Can Hogs-Duke on Thanksgiving set new record? Calipari takes guess

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — If Arkansas has played a bigger basketball game on Thanksgiving night, it's escaping my memory.

There are a few football games played during the day here and there that were big. Nothing while everyone was trying to wind down after stuffing themselves and watching football all day.

Now a game between Arkansas and Duke at the United Center is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated games in recent memory.

Razorbacks coach John Calipari is predicting it could draw the largest regular-season television audience in a decade.

The Hogs and Blue Devils are scheduled to meet in the CBS Sports Thanksgiving Classic that will tip off at 7 p.m. on Nov. 27.

The primetime slot, paired with two of the sport’s most recognizable programs, has generated early buzz among fans and media, and could set a new viewership standard for regular-season college basketball.

“Our game last year with Illinois was the highest-rated regular season game,” Calipari told CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein. “This game with Duke, my guess is it might be the highest regular season game in the last decade. When it’s played, where it is, who we’re playing. So I’m excited.”

Last year’s Arkansas-Illinois Thanksgiving game averaged 5.1 million viewers, making it the second-most watched regular-season college basketball game since 2008, according to CBS Sports.

With Duke’s national fan base and the holiday timing, Calipari believes the numbers could go even higher this year.

Arkansas enters Calipari’s second season with momentum after reaching the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. The Razorbacks finished 22-14, rebounding from a difficult start in SEC play to advance with wins over Kansas and St. John’s.

ESPN rates Arkansas as the team with the most returning production in the SEC, a group that includes guard DJ Wagner and forward Karter Knox.

The program also added five-star freshmen Darius Acuff and Meleek Thomas, as well as several transfers.

Calipari said he intentionally built a challenging nonconference schedule. In addition to Duke, Arkansas will face Louisville, Texas Tech, Houston and Michigan State.

“I did that schedule because I felt comfortable with my team,” Calipari said. “Last year, we had a schedule, but I wasn’t so comfortable because I didn’t know the guys. We were trying to figure each other out and we were injured like crazy.

“Hopefully we stay away from that bug this year. Last year, we practiced with five guys a month. Thank God I had GAs that could still play.”

Duke, under coach Jon Scheyer, continues to be a perennial force in college basketball.

The Blue Devils routinely attract large television audiences, particularly in high-profile games.

Duke’s 2022 Final Four matchup with North Carolina drew more than 18 million viewers, one of the largest audiences for a college basketball game in recent years.

The college basketball television landscape has grown more crowded, but marquee games still deliver big audiences. ESPN’s “Sonic Blockbuster” broadcasts averaged 1.9 million viewers last season, the network’s best showing since 2018.

“This game with Duke, my guess is it might be the highest regular season game in the last decade,” Calipari said. “When it’s played, where it is, who we’re playing. So I’m excited.”

If Calipari’s prediction holds, the Thanksgiving night tilt in Chicago will set a new bar for regular-season viewership, highlighting the continued appeal of college basketball’s biggest names and brightest stages.

And put the Razorbacks solidly back among the elite. That's what fans expected when Calipari was hired.

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