No. 18 Arkansas basketball rang in the new year in style Saturday afternoon, outlasting No. 19 Tennessee for an 86-75 win to open SEC play.
The biggest storyline entering the top-25 clash was the three potential one-and-done freshmen sharing the court: Tennessee forward Nate Ament and Arkansas guards Darius Acuff Jr. and Meleek Thomas.
The Razorbacks’ diaper dandies carried the day, with Acuff pouring in a game-high 29 points on 9 of 16 shooting, adding 4 assists, 3 rebounds, a steal and a block. Thomas retained the hot hand he ignited against James Madison last week, scoring 18 points, grabbing 3 steals and shooting 3 of 4 from behind the arc.