Information from Arkansas Communications is included in this story.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas gets its first look at a ranked opponent this weekend, and the score won’t even count.
The Razorbacks host Gonzaga in an exhibition Saturday, Oct. 24, at Bud Walton Arena at 3 p.m. The game will stream on SEC Network+.
Gonzaga comes in at No. 15 in the AP poll and No. 12 in the coaches poll. That’s a pretty good team to book for what is technically a practice with a crowd.
The Hogs are right there with the Bulldogs. Arkansas sits at No. 12 in the preseason AP Top 25 and No. 13 in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
John Calipari and Mark Few will be on opposite benches. Both are in the Naismith Hall of Fame, which is a lot of hardware for a game that won’t show up in anybody’s record book.
The ranking isn’t hard to figure out if you look back at the last two seasons. Arkansas made the Sweet 16 both times.
Calipari also signed the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class this offseason. Voters tend to notice that kind of thing.
Where the Hogs fit in SEC
Florida starts the year at No. 1 in both polls.
In the AP poll, the Razorbacks are the fourth-highest SEC team. Texas is No. 7 and Tennessee is No. 8.
Alabama (No. 20), Kentucky (No. 23) and Vanderbilt (No. 24) also made the AP list.
The coaches shuffled things around a little. Their poll has Texas at No. 7, Tennessee at No. 9 and Arkansas at No. 13, with Alabama at No. 18, Vanderbilt at No. 21 and Kentucky at No. 23.
Missouri, Texas A&M and Auburn picked up votes in both polls but didn’t crack the top 25.
League media picked Arkansas to finish third in the SEC. So for once, the writers and the pollsters mostly see it the same way.
Ranked teams on nonconference schedule
The games outside the league won’t give the Hogs much of a breather. Three of their nonconference opponents are in the top 10 of both polls.
Arizona is the highest of the bunch. The Wildcats are No. 5 in the AP poll and No. 4 with the coaches.
Michigan State is No. 6 in both.
Virginia checks in at No. 9 in the AP poll and No. 10 in the coaches poll.
North Carolina and Indiana aren’t far behind. Both drew votes in each poll.
That gives Arkansas plenty of chances to prove the voters right or wrong before conference play ever starts.
One more tuneup before opener
Gonzaga isn’t the only exhibition on the calendar. Memphis visits Bud Walton Arena on Wednesday, Oct. 28.
That game tips at 7 p.m. and will also be on SEC Network+.
If you’ve got season tickets, don’t assume you’re covered for these two. Neither exhibition is part of the 2026-27 package, so you’ll need to buy exhibition tickets separately.
The games that count start Tuesday, Nov. 3, when the Razorbacks host UAPB.
Believe it or not, the two schools have never played each other. That night will be the first meeting.
By then, Arkansas will have two games against quality teams on film. Gonzaga gets the first crack Saturday afternoon.
