Calipari, Arkansas apparently have completed 13-game non-conference schedule

Five mega-games against high major foes highlight Razorbacks games now completed as far as dates

Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari during the first half of a second round men’s NCAA Tournament game against the St. John's Red Storm at Amica Mutual Pavilion. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — While it has not been officially announced yet, Arkansas' entire 13-game non-conference schedule appears to be set.

Coupled with the Razorbacks' 18-game SEC slate that was publicly released weeks ago, the team's full 31-game schedule for 2025-26 is apparently complete.

The Hogs' non-conference play is headlined by five mega-games.

• Michigan State (road game on Nov. 8)

• Duke (neutral-site game on Nov. 27 in Chicago)

• Louisville (home game at BWA on Dec. 3 in the third annual ACC-SEC Challenge)

• Texas Tech (neutral-site game on Dec. 13 in Dallas)

• Houston (neutral-site game on Dec. 20 in Newark, N.J.)

Four of those five programs (all except for Louisville) competed in last season's NCAA Tournament Elite Eight. 

Combine that with the fact the Hogs will face four SEC teams that also competed in last season's Elite Eight (defending national champion Florida, Auburn, Alabama, and Tennessee), it means Arkansas will take on the entire Elite Eight field from the '24-25 campaign.

All of those teams are expected to enter the upcoming season with national Top 25 rankings, and in some cases Top 10 rankings.

Hoopin' Hogs pic.twitter.com/2dChaTDfZm

— Arkansas Razorbacks Men’s Basketball 🐗 (@RazorbackMBB) September 11, 2025

Razorbacks to host in-state D1 opponent once again 

Arkansas will host in-state Division 1 foe University of Central Arkansas (UCA) at Bud Walton Arena on Nov. 11. It's the fourth time in the last six years the Hogs and Bears will meet during the regular season.

The Razorbacks once again will play at Simmons Bank Arena in North Little Rock. The opponent is Fresno State of the Mountain West Conference.

But instead of the annual December tilt, the Hogs will play the Bulldogs on Nov. 14.

Arkansas is also involved in a three-team MTE (multi-team event) that equates to two home games against Winthrop (Nov. 18) and Jackson State (Nov. 21).

The Razorbacks will host a total of eight opponents at BWA: In addition to the aforementioned home games against Louisville, UCA, Winthrop, and Jackson State, Arkansas will play host to Southern in the season-opener (Nov. 3), Samford (Dec. 6), Queens (Dec. 16), and James Madison in the non-conference finals (Dec. 29).

Arkansas' '25-26 regular-season schedule (31 games) 

• Oct. 27 CHARITY EXHIBITION @ Memphis (ESPNU)

• Nov. 3 Southern (BWA)

• Nov. 8 @ Michigan State

• Nov. 11 UCA (BWA)

• Nov. 14 Fresno State (North Little Rock)

• Nov. 18 Winthrop (MTE @ BWA)

• Nov. 21 Jackson State (MTE @ BWA)

• Nov. 27 Duke (Chicago)

• Dec. 3 Louisville ACC/SEC Challenge (BWA)

• Dec. 6 Samford BWA)

• Dec. 13 Texas Tech (Dallas)

• Dec. 16 Queens (BWA)

• Dec. 20 Houston (Newark, NJ)

• Dec. 29 James Madison (BWA)

• Jan. 3 Tennessee @ BWA

• Jan. 6 or 7 @ Ole Miss

• Jan. 10 @ Auburn

• Jan. 13 or 14 South Carolina @ BWA

• Jan. 17 @ Georgia

• Jan. 20 or 21 Vanderbilt @ BWA

• Jan. 24 LSU @ BWA

• Jan. 27 or 28 @ Oklahoma

• Jan. 31 Kentucky @ BWA

• Feb. 3/4 BYE

• Feb. 7 @ Mississippi State

• Feb. 10 or 11 @ LSU

• Feb. 14 Auburn @ BWA

• Feb. 17 or 18 @ Alabama

• Feb. 21 Missouri @ BWA

• Feb. 24 or 25 Texas A&M @ BWA

• Feb. 28 @ Florida

• March 3 or 4 Texas @ BWA

• March 7 @ Missouri

• March 11-15 SEC Tournament (Nashville, Tenn. – Bridgestone Arena)