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For the first time in the history of the NBA Draft, the first 12 picks come June could very well be coming off a single season of college ball.

That fact, in and of itself, should be enough to relay how good this year’s freshman class is.

Arkansas basketball fans, though, get something extra special to hammer the point home: These top projected freshmen, three of whom are primary point guards, do not include Darius Acuff Jr.

So the phenomenal floor general on the cusp of locking down best-Razorback-freshman-ever status isn’t even considered the nation’s third-best freshman point guard in terms of NBA potential.

That’s despite Acuff owning the head-to-head matchup with Mike Brown Jr., one of the three projected ahead of him, when Louisville and Arkansas clashed in December.

We’re only getting started with the head-scratching numbers here.

Acuff, Brown and Kingston Flemings, another of college basketball’s other top young point guards, are all thought to be making between $1 and $2 million as the three best point guards for what’s almost certainly their only season in college basketball.

A source told Best of Arkansas Sports that Acuff’s total compensation, including revenue share and NIL, is in the $1.5 million range. The Detroit native has earned every penny of that, setting a conference record for SEC Freshman of the Week honors while averaging 21.2 points on 50% shooting alongside 6.3 assists to only 2 turnovers.

Acuff, unquestionably, is the straw that stirs the drink for a 19-6 Arkansas squad still in the hunt for an SEC title heading into a tussle in Tuscaloosa on Wednesday night.

As a floor general, Acuff is the Razorback most responsible for elevating the play of all his teammates.

What’s the value of that?

Payday Intel for Arkansas Basketball

We’re getting a truer idea with what we’re hearing about Jordan Smith Jr., Acuff’s heir apparent set to arrive on campus this summer.

The 6-foot-3 Smith, pegged by 247Sports as the nation’s No. 2 high school senior, is 15 pounds heavier than the 185-pound Acuff and has the potential to be a more disruptive defensive menace on the college level.

The offensive end is a different story. Smith matching, no less surpassing, Acuff’s sublime production there (which includes shooting over 43% from the field) probably isn’t going to happen.

Nonetheless, Smith will get paid handsomely for choosing Arkansas over the likes of Duke, Georgetown and Kentucky. He and his inner circle agreed to a total compensation worth between $2.75 million and $3 million for the 2026-27 season, according to a BoAS source.

A contract in this range indicates that Arkansas basketball coach John Calipari not only values Smith’s expected two-way contributions, but is also paying a premium for avoiding the headache of securing a floor leader in the transfer portal.

Finding the right transfer point guard to take your team to the next level is a dicey proposition. Just ask UCLA, which saw New Mexico expat Donovan Dent shoot 3 of 11 from the field and turn the ball over four times to only 3 assists in a loss to Michigan State so embarrassing it left coach Mick Cronin going H.A.M. on a poor reporter.

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Posted by Hawgnsincebirth55

Gods country

Member since Sep 2016

18471 posts

Posted on 2/18/26 at 9:13 pm to hawgfaninc

Delete

This post was edited on 2/18/26 at 9:14 pm

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Posted by beaverfever

Arkansas

Member since Jan 2008

36119 posts

Posted on 2/20/26 at 9:31 pm to Hawgnsincebirth55

Just left the LRCA/Maumelle game. Andrews is an absolute unit. I struggle to believe there are 10 guys playing amateur basketball that have a higher ceiling. There can’t be.

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Posted by hawgfaninc

https://youtu.be/torc9P4-k5A

Member since Nov 2011

62066 posts

Posted on 2/24/26 at 4:34 pm to beaverfever