Arkansas basketball fans just got a bonus surprise from their own head coach.
John Calipari let it slip on Monday that the Razorbacks will add two more exhibition games to next season’s slate, and he almost seemed shocked that nobody had made it official yet.
During a post-practice media session, Calipari told reporters the Hogs are set to play Kansas and Memphis before the regular season begins.
He didn’t sound totally sure the news was ready to go public.
“Is the Kansas thing on?” Calipari asked. “I think it is, right? I think we’re doing Memphis and Kansas and Gonzaga in exhibitions.”
He turned to his own staff for backup and got nothing but shrugs in return.
Calipari jokes about not knowing schedule
Calipari laughed off the mix-up and admitted he doesn’t handle those details himself.
“Look, they tell me which seat to get on, on the bus,” Calipari joked. “The front right. Sometimes they’ll tell me what time it leaves. But those are the three (exhibitions).
“I can’t tell you the rest of the schedule, but there’s some other teams on there from, maybe, below Power 4, but right there. So there will be a couple of those.”
Arkansas had already announced a Gonzaga exhibition set for Bud Walton Arena.
Now the Razorbacks will add Kansas at historic Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence and a Memphis matchup that early signs point toward landing back in Fayetteville.
Last year’s meeting with the Tigers happened at FedEx Forum in Memphis so this would flip the location.
A mystery game still looms
Beyond the three exhibitions Calipari confirmed, he also hinted at one more marquee non-conference game. That matchup would take place at a neutral site and hasn’t been announced yet.
The Hogs already have a loaded non-conference slate booked for the regular season. Arkansas will face Indiana on Nov. 17 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
The Razorbacks then head to Detroit on Nov. 26 to play Michigan State in the CBS Thanksgiving Classic at Little Caesars Arena.
Arkansas will travel to Chapel Hill on Dec. 1 to take on North Carolina as part of the SEC and ACC Challenge at the Dean Smith Center.
The Hogs close out that stretch against Arizona on Dec. 19 in the Hall of Fame Series in Phoenix before hosting Central Michigan back home on Dec. 22.
That leaves one more Power 4 opponent still to be revealed for a neutral site game.
Combined with the exhibitions against Kansas, Memphis and Gonzaga it gives Arkansas one of its toughest and most exciting slates in years.
The Razorbacks will kick off SEC play on Jan. 2 at home against Missouri.
Between now and then, Calipari’s group has plenty of high-level tests to get ready for a demanding conference run.
For a program still building chemistry under its second-year coach, these extra tune-ups matter.
Facing a blue blood like Kansas and a rival like Memphis should help Arkansas find its rotation before the games start counting.
Key takeaways
- Arkansas basketball added exhibition games against Kansas and Memphis alongside its previously set Gonzaga matchup
- Calipari teased one more unannounced marquee non-conference game at a neutral site
- The Hogs already have Indiana, Michigan State, North Carolina and Arizona on a loaded non-conference schedule
