Arkansas men’s basketball: Razorback duo sweeps SEC honors prior to facing Royals | The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

FAYETTEVILLE — After a 93-86 win Saturday against then-No. 16 Texas Tech in Dallas, the University of Arkansas men’s basketball team moved up three spots to No. 14 in Monday’s Associated Press poll.

The SEC also announced Monday that forward Trevon Brazile and guard Darius Acuff Jr. swept the league’s player and freshman of the week awards, respectively. Their standout performances helped the Razorbacks redeem a loss to the Red Raiders in last season’s Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

The victory over Texas Tech was Arkansas’ only game of the week. Brazile contributed 24 points and 10 rebounds while Acuff put up 20 points and eight assists. Acuff, the team’s leading scorer at 17.7 points per game, won the freshman award for a second straight week.

Arkansas returns to Walton Arena for a game at 8 p.m. Tuesday against Queens (N.C.), a quick break from facing Power Four opponents. The Razorbacks have won two straight games over ranked teams after losing their first two. They’ll face No. 8 Houston on Saturday in New Jersey.

“Each week that goes by, we seem to be more connected and we can do things out of timeouts,” Arkansas Coach John Calipari said Saturday. “We can do things late in the game that we’ve worked on.

“When you have a new team, which I have every year I’ve coached, you have to go and do the big stuff first. And then you break down, ‘Here’s how we’re playing in these situations.’ “

To contrast a longtime Southwest Conference opponent in Texas Tech, Arkansas has never played Queens. The Razorbacks have, however, faced a team from the Atlantic Sun Conference already this season, routing Central Arkansas 93-56 on Nov. 11 at home.

Queens joined the Atlantic Sun on July 1, 2022, which began a three-year process of reclassifying from Division II to Division I. The Royals were not allowed to compete for NCAA championships during that span, a restriction that was lifted on July 1, 2025.

Queens (5-6) is led by fourth-year Coach Grant Leonard, who compiled a 52-49 record in his first three seasons. Under Leonard, the Royals peaked in winning percentage last season with a 20-15 record and an 11-7 conference mark.

As the No. 6 seed in last season’s ASUN Tournament, Queens took No. 1 seed Lipscomb to overtime in the semifinals but lost 81-75. The team then participated in the College Basketball Invitational and made it to the second round before a 88-73 defeat to Cleveland State.

Queens is coming off a 111-73 loss at Wake Forest on Sunday. Before that, the Royals cleared 100 points in consecutive home wins against Gardner Webb on Dec. 3 and South Carolina State on Dec. 12. Leonard critiqued his team’s second-half defensive effort in the more recent victory.

“This group can be special if we decide that our identity is going to start with defense as a group,” Leonard said Friday. “I’m not sure we have enough guys on the team individually that identify as defensive players. We’re very talented, don’t get me wrong, but we took our foot off the pedal and allowed them to dictate the second half.”

While Queens doesn’t frequently force turnovers or deny many offensive rebounds, its 36.7% three-point percentage ranks 68th in the country. Like current No. 11 Louisville, which Arkansas beat 89-80 on Dec. 3, the Royals tend to shoot a lot from the outside and assist their made baskets. They’re also shooting 76.3% at the free-throw line, which is the 55th-highest percentage nationally.

Queens’ leading scorer and rebounder is senior guard Nasir Mann, who averages 15.3 points and 5.6 boards. Senior guard Chris Ashby, the preseason ASUN Player of the Year, is second with 13.0 points and shooting 40.6% (39 for 96) from three-point range.

Redshirt sophomore forward Carson Schwieger is 41.3% on three-pointers and shot 12 for 23 combined in three games before going 2 for 10 Sunday at Wake Forest. Junior forward Avantae Parker leads scoring in the post with an average of 10.7 points and 4.1 rebounds.

Arkansas will be the second SEC team Queens has faced. The Royals lost 80-62 at No. 17 Ole Miss in December 2024 and trailed 38-33 at halftime. A couple of opposing teams, including Central Arkansas, have kept the score close through the first half at Walton Arena this season.

Tuesday’s game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.

Matt Byrne is the Bob Holt Razorback Reporter, named in honor of the longtime reporter who covered University of Arkansas sports. This position is funded by the ADG Community Journalism Project.