Calipari, Arkansas finally release full 2025-26 non-conference schedule

Razorbacks to do battle in five mega matchups in November and December

John Calipari points from the sideline in his first official game as Razorback head coach against Lipscomb. The Razorbacks won 76-60. | Nilsen Roman - Hogs on SI

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -• Arkansas finally, officially released its 13-game 2025-26 non-conference schedule on Wednesday.

The Razorbacks' season-opener against Southern of the Southwestern Athletic Conference is set for Monday, Nov. 3, and Bud Walton Arena.

The non-conference schedule is finalized. Overall, the Hogs’ regular-season opponents include:
- All 8 2025 NCAA Elite 8 teams
-18 teams from last year’s NCAA Tourney
- 9 conference champions from last year
- 22 teams that won at least 20 games last year #WPS pic.twitter.com/PcDVSjZJda

— Arkansas Razorbacks Men’s Basketball 🐗 (@RazorbackMBB) September 17, 2025

The headline games are November and December matchups against ...

• Michigan State (on the road, Nov. 8)

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

• Louisville (home game at BWA as part of the third annual ACC/SEC Challenge, Dec. 3)

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

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

The Razorbacks will make a return to central Arkansas to play their annual December game at Simmons Bank Arena in North Little Rock, and this season the opponent is Fresno State of the Mountain West Conference (Dec. 6).

Arkansas will also host a three-team MTE (multi-team event) that essentially provides two home games against Winthrop and Jackson State, both in late November.

Arkansas will also host in-state Division 1 foe UCA in early November in BWA. It marks the fourth time in the past five seasons that the two teams will have met.

Putting in work pic.twitter.com/KV9DrPO96u

— Arkansas Razorbacks Men’s Basketball 🐗 (@RazorbackMBB) September 17, 2025

The Hogs also have three exhibitions in October: a Tip Off intra-squad scrimmage in Hot Springs midway through the month followed by charity exhibition games against Cincinnati and Memphis later in the month.

Given that Arkansas' full 18-game SEC slate has been known publicly for weeks, we now have the entire 31-game regular-season schedule

• Oct. 12 Tip Off scrimmage (3 p.m. CT, Bank OZK Arena in Hot Springs)
• Oct. 24 CHARITY EXHIBITION Cincinnati (BWA)
• Oct. 27 CHARITY EXHIBITION @ Memphis (ESPNU)
• Nov. 3 Southern (BWA)
• Nov. 8 @ Michigan State
• Nov. 11 UCA (BWA)
• Nov. 14 Samford (BWA)
• Nov. 18 Winthrop (MTE @ BWA)
• Nov. 21 Jackson State (MTE @ BWA)
• Nov. 27 Duke (Chicago)
• Dec. 3 Louisville ACC/SEC Challenge (BWA)
• Dec. 6 Fresno State (NLR)
• Dec. 13 Texas Tech (Dallas)
• Dec. 16 Queens (BWA)
• Dec. 20 Houston (Brooklyn)
• 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)