The Razorbacks are adding a new name to their fall slate.
According to a report from HawgSports.com, Arkansas will square off with Virginia at Capital One Arena in Washington D.C. this season.
The report, citing Rocco Miller of Bracketeer.org, says the two sides will tip off in early November.
It will mark the first of five marquee non-conference games lined up for coach John Calipari’s group this year.
Arkansas and Virginia don’t cross paths often. The two schools have only met seven times in program history and haven’t shared a court since 1998.
Every one of those earlier meetings happened somewhere between 1984 and 1998.
That last matchup came at the Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska, where the Hogs pulled out an 85-83 win.
Even with that victory, Virginia still holds the overall series lead at 4-3 and has taken three of the last four meetings between the two teams.
Virginia enters the matchup fresh off one of its stronger seasons in years.
Per On3’s HawgBeat, the Cavaliers finished 30-6 overall and 15-3 in ACC play under coach Ryan Odom before falling to Tennessee in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
This game also gives Arkansas its second matchup against an ACC opponent this season.
The Razorbacks are already set to visit North Carolina on Dec. 1 as part of the SEC/ACC Challenge.
Calipari details loaded non-conference slate
Speaking during a post-practice media session, Calipari confirmed there’s still one more marquee non-conference game waiting to be finalized.
He didn’t share any details but made clear it’s coming.
“There’s another one that’s going to be announced,” Calipari said. “You’re trying to get games at home, games on the road and the home games will match with the road game. And then you’re trying to get some neutral games. Our Thanksgiving game has been the highest-rated game the last three years or two years and this year will be the same.”
Calipari also pointed to the rest of his non-conference lineup as a big reason the Hogs are built for a challenge this winter.
Arkansas is already booked to play Michigan State in Detroit, Indiana at Madison Square Garden and Arizona in Phoenix before heading to North Carolina.
“We’re playing Michigan State in Detroit, playing Indiana in Madison Square Garden, playing Arizona in Phoenix, looking at North Carolina on the road and we got one more,” Calipari said. “We’re maybe the best neutral schedule but we got one more to announce. It’ll be an early early November game that’ll be neutral in a nice arena, nice city.”
Exhibition slate shifts and roster takes shape
Not every planned game is sticking around. Calipari had announced exhibition matchups against Kansas and Memphis on top of an already scheduled game with Gonzaga.
Since then, Michael Swain of Phog.net reported Kansas locked in a third exhibition opponent that isn’t Arkansas, meaning that matchup is off the board.
Even without a third exhibition, the Hogs’ non-conference slate is stacked enough to make up the difference.
This year’s roster will lean heavily on newcomers, with nine freshmen set to join the group and just three upperclassmen projected in the main rotation, Billy Richmond, Jeremiah Wilkinson and Cooper Bowser.
Fans will get their first real look at this Arkansas squad soon.
The Razorbacks open the 2026 Baha Mar Hoops Summer League on Friday, July 31 against the Bahamas National Team, the first of four games in the event.
Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. and the game will stream on FloSports.
Key takeaways
- Arkansas basketball will face Virginia at Capital One Arena in Washington D.C. in early November
- The matchup gives Arkansas its second ACC opponent this season, joining a Dec. 1 trip to North Carolina
- Kansas is off Arkansas’ exhibition slate after the Jayhawks locked in a different third exhibition opponent
