Razorbacks hosting Queens in first-ever basketball meeting in December

Calipari puts together schedule to prepare his team for run in March, facing NCAA teams early and often

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

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas will host Queens University of Charlotte on Dec. 16 at Bud Walton Arena in the teams’ first meeting.

It highlights a non-conference schedule that features several NCAA tournament contenders and marks a milestone season for both programs.

The matchup is part of the Razorbacks’ schedule, which includes games against every team from last year’s NCAA Elite Eight.

Hogs coach John Calipari will also face Duke on Thanksgiving Day at the United Center in Chicago, Louisville in the SEC/ACC Challenge at home, Texas Tech in Dallas and national runner-up Houston in Brooklyn.

“You schedule to your team,” Calipari said in a press conference this summer. “You don’t schedule just to schedule. You’ve got to look and say, ‘OK, where are we? Is this too much for these guys? Are we being fair?’

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

“So yeah, this schedule is good. We’re talking about every team in the Elite Eight we’re playing. We’re also looking at some of the what they’d call buy games against teams that were in the NCAA Tournament a year ago.”

Queens University, which finished 20-15 last season, is entering its first year as a full NCAA Division I member after completing a three-year transition from Division II. The Royals are in the ASUN Conference with full NCAA eligibility that started in July.

The Razorbacks are scheduled to play 17 games against teams that appeared in last season’s NCAA Tournament, including Auburn, Michigan State, Florida, Texas Tech, Duke, Alabama, Houston and Tennessee.

Arkansas’ SEC schedule includes home games against Auburn, LSU, Missouri, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt.

The Razorbacks will travel for road contests against Auburn, LSU, Missouri, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Oklahoma.

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

The Queens game is part of a non-conference slate that also includes Southern (Nov. 3), Central Arkansas (Nov. 11), Louisville (Dec. 3), Texas Tech (Dec. 13), and Houston (Dec. 20).

Arkansas will also play an exhibition game against Memphis in Memphis and a road game at Michigan State, with other matchups to be announced.

The Razorbacks’ schedule is widely regarded as one of the most challenging in the country. Calipari, who took over after a long tenure at Kentucky, has been open about his philosophy of testing teams early in the season.

The Razorbacks open the season with an exhibition against Memphis, followed by contests with Southern and Central Arkansas before heading to Chicago to face Duke in the CBS Sports Thanksgiving Classic.

Games against Louisville, Texas Tech, Queens, and Houston round out a non-conference slate designed to challenge the team ahead of SEC competition.