Arizona vs Arkansas live updates: Prediction, time, how to watch Sweet 16 game

Freshmen are going to be the story in the Sweet 16 matchup between Arizona and Arkansas . The Wildcats start three freshmen, while the Razorbacks are led by freshman Darius Acuff Jr. , who was named SEC Player of the Year and has been on a massive heater .

Arkansas coach John Calipari is no stranger to leaning on freshman guards to NCAA Tournament success, having coached the likes of Derrick Rose, John Wall and De'Aaron Fox. Tommy Lloyd mix-master: Arizona coach by day, aspiring DJ on the side John Calipari played possum: Now, he's got Arkansas back to Sweet 16 Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd bucked the trend of going with older, more-established players via the transfer portal, citing a desire to stay away from "overpriced" talent in the NIL era. “Age don’t matter,” 19-year-old Arizona freshman guard Dwayne Aristode told USA TODAY Sports.

“If you’re good, you’re good. ” Perhaps no freshman has been as impressive as Acuff . "You look at him now, he's like all the best players that I've coached," Calipari said on Wednesday.

"He's like that. " The winner of tonight's Sweet 16 game advances to play the winner of Purdue/Texas in Saturday's Elite Eight. Here's what you need to know for tonight's game, including predictions and NBA draft projections of the game's stars: HIT REFRESH FOR UPDATES.