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Arkansas, Michigan State announce rare home-and-home basketball series
Calipari launching rare home-and-home basketball series, headlining a non-conference slate packed with marquee games
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkanas and Michigan State have announced a home-and-home men’s basketball series, beginning with a matchup at the Breslin Center in East Lansing on Nov. 8.
The Razorbacks, led by John Calipari, will visit the Michigan State Spartans and Tom Izzo for the first time in nearly three decades, with the Spartans scheduled to make the return trip to Bud Walton Arena in the 2025-26 season.
The two teams have met just twice before, with Michigan State winning both games at neutral sites. Their last meeting was in 1995 at the Great Eight Tournament in Detroit, where Michigan State edged Arkansas, 75-72.
Calipari and Izzo have faced each other five times as head coaches, with Calipari holding a 3-2 advantage. The most recent meeting came in the 2022 Champions Classic, when Michigan State defeated Kentucky in double overtime, 86-77.
The Razorbacks’ non-conference schedule features several high-profile matchups. Arkansas will play the Duke Blue Devils on Nov. 27 at the United Center in Chicago as part of the CBS Sports Thanksgiving Classic, one of the most anticipated games on the slate.
Arkansas is set to host the Louisville Cardinals on Dec. 3 as part of the SEC/ACC Challenge. The Razorbacks will also face Texas Tech on Dec. 13 in Dallas at the American Airlines Center. That game, confirmed on June 20, is a rematch of the teams’ Sweet 16 contest.
Arkansas will travel to Brooklyn to play the Houston Cougars on Dec. 20 at Barclays Center. The Razorbacks will open the season with an exhibition contest against the Memphis Tigers at FedEx Forum, with the date to be announced.
The rest of the non-conference schedule includes home games against Southern (Nov. 3), Central Arkansas (Nov. 11), and Queens (Dec. 16). Arkansas will also play an opponent to be announced at North Little Rock’s Verizon Arena.
The Razorbacks’ Southeastern Conference schedule begins Jan. 3, 2026, against Tennessee. Other key conference games include road contests at Ole Miss, Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Oklahoma, Mississippi State, Alabama, Florida and Missouri, and home games against South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Auburn, Missouri, Texas A&M and Texas. The SEC Tournament is scheduled for March 11-15.
Calipari said in the school’s release that the challenging schedule was designed to test the Razorbacks and excite fans.
The Michigan State home-and-home highlights a non-conference slate that includes matchups with Duke, Louisville, Texas Tech and Houston, positioning Arkansas for a season with national implications.
NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
TBA (Exhibition) – at Memphis (FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tenn.)
Nov. 3 – Southern
Nov. 8 – at Michigan State (Breslin Center in East Lansing, Mich.)
Nov. 11 – Central Arkansas
Nov. 27 – Duke (CBS Sports Thanksgiving Classic, United Center in Chicago)
Dec. 3 – Louisville (SEC/ACC Challenge)
Dec. 13 – Texas Tech (American Airlines Center in Dallas)
Dec. 16 – Queens
Dec. 20 – Houston (Barclays Center in Brooklyn)
TBA – (Verizon Arena in North Little Rock, Ark.)
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
Jan. 3, 2026 – Tennessee
Jan 6/7 – at Ole Miss
Jan 10 – at Auburn
Jan 13/14 – South Carolina
Jan. 17 – at Georgia
Jan 20/21 – Vanderbilt
Jan. 24 – LSU
Jan. 28/28 – at Oklahoma
Jan.31 – Kentucky
Feb. 7 – at Mississippi State
Feb. 10/11 – at LSU
Feb. 14 – Auburn
Feb. 17/18 – at Alabama
Feb. 21. – Missouri
Feb. 24/25 – Texas A&M
Feb. 28 – at Florida
March 3/4 – Texas
March 7 – at Missouri
March 11-15 – SEC Tournament
| Sat, Sep 5 |  | vs North Alabama | W 31-14 |
| Sat, Sep 12 |  | @ Utah | L, 43-10 |
| Sat, Sep 19 |  | Georgia | L, 45-17 |
| Sat, Sep 26 |  | Tulsa | W 34-6 |
| Sat, Oct 3 |  | @ Texas A&M | L, 34-7 |
| Sat, Oct 10 |  | Tennessee | L, 24-17 |
| Sat, Oct 17 |  | @ Vanderbilt | W 31-21 |
| Sat, Oct 31 |  | vs Missouri | L, 34-10 |
| Sat, Nov 7 |  | @ Auburn | L, 26-23 |
| Sat, Nov 14 |  | South Carolina | 6:45 PM SEC Network |
| Sat, Nov 21 |  | @ Texas | 2:30 PM ABC or ESPN |
| Sat, Nov 28 |  | vs LSU | Early Kickoff 11:00 AM-Noon |
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