Freshman stars Acuff, Burries headline Arizona-Arkansas Sweet 16 showdown in San Jose

Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News on Mar 25, 2026

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SAN JOSE, Calif. — Even in a Sweet 16 matchup packed with blue-blood history, elite coaching minds and a floor full of proven college talent, the brightest spotlight figures to fall on two freshmen.

Arkansas’ Darius Acuff Jr. and Arizona’s Brayden Burries have quickly become the headliners. The kind of young stars capable of tilting a game, and maybe the entire night, in a matter of moments.

Thursday night’s showdown between the West Region’s top seed Arizona and No. 4 Arkansas at SAP Center is as much about the present as it is the future of the sport.

Acuff has orchestrated Arkansas’ offense with an electric scoring punch while Burries has given Arizona a fearless two-way player who isn’t afraid of the big moments.

With both freshmen surging at the right time, their head-to-head battle could ultimately determine which team will move on to Saturday’s Elite Eight – and which rising star leaves the deeper imprint on March.

“Just from watching him, he’s a great player,” Burries said of Acuff on Wednesday. “He can read the floor. He’s a top-10 NBA draft pick. We got a great freshman class overall.”

When asked about Burries, Acuff said, “He can do everything. He’s a big guard. He plays hard. He does everything for his team to win.”

Burries has never been afraid of the biggest moments and Bay Area basketball fans got an up close and personal look at that last year.

Facing Archbishop Riordan in the 2025 CIF Open Division state championship game, Burries lit up one of the most dominant Bay Area teams to ever reach an Open Division state title game to the tune of a state record 44 points in a 20-point win.

At Arizona, Buries has continued to be a dynamic scorer. He leads the Wildcats in scoring at 16 points per game and is shooting 39.2% from the 3-point line.

But it’s not just his scoring that Arkansas coach John Calipari has in his scouting report.

“He scores at all three levels, active defensively, better defensively than I thought a freshman would be,” Calipari said. “But wow, he’s really good.”

Acuff has taken the country by storm as an uber-athletic scorer who has shades of NBA stars Russell Westbrook and Anthony Edwards in his game.

He dropped 49 points on Alabama in a double-overtime loss in the regular season and has shredded the competition in Arkansas’ five postseason games. Through the Razorbacks’ three SEC postseason games and the first two games of the NCAA Tournament, Acuff has averaged 30.2 points, 7.2 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game while shooting 45.6% from the field and 48.6% from the 3-point line.

Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd knows exactly how dangerous a player Acuff is after coaching him with USA Basketball in the 2024 Under-18 AmeriCup tournament.

“He was the MVP of our tournament. Darius is a serious guy,” Lloyd said. “I don’t know if he got some of the early accolades some of these other freshmen got, but, like I’ve always said, ‘Who cares about early accolades?’ Because I know he’s getting them now, and they’re well deserved. He’s put himself in position to have an incredible opportunity to have a great career.”

Both Burries and Acuff are projected NBA lottery picks in most mock drafts with the latter possibly becoming a top-five selection this upcoming offseason.

In a tournament that has become increasingly shaped by veteran transfers, fifth-year seniors and roster continuity, Thursday night offers something different.

A reminder that youth can still take center stage.

Acuff and Burries aren’t just contributing. They are driving the moment as freshmen entrusted with the weight of programs chasing a Final Four appearance.

“Coach Cal is as good as anyone in coaching young players,” Lloyd said. “I think Arizona is another destination for some of these young players.

“If you have coaches that are confident in the culture of the program, it doesn’t matter what year you are in to be able to be a significant contributor.”

On a stage built for experience, it may ultimately be the fearlessness of two first-year players that decides who keeps dancing and who heads home.

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