The Arkansas Razorbacks have been the Darius Acuff Jr. show all season, but coach John Calipari just put the rest of his locker room on notice.

After the SEC quarterfinals win over Oklahoma on Friday, head coach John Calipari has noticed a silver lining hard to ignore. Speaking at the post-game press conference, Calipari highlighted the importance of Trevon Brazile to his roster, noting that the latter’s expertise is a significant reason for his team’s dominating performances.

“He is the key to our team. Darius has done this, but if we want to be special, TB does what he does in the second half of this game, and we’re really good,” Calipari said. “So, you know, he’s an important piece of this. Malique Ewin was good today. I thought he played well. The couple plays on pick and roll. He was back too far, but short of that, he started coming up with rebounds and ran the floor and got a dunk. So, that’s encouraging.”

The assessment lines up perfectly with a look at Arkansas’ stats this season. There’s no doubt that Acuff has been the main man for the Razorbacks (22.7 ppg), but Brazile has earned his way into this conversation. Calipari knows perfectly that Brazile’s defensive effort near the half-court and the ability to dive for loose balls are equally as important as Acuff’s scoring ability.

After all, Brazile currently leads the team in three metrics: Rebounds (7.3 rpg), steals (1.5 per game), and blocks (1.6), which is no wonder why Calipari rates him so highly. It was quite prevalent in the 82-79 win over Oklahoma as well. Acuff got most of the spotlight, and rightly so, with 37 points. But it was Brazile who dictated the game on the boards with 11 rebounds, including 5 of them on the defensive end. Combined with that, he also recorded 12 points in his 31-minute stay, complementing Acuff perfectly while guarding the rim with immense precision.

Notably, it wasn’t the first time that Calipari has been awestruck by Brazile’s performance. Following a blowout win over LSU, where his 6’10 forward recorded a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds, the Razorbacks coach shared his two cents on the latter’s elite personality on the court.

“For him, it’s a mindset,” Calipari had said. “You walk into the game knowing how you’re going to play, but that doesn’t mean you make every shot, but you play so hard. I’m going to make it rough, and I’m going to go get rebounds.”

Malique Ewin also put in a vital performance, keeping the offense flowing off the bench. He scored 7 points, along with 4 defensive rebounds, to prove his worth as an elite two-way player. Collectively, too, the team put up some great numbers, scoring 44% from the field. Tae Davis and Derrion Reid did show some resistance for the Sooners, combining for 34 points, but it proved to be too little against the collective mayhem of the Arkansas Razorbacks.

The game validated that John Calipari’s team is no longer a Darius Acuff Jr-dominated team and has multiple players who can turn the game on their heads. It is a great sign for Arkansas heading into March Madness. Following this win over Oklahoma, Calipari’s team will face a stronger challenge en route to the SEC Championship game.

John Calipari’s Arkansas Squares Off Against Red-Hot Ole Miss in the SEC Semifinals

Going into the SEC Tournament, the Ole Miss Rebels were nowhere near the picture of being the favorites. After all, their 12-19 and 4-14 in the regular season perfectly reflect their struggles across the season. But as reality set in, the Rebels have been the dark horses who solidified their footing further in the tournament with a win over No. 15 Alabama in the quarterfinal game.

The Arkansas Razorbacks will be up next for them, posing a formidable challenge for the No. 17 team. The Rebels have showcased a strong scoring offense in the tournament so far, scoring 80+ points in all three games. Thus, yet again, the likes of Trevon Brazile and Darius Acuff Jr. will have to shoulder the responsibility of disrupting this offensive flow of the Miss Rebels with their physicality.

A win in the game would lock John Calipari and co. into the SEC Championship game. They will face the winner of the semifinal game between the Florida Gators and the Vanderbilt Commodores. But amid all these teams, an SEC Championship is up for the taking for Arkansas, as it will immensely boost their chances of a higher seed going into the March Madness, as well as lock an automatic qualification spot for them.

But to do that, they will first have to pass through the Ole Miss Rebels. The game is set to tip off on March 14 at the Bridgestone Arena. ESPN analytics predict the Razorbacks as the favorites going into the tournament with a 74.9% chance. But with the monumental run that Ole Miss is in, another upset might be in the making.

What are your expectations from this game? Do let us know in the comments.