FAYETTEVILLE -- Saturday night will be a big early showdown in college basketball with No. 14 Arkansas in East Lansing to take on No. 22 Michigan State.

Arkansas (1-0) and Michigan State (1-0) both won their openers. Arkansas blasted Southern 109-77 while Michigan State dropped Colgate 80-69. Arkansas freshman guard Darius Acuff Jr. had an outstanding first game. Acuff had 22 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and a block. On Thursday Acuff provided a bit of scouting report on the Spartans.

"They play real hard," Acuff said. "I see that for sure. They play fast on offense, so we’ve got to get back in transition for sure. But the main thing that stands out is they play really hard and we know it’s going to be a dogfight, so we have to be ready for it."

It will be the sixth time that John Calipari has coached against Tom Izzo.

"I've never coached in that arena and they tell me the arena's crazy," Calipari said. "So it's gonna be. Yeah, I have not been, so I'm kind of excited about that. I don't like coaching against friends. I think Tom's the same way. Like, if we win, I'll be excited and I'll see him and I'll feel like crap and he'll be the same way, you know? Um. But no, we're playing it. He'll come here next year. It's a great home and home. He's a Hall of Famer, and he's a great friend. He and I get on the phone with our wives listening and just laugh for 45 minutes, and then we feel better to go forward with all the crap we're dealing with. Terrific coach, terrific person, and I'm proud about calling him my friend."

Michigan State is a very physical team. The Razorbacks played Memphis in an exhibition game. How much did they prepare you for Michigan State?

"Yeah, it definitely helped a lot," Acuff said. "Memphis was definitely a little physical. I think Cincinnati was a little physical, too. But I think we’re ready for it. We play against each other every day. We’re physical with each other, so it’s something we gotta do in a game against other people."

For Acuff, it will be a chance to go back to his home state. Something that has him excited.

"Very excited," Acuff said. "I haven’t played there in about 2.5 years, since the state championship game my sophomore year. It’s going to feel good going back. I’m just ready to see everybody back home."

Acuff didn't speculate when asked how many people he will have there.

"No, it’s going to be too many though," Acuff said laughing. "I can’t count right now because new people are telling me every day they’re coming that I didn’t think would come because I thought they had… It’s some of my friends that’s in college that’s playing, but they’re coming because they don’t have a game that day. It’s different people every day. I don’t know."

On Monday night against Southern, Acuff scored 20 points in the first half and was unstoppable.

"I don’t know. I just subbed back in, was back there ready to play," Acuff said. "I don’t really know what happened. I think my teammates just found me, I think I got three open shots so that was great, and then I got the and-1, so. I was kind of in the groove a little bit. So it was just great to get in that groove real quick, felt good, but definitely credit to my" teammates. They found me."

Acuff was a Michigan fan growing up, but Izzo did recruit him for the Spartans.

"Yeah, definitely," Acuff said. "Coach Izzo came to my school, tenth grade. I got a lot of respect for coach Izzo. He recruited me a lot, a little bit in that summertime. And then, you know, ultimately, I came here, of course, but I got a lot of respect for coach."

Michigan State guard Jeremiah Fears Jr. had 14 points, 5 rebounds and 10 assists against Colgate.

"He got a great pace," Acuff said. "He plays the point guard very well. A lot of Izzo point guards play that way. Like you say, he got a double-double, so we know he can pass. But you just got to stay in front. He's a great point guard for sure. Great college point guard and it's gonna be a good matchup for sure."

Acuff is going to continue shooting up draft boards with more performances like Monday. How does he stay grounded?

"That's how I was raised, just to stay humble at all times," Acuff said. "Can't get too hype, can't get too low. But I think that's my character though, just being myself. I'm not really a hyper person, so just being that way my whole life. Just building who I am every day is definitely great. Yeah, I see it sometimes, but I try not to pay too much attention to it. But it's great definitely to know that I'm considered a top player."

Arkansas and Michigan State will tip at 6 p.m. saturday and televised on Fox.