To say that the Arkansas Razorbacks will be tested during their non-conference slate as they begin the college hoops season would be an understatement. Now, just a few short weeks out from his team’s season opener, head coach Jon Calipari wouldn’t mind a do-over with the scheduling.
Speaking with the media at the SEC Basketball Tipoff event in Birmingham, AL, Calipari called the Hogs’ schedule “ridiculous,” but he didn’t just leave it at that; he joked that he must’ve been “on crack” when finalizing his team’s slate of games.
“That’s part of my job, teaching them how to win, and how to play in tough games,” Calipari explained, while speaking on his roster. “Our schedule is ridiculous. Why I opened the season with Virginia, I must have been on crack. Then you go Michigan State, what? Then you’re going to go play in Phoenix, play Arizona. Indiana, way better than I thought, we’re playing ’em in New York.”
Head coach John Calipari of the Arkansas Razorbacks of the men’s basketball team addresses the media during the SEC Tipoff ’26 at the Grand Bohemian Hotel on October 14, 2026 in Birmingham, Alabama. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
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While Calipari made it sound like his team jumps right into the fire in game one of the season against Virginia, the Razorbacks open up the campaign against Arkansas Pine-Bluff on Nov. 3 before playing the Cavaliers in Washington, D.C.
Head coach John Calipari of the Arkansas Razorbacks reacts during the first half against the Ole Miss Rebels in the semifinal game of the 2026 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena on March 14, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images) (Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)
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Arkansas’ games against Indiana and Michigan State will also be played on a neutral floor, but the Hogs do take on North Carolina in a true road test on Dec. 1 in Chapel Hill. The contest against the Heels is actually the only true road game Arkansas has on the slate until SEC play gets underway in January.
Arkansas was picked to finish third in a loaded SEC in the preseason media poll, with Florida taking the top spot followed by Texas. Calipari’s previous employer, Kentucky, was picked to finish seventh in the conference.
Head coach John Calipari of the Arkansas Razorbacks reacts during the first half against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Humphrey Coliseum on February 7, 2026 in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Jason Clark/Getty Images) (Jason Clark/Getty Images)
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Calipari is entering his third year as the head coach of the Razorbacks and has pushed the program to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in each of his first two seasons in charge.
Arkansas was led by Darius Acuff Jr. last season, and will have to attempt to fill his void after he was selected seventh overall in the 2026 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings.