The second weekend of this NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament is shaping up to be an all timer. When you look around Thursday night, perhaps the two most interesting games of the entire Sweet 16 will be tipping off within 30 minutes of each other. My colleague Jordan did a fantastic job breaking down the matchup between Keaton Wagler and Kingston Flemings. In the other nightcap, Darius Acuff and the Arkansas Razorbacks are set to face off against Brayden Burries and the Arizona Wildcats in San Jose.
Perhaps no prospect has enjoyed a more precipitous rise than Darius Acuff. The SEC’s player of the year has been phenomenal on the offensive end the entire year, averaging 23.3 points and 6.5 assists per game. Acuff is shooting a truly outrageous 44.6% from three on nearly six attempts per game, including over 50% on catch and shoot attempts. His numbers from deep have masked his very pedestrian two-point numbers, as he is only just above 50% on the season from inside the long line. That’s a testament to his shot diet, which is often not consisting of layups. In the tournament, Acuff is averaging 30 points per game, including a 36-point outing against High Point.
Brayden Burries is nothing if not consistent. Whenever he and his Wildcats take the floor, you just know what you’re getting. Burries, a true freshman, is leading the veteran-laden Cats in scoring at 16 points per game, which is a testament to how much his teammates believe in him. Arizona doesn’t shoot much from three, but Burries has proven to be one of their best options from behind the arc, as he is shooting 39.2% from deep on over four attempts per contest. Often playing off of main guard Jaden Bradley, Burries has made a nice living as a secondary creator, often lining up hockey assists while keeping the ball moving. Burries is a very solid defender, which you have to be under Tommy Lloyd. On the season, he is averaging over a steal and a half per game, while being one of the best rebounding guards in the country.
What Acuff needs to show
Arizona is uniquely suited for this matchup. Between Burries, Jaden Bradley and even Ivan Kharchenkov, the Cats can throw so many bodies at Acuff to give him different looks. And behind the guys on the perimeter, Mo Krivas is a mountain at center who could be a first round pick this summer. Acuff has shown the ability to beat almost anybody, but he hasn’t seen anything quite like this Arizona team all year. This is a real test, and if Acuff can be at his efficient best against this group, consider the test passed.
Lastly, it wouldn’t be a Darius Acuff discussion if we didn’t bring up the elephant in the room. Acuff is one of the worst defenders in college basketball, and he will have absolutely nowhere to hide in this matchup. If he takes Jaden Bradley, Acuff will be involved in almost every offensive action that Arizona runs. For a guy who can be a space cadet, that’s not necessarily the best option. So, let’s say he draws Burries. Well, as mentioned above, Burries is a great secondary creator, provides spacing from deep and is one of the best rebounding guards in the country. There might be more work involved in that cover than against Bradley, just because of how good Burries is on the glass. There’s just no other choice, Darius Acuff has to put up his best defensive performance of the year in this game in order to advance to the Elite Eight.
What Burries needs to show
What does Brayden Burries have for Darius Acuff defensively? Arizona is a very good defensive team, led by one of the best coaches in the sport. As noted above, they have a ton to throw at Acuff. But individually, things will be a lot easier for them if they can keep Acuff in front, forcing him into contested jumpers. Whether it’s Acuff or Meleek Thomas, Burries will have a challenging matchup. Rising to the occasion here would go a long way towards moving into that top eight discussion on draft night.
On the offensive side of the ball, Burries was phenomenal against Utah State in their second-round win, scoring 16 on just seven shot attempts. So far in the tournament, Burries is a blistering seven-for-eight from three, including the above three that was from NBA range. In fact, outside of a very strange night against Iowa State in the Big 12 Tournament, Burries has been on fire over his last five games. Each of those games has taken place on a neutral court, which is also a unique wrinkle to this. I will be watching Brayden’s offensive activity very closely early on. If he has it going, Arizona is almost unbeatable.
