Somebody had to lose Wednesday night.
In one of the best games of the men’s college basketball season, it was Arkansas. The 20th-ranked Razorbacks got 49 points out of star freshman Darius Acuff Jr., but it wasn’t enough as No. 25 Alabama survived a double-overtime thriller for a 117-115 win.
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After hitting a late 3 to force overtime and two free throws in the extra session to help force the second OT, Acuff and the Razorbacks had a look to extend the game to a third overtime. But Acuff’s floater missed high off the glass, and Malique Ewin clanged a putback dunk off the back of the rim.
Alabama secured the rebound as time expired and held on for the two-point win.
Acuff’s monster night headlines big games all around
Acuff, a freshman guard averaging 21.2 points and 6.3 assists per game who’s a potential lottery pick in June’s NBA Draft, had one of the best individual games of the season.
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He averaged almost a point per minute while shooting 16 of 27 from the field and 6 of 10 from 3 en route to 49 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Billy Richmond added 20 points and 6 rebounds. Meleek Thomas posted 24 points and 6 rebounds while shooting 6 of 8 from 3.
But it wasn’t enough against a resilient Alabama team that got 35 points and 7 assists from Labaron Philon Jr. as one of four Crimson Tide starters with 15-plus points.
Aiden Sherrell added 26 points and 13 rebounds while shooting 10 of 13 from the field for the Tide. His teammate Amari Allen also double-doubled with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
It added up to a night of sensational basketball from both teams that wasn’t decided until 50 minutes ran off the clock.
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Back-and-forth drama down the stretch
Arkansas took control early with an explosive first half and went into the break with a 57-47 lead. It then extended the lead to 75-62 in the second half before Alabama mounted its rally.
The Crimson Tide retook the lead at 80-79 on a Philon 3. And a pair of Aden Holloway free throws gave Alabama a 95-92 lead with 18 seconds remaining.
But Acuff answered on the other end with a 3-pointer to reach 40 for the game with 11.9 seconds remaining.
The shot ultimately forced overtime.
The game then went to another overtime when Acuff’s pull-up jumper missed the mark as time expired. It remained back and forth through most of the second overtime until Philon found a wide-open Houston Mallette in the corner to extend Alabama’s lead to two possessions in the final minute at 117-113.
Arkansas responded with a bucket and a late stop to set up its last possession. But both looks at a game-tying bucket missed the mark, and Alabama walked away with a win in front of a raucous home crowd.
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