Arkansas basketball March Madness run ends with Sweet 16 loss to Arizona
· Yahoo Sports
SAN JOSE, Calif. — The route was different. There was more consistency and higher highs, but the end destination remained the same.
Year 2 under John Calipari ended in the same place as year 1, with Arkansas basketball bowing out in the Sweet 16 of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. The No. 4 Razorbacks (28-9) trailed from start-to-finish in a 109-88 loss to No. 1 Arizona (35-2) on Thursday, March 26. The Hogs looked feeble against the Goliath of the West Region as their March Madness run came to a close.
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The Wildcats are advancing to their first Elite Eight under head coach Tommy Lloyd. On the other sideline, John Calipari must wait another season to end a regional final drought that dates back to 2019.
Arkansas basketball defense has no answers for Arizona
The Wildcats put on an offensive clinic to further cement their status as national title favorites.
Arizona scored a whopping 1.39 points per possession against a wobbly Arkansas defense, shooting 63.8% from the field and going 5 for 8 on 3-pointers. At times, it felt like Arkansas' best option was to foul, but the Wildcats went 30 for 39 from the free-throw line.
Arizona landed the knockout punch early in the second half. The Wildcats made their first five shots, which turned an 11-point halftime lead into an 18-point cushion.
Brayden Burries scored 22, and Koa Peat had 21 for Arizona.
Hogs go ice cold from 3-point range
In order to pull off an upset against a physically imposing team that can control the paint with ease, it felt like Arkansas would need to have a hot shooting night from behind-the-arc.
The Razorbacks must have sensed the same. They don't normally hunt 3-pointers, but the Hogs attempted 12 in the first half. They only made two and missed plenty of wide-open looks.
By the time the scoreboard hit triple zeroes, Arkansas was 5 for 23 from 3-point range. Trevon Brazile struggled mightily, going 1 for 6.
Darius Acuff battles in last game as Razorback
A dominant freshman season ended with a thud on the scoreboard, but Acuff was solid in his final game wearing an Arkansas jersey.
The SEC Player of the Year scored 28 points and had three assists in the loss. In the second half, Acuff went to the bench to get his shoulder checked out with an apparent injury. He returned to the floor after a few possessions.
Fellow freshman Meleek Thomas was Arkansas' second-leading scorer with 17 points.
Acuff couldn't lift Arkansas to an Elite Eight, but his lone season in Fayetteville will go down with the greats in Arkansas history.
Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected] or follow him @jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas basketball season ends with Sweet 16 loss to Arizona