Calipari's brutal scheduling gauntlet for season coming more into focus

Razorbacks' official game times, TV broadcast details reveal spicy big-stage matchups

Razorbacks coach John Calipari at practice at the Eddie Sutton Practice Center in Fayetteville, Ark. | Andy Hodges-Hogs on SI Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The general consensus is Arkansas may be facing their toughest schedule in program history.

That's thanks to coach John Calipari putting together a brutal non-conference slate to go with the 18-game SEC gauntlet in what should be a second consecutive season that the league will be the toughest in all of college basketball.

Coming into Tuesday, we already knew all 31 opponents and game sites as well as most of the game dates, but now we know a lot more including television designations.

Arkansas on Tuesday announced it has finalized: a) all league-game playing dates, b) all but one game time, and c) all but one of its broadcast designations for its recently released 2025-26 schedule.

It's a schedule that includes two worthy opponents in exhibition play, five nationally relevant non-conference opponents among the 13 total, and of course 18 SEC games that were previously disclosed.

The Razorbacks will play twice on CBS national television, a total of 16 times on the ESPN family of networks (ESPN/2/U), and another 12 times on the SEC Network's two platforms (SECN or SECN Plus livestream).

The only game for which a television designation has not been finalized is the Hoop Hogs' second game of the regular season, a road tilt at Michigan State with a tip off time of 6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 8, in East Lansing, Mich.

Your Arkansas Men's Basketball schedule with TV times and Networks! 📺📺

What game are you looking forward to most? pic.twitter.com/YEWOeeh5ge

— TorresOnArkansas (@TorresOnTheHogs) October 7, 2025

Entire 31-game schedule

• Oct. 12 Tip Off scrimmage (3 p.m., Bank OZK Arena in Hot Springs)
• Oct. 24 CHARITY EXHIBITION Cincinnati (7 p.m., BWA, SEC Network Plus livestream)
• Oct. 27 CHARITY EXHIBITION @ Memphis (8 p.m., ESPNU)
• Nov. 3 Southern (6 p.m., BWA, SEC Network)
• Nov. 8 @ Michigan State (6 p.m., broadcast designation remains TBA)
• Nov. 11 UCA (7 p.m., BWA, SEC Network Plus livestream)
• Nov. 14 Samford (7 p.m., BWA, SEC Network Plus livestream)
• Nov. 18 Winthrop (7 p.m., MTE at BWA, SEC Network Plus livestream)
• Nov. 21 Jackson State (7 p.m., MTE at BWA, SEC Network Plus livestream)
• Nov. 27 Duke (7 p.m., United Center in Chicago, CBS)
• Dec. 3 Louisville ACC/SEC Challenge (6 p.m., BWA, ESPN)
• Dec. 6 Fresno State (3 p.m., Simmons Bank Arena in NLR, SEC Network Plus livestream)
• Dec. 13 Texas Tech (11 a.m., American Airlines Center in Dallas, ESPN2)
• Dec. 16 Queens (8 p.m., BWA, SEC Network)
• Dec. 20 Houston (4:30 p.m., Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, CBS)
• Dec. 29 James Madison (7 p.m., MTE at BWA, SEC Network Plus livestream)
• Jan. 3 Tennessee (2 p.m., BWA, ESPN2)
• Jan. 7 @ Ole Miss (8 p.m., SEC Network)
• Jan. 10 @ Auburn (5 p.m., ESPN/2)
• Jan. 14 South Carolina (8 p.m., BWA, SEC Network)
• Jan. 17 @ Georgia (3 p.m., ESPN/2/U))
• Jan. 20 Vanderbilt (8 p.m., BWA, ESPN/2/U)
• Jan. 24 LSU (7:30 p.m., BWA, SEC Network)
• Jan. 27 @ Oklahoma (6 p.m., ESPN/2)
• Jan. 31  Kentucky (5:30 p.m., ESPN)
• Feb. 3/4 BYE
• Feb. 7 @ Mississippi State (11 a.m., ESPN/2)
• Feb. 10 @ LSU (8 p.m., SEC Network)
• Feb. 14 Auburn (7:30 p.m., BWA, ESPN/2)
• Feb. 18 @ Alabama (6 p.m., ESPN/2/U)
• Feb. 21 Missouri (3 or 3:30 p.m., BWA, ESPN/2)
• Feb. 25 Texas A&M (8 p.m., BWA, ESPN/2/U)
• Feb. 28 @ Florida (7:30 p.m., ESPN/2)
• March 4 Texas (6 p.m., BWA, ESPN/2/U)
• March 7 @ Missouri (11 a.m., ESPN/2/U)
• March 11-15 SEC Tournament (Nashville, Tenn. – Bridgestone Arena)
• March 19-22 NCAA 1st/2nd rounds
• March 26-29 NCAAT Regionals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight)
• April 4 & 6 NCAAT Final Four/Championship