Razorback guard Darius Acuff Jr. has been named to two additional midseason watch lists, the Oscar Robertson Award and the Wayman Tisdale Award. Both honors are determined by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association.
Acuff is among 25 players on the Oscar Robertson Award midseason list, which recognizes the National Player of the Year. He is also one of 15 candidates for the Wayman Tisdale Award, given to the National Freshman of the Year.
This season, Acuff stands out as a leading playmaker nationally. He ranks 21st in NCAA assists and second in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), averaging 6.3 assists per game—second among all NCAA freshmen. In scoring, he is fourth in the SEC and fifth among NCAA freshmen with an average of 19.8 points per game, placing him 42nd overall in NCAA scoring statistics.
Acuff is one of only three players nationwide to average at least 19.5 points and six assists per game this season, alongside Texas Tech’s Christian Anderson and SMU’s Boopie Miller.
Recently, Acuff recorded his third double-double in a win over South Carolina with 18 points and 13 assists without committing a turnover. Earlier this season against Queens, he posted 23 points and 10 assists with zero turnovers as well. Rashad Phillips noted that since turnovers have been tracked as a statistic, there have only been three games where a freshman achieved at least 18 points, ten assists, and no turnovers; Acuff has accomplished this twice within seven games.
He has also received recognition as a five-time SEC Freshman of the Week and appears on both the Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 Watch List and various Midseason All-American teams from College Hoops Today and The Sporting News.
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