Basketball (M)

#17 Arkansas Runs Past South Carolina

January 14, 2026
Final Stats

FAYETTEVILLE – Razorback rookies Meleek Thomas (21 points and four steals) and Darius Acuff Jr. (18 points and 13 assists) led #17 Arkansas to a 108-74 victory over South Carolina Wednesday night at Bud Walton Arena.

Acuff’s 13 assists helped Arkansas dish out a season-high 27 assists, and the Razorbacks only committed four turnovers.  The Razorbacks also dominated in the specialty stats, outscoring South Carolina 22-2 in points off turnovers, 66-36 in points in the paint, 32-7 in fastbreak points, and 47-15 in bench scoring.

Thomas only missed one shot (8-of-9 FG • 5-of-5 3PT) in breaking the 20-point barrier for the fourth time this season. Acuff recorded his third double-double with his 13 assists tying for sixth-most by a Razorback in a game, second-most by a Razorback in an SEC game and second-most by a Razorback freshman.

For Arkansas, this was the fifth time to score at least 100 points and the 108 total tied for the sixth-most in an SEC game. The Hog’s 34-point victory ties for the sixth-largest margin of victory in an SEC game.

Arkansas used an early 12-2 run to lead 22-12 early in the first half and cruised the rest of the way. Arkansas also had a 16-1 run early in the second half to seal the victory with 14 minutes to play.

Former Gamecock Nick Pringle scored a season-high 15 points with seven rebounds (six on the offensive end) – one shy of a season high – and he tied a season-high with three assists. Malique Ewin added 18 points, Trevon Brazile scored 13 and D.J. Wagner contributed 12.

Meechie Johnson was the only Gamecock to score in double figures, but he led all scorers with 29 points.

Arkansas hits the road to face #21/22 Georgia on Saturday (Jan. 17). Tipoff at Stegeman Coliseum is set for 4 pm (ET) / 3 pm (CT) and the game will be televised on ESPN2.

FIRST HALF: ARK: 50 – USC: 38

  • Arkansas led for 17:55 and dominated the specialty stats. The Hogs outscored the Gamecocks 10-0 in points off turnovers, 32-12 in points in the paint, 10-6 in second-chance points, 15-0 in fastbreak points and 22-4 in bench points.
  • Arkansas used a 12-2 run early in the game to take a 22-12 lead and led comfortably the rest of the period.
  • Malique Ewin came off the bench and led Arkansas with 12 points. Meleek Thomas added eight points off the bench.
  • Darius Acuff Jr. had 6 assists, which matched the team total for South Carolina in the first half.
  • Billy Richmond III had three steals and two blocked shots.
  • Meechie Johnson led South Carolina with 17 points.
  • This marks the third time Arkansas has scored at least 50 points in the first half.
  • In fact, Arkansas is now 12-0 all-time in Fayetteville (both Barnhill Arena and Bud Walton Arena) in SEC games when scoring at least 50 points in the first half. The last time Arkansas scored at least 50 in the first half was 55 versus LSU on Mar. 4, 2020. (HogStats)

SECOND HALF: ARK: 58 – USC: 36

  • By adding 58 second-half points to go along with 50 first-half points, Arkansas has scored at least 50 in any half this season 10 times.
  • Wagner scored all 12 of his points in the second half.
  • Arkansas shot 69.7% from the field in the second half.

NOTES:

  • Arkansas’ starting lineup was Darius Acuff Jr., D.J. Wagner, Billy Richmond III, Trevon Brazile and Nick Pringle. It is the third time this lineup has been used, but the first time since the first two games of the season (2-1).
  • Nick Pringle scored the game’s first points, a dunk at 19:44.
  • Arkansas’s first subs were Meleek Thomas, Malique Ewin and Karter Knox.
  • Arkansas and South Carolina have now met on 43 previous occasions, all coming since the Gamecocks and Razorbacks joined the SEC for the 1991-92 season.
  • Arkansas owns a 25-18 advantage in the series, including a 13-6 margin in games played in Fayetteville, and winning 10 of the last 16 in the series.
  • Arkansas continues to rank among the NCAA leaders in fastbreak points (3rd at 20.4 ppg) and 3-point percentage (12th at 39.2% – which leads the SEC).
  • John Calipari now has 890 career wins and is 10 shy of 900.

For more­­ information on Arkansas Men’s Basketball, follow @RazorbackMBB on X, Instagram and Facebook.

Powered by