Arkansas Adds Non-Conference Game Against ACC Opponent in Washington D.C.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Another marquee non-conference matchup can be added to Arkansas' 2026-27 schedule.

According to The Bracketeer's website, Arkansas and Virginia are slated to play this fall at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. Arkansas head coach John Calipari hinted multiple times Monday that anothe major neutral site matchup would be added to Arkansas' non-conference schedule.

"We got another one that's going to be announced," Calipari said. "It'll be an early November game that'll be neutral in a nice arena, nice city."

John Calipari: “We did everything we could to get another home game, legitimate. No one would play us. I mean, listen to me … we were calling the president. ‘Will you play us here?’”

Watch Calipari's full press conference ⤵️https://t.co/uvfbCrI06C pic.twitter.com/2cNYqqmnSt
— WholeHogSports.com (@wholehogsports) July 27, 2026

Capital One Arena is the home to the NBA's Washington Wizards and the NHL's Washington Capitals.

While there's not yet a specific date for the tilt between the Razorbacks and Cavaliers, it very well could be Arkansas' first big game of the season if it does take place in early November as Calipari said.

Arkansas will play Indiana in Madison Square Garden on Nov. 17, Michigan State in Detroit on Thanksgiving, North Carolina in Chapel Hill on Dec. 1 and Arizona in Phoenix on Dec. 19.

The Razorbacks also have an exhibition game scheduled against Gonzaga in Fayetteville, with other exhibitions against Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse and Memphis in Bud Walton Arena in the works.

Virginia is coming off of a 30-6 2025-26 campaign under head coach Ryan Odom, who is entering his second season at UVA. The Cavaliers finished second in the ACC regular season standings behind Duke and lost to the Blue Devlls in the ACC Championship Game.

UVA earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament but was eliminated in the Round of 32 by Tennessee.

Per HogStats, Arkansas is 3-4 all-time against Virginia, though the two schools haven't played each other since November 1998, when they met in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Arkansas won that game 85-83 and has won three of the last four games in the series.

Arkansas has only hosted Virginia in Fayetteville once, though the Cavaliers played host to Arkansas in Charlottesville twice.

The two programs have also played in Pine Bluff, Kansas City and East Rutherford, New Jersey, the last of which was the site of the teams' first matchup in the 1984 NCAA Tournament.

The November tussle between Arkansas and Virginia should be an excellent test for Calipari's young team and an opportunity for Arkansas to win a marquee game on a national stage in the nation's capital.

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