John Calipari knows his team’s got a lot of growing to do before November and he’s taking them to the Bahamas to do it.
According to a press release from the UA, the Arkansas Razorbacks will participate in the 2026 Baha Mar Hoops Summer League, playing four exhibition games against international competition from July 31 through Aug. 4 at the Baha Mar resort in the Bahamas.
Veteran event promoter bdG Sports announced the news Thursday.
“We will have one of, if not the, youngest teams in the nation this coming season,” Calipari said in the press release. “With Billy (Richmond) being the only player back from our program with significant experience, we felt like we needed a trip like this to build chemistry on and off the court.
“Not only that, this will also be a great chance for our fans to experience a great destination like Baha Mar, while getting a first chance to see this year’s team in live action on the court.”
That youth is real
The Hogs return just one player with meaningful minutes from last season’s roster in wing Billy Richmond III, who averaged 11.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 2025-26.
Surrounding him will be what the press release describes as the nation’s top-rated freshman class, including consensus National High School Player of the Year Jordan Smith Jr., wings JJ Andrews and Abdou Toure, forward Miikka Muurinen and Georgia transfer guard Jeremiah Wilkinson.
Getting that group together early — and often — is exactly the point.
Games, schedule and what to expect
The full trip runs seven days, from July 29 through Aug. 4, per the UA press release.
Arkansas plays its first game July 31 at 7 p.m. ET, then returns Aug. 1 at 6 p.m., Aug. 3 at 6 p.m. and wraps up Aug. 4 at noon.
All four games are scheduled to be played at the Baha Mar Convention, Arts and Entertainment Center on-site at the resort.
Opponents, a mix of international teams and Canadian universities, haven’t been announced yet.
The Razorbacks will also benefit from 10 additional practices that come with a foreign tour under current NCAA rules.
Those rules now allow college programs to take an international trip annually, a significant change from the old structure that permitted such a tour only once every four years.
South Carolina and Valparaiso were also announced as participants earlier in the week, according to the press release.
More U.S. college teams are expected to be revealed soon.
bdG Sports bringing Razorbacks to Cable Beach
The event is managed by bdG Sports, a Kentucky-based sports and entertainment firm that runs roughly two dozen collegiate men’s and women’s basketball games at Baha Mar each November as part of its annual operation.
This marks the fifth year of the summer league.
“Summer tours have become vitally important to teams in today’s college basketball environment,” bdG Sports President and CEO Brooks Downing said in the press release. “We are seeing incredible interest from throughout the sport given the number of benefits, such as the 10 extra practices, the multiple games, and the opportunity for team bonding in one of the world’s most incredible destinations.”
