1 overall versus the Bulldogs.
The starting five for Arkansas featured Acuff, Meleek Thomas, Billy Richmond, Brazile, and Nick Pringle - a group that’s beginning to find real chemistry as the season heats up. Mississippi State countered with Hubbard, Ja’Borri McGhee, Shawn Jones, Achor, and Quincy Ballard, but couldn’t slow down Arkansas once the Hogs found their groove.
With this win, Arkansas improves to 17-6 overall and 7-3 in SEC play, keeping themselves firmly in the conference race. Mississippi State drops to 11-12 and 3-7 in the SEC, still searching for consistency as the season enters its final stretch.
For Arkansas, this was more than just another win - it was a reminder of what this team is capable of when everything clicks. And if Darius Acuff Jr. keeps playing like this, the Razorbacks might just be scratching the surface.