Hogs Have Week That Could Put Them on Rocket to Success

However, plenty of potential for Arkansas Razorbacks to fall flat on face in SEC this week

Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari against the Texas Longhorns at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark. | Nilsen Roman-HitThatLine.com

The Arkansas Razorbacks have a huge week ahead of them, the type of which could either slingshot the Hogs on a heater the likes of which hasn't been seen in Northwest Arkansas since the mid-1990s, or it could be a major stumbling block that could disrupt team chemistry and confidence.

Headed to Oklahoma

Tuesday night the Hogs hit the road for Norman to take on an Oklahoma Sooners team that was rolling until SEC play kicked in. Since then, Porter Moser's team has dropped six in a row.

However, the last time Oklahoma was at home, the Sooners had a late burst that left them with a wide open shot for the win and a great look at the tap in at the rim for the tie against No. 17 Alabama, but both came up short. Also, if Moser can't find a way to break this streak, the locals could start to get a little grumpy.

He has back-to-back 20-win seasons, which is the equivalent to running off consecutive eight win seasons with Razorbacks football right now, but there is no NCAA Tournament win to show for it, nor an ability to maintain early season rankings.

It should be noted the Sooners started SEC play on a strong positive note by routing an Ole Miss team, 86-70, that nearly took down the Hogs in Oxford. It's also worth pointing out that Oklahoma tends to play in front of a sparse, very quiet crowd, which is something that has shown to throw Arkansas off quite a bit.

Kentucky headlines Hogs' weekend

While Tuesday offers more of a cautionary tale more than anything, Saturday is a giant flashing "Beach Closed!" sign that should have been put up during the original "Jaws" movie. Kentucky is not only on fire, its team is looking for revenge and its coach is anxious to shut Big Blue Nation up when it comes to all of the John Calipari chatter.

For the record, the people of Arkansas have also had their fill of Kentucky fans jumping onto Razorbacks message boards and social media to talk about Calipari. No matter how mundane a post may be, there is always a Kentucky fan waiting to comment.

More than 20,000 in Rupp

— PeggyGCatFan (@BBNcatfan_peggy) January 25, 2026

The Wildcats have won five in a row to pull into a tie with Arkansas and Florida for second place in the SEC behind a Texas A&M team that is at the bottom of the "Receiving Votes" section of the AP poll despite being 16-4 overall and 6-1 in the SEC.

The good news for Arkansas is Kentucky is very similar to the Razorbacks when it comes to road games. The Wildcats lost early in SEC play at Alabama, 89-74, then barely squeaked out road wins while at their hottest at LSU, 75-74, and at currently unranked Tennessee, 80-78.

Kentucky will have its hands full with a mid-week game against No. 15 Vanderbilt, which snapped a three-game losing streak following a blowout loss at Arkansas by pulling off a huge blowout win of its own on the road in Starkville over Mississippi State, 88-56.

That sudden resurgence is a huge red flag for Mark Pope and his Wildcats. It's a strong sign the Commodores could serve as a trap game if Kentucky gets too obsessed with Arkansas before it's time to play them.

However, if the Wildcats survive Vanderbilt, Saturday will be approached as if it's the national championship game. After Kentucky dropped a home game earlier in the season, fans took to social media and blogs to rip off expletive filled rants about Pope being failed and wistfully wish Calipari was back in Lexington.

Pope is sick of the comparisons, so he is going to be desperate for a win. Also, knocking off a ranked Vandy team followed by a ranked Razorbacks team should be more than enough to get Kentucky back into the rankings once again.

It was the game at Rupp against the Wildcats that salvaged last year's season and gave Arkansas just enough to get into the NCAA Tournament and make a Sweet 16 run after things had looked their bleakest. It's not unreasonable to suspect Kentucky things a win in Fayetteville can have the same effect.