Arkansas basketball coach John Calipari took the podium yesterday to recap the Hogs’ summer practices and, as always, he had plenty to say.
The Head Hog described a “foundation-setting” period for the team after coming in three months ago with “no team, no staff, no schedule.” Since then, Coach Cal has been hard at work on all three of those categories – the latter for which he gave some exciting teasers.
Arkansas’ loaded SEC slate has already been announced, as well as a trio of high-profile non-conference matchups – Michigan in Madison Square Garden, Illinois in Kansas City and on the road against Miami in the SEC-ACC Challenge.
Scheduling big games has always been a big part of Calipari’s brand-building. Taking a look at his past schedules at Kentucky, you’ll see the non-conference slate littered with marquee matchups against high-major programs.
It appears he’s continuing that trend at Arkansas, and also adding in a unique twist – double-barrel exhibition games against big-time schools.
Potential Preseason Date with Familiar Blue Blood
NCAA programs usually get the chance to take part in two exhibition games as tune-ups before the regular season starts. Most programs take that opportunity to bring in a tiny school to demolish in the spirit of a scrimmage that historically evokes more of a piñata party.
Some more prestigious programs take the opportunity to schedule matchups against other power-conference schools, whether that be for charity or behind closed doors. Arkansas basketball fans well recall the charity match against Texas two years ago, where the Hogs got blown out, or the sold-out exhibition against Purdue last season in Bud Walton Arena.
Scheduling a high-profile exhibition to test yourself before the season starts is not uncommon, but this season at Arkansas, Calipari taking the trend to the next level by doubling up on the big-time charity matches for the Hogs.
The first will be against TCU in Fort Worth on November 1. Under the direction of head coach Jamie Dixon, the Horned Frogs have been competitive in a loaded Big 12 and have made the last three NCAA Tournaments.
The second and more highly-anticipated game is still in the works but, listening to the two coaches involved, looks set to happen. That one will be against Kansas, possibly in Bud Walton Arena. If Razorback fans sold out Bud Walton Arena for Purdue, just imagine what they’ll bring against the Jayhawks.
“We’re in the works with Kansas on an exhibition here in Bud Walton,” Calipari said Monday.
Kansas basketball coach Bill Self confirmed that, telling the Kansas City Star that, “we are talking about it. Not done yet.”
Woah.
While UConn’s Dan Hurley is the king of the coaching world right now, Self and Calipari are both future Hall of Famers with national titles under their belts. They spent much of the last decade-plus in charge of the sport’s two most iconic programs at Kansas and Kentucky and have achieved something only two other current college coaches have done:
The pair have met a dozen times throughout their illustrious careers, and the score is deadlocked at six wins apiece. The exhibition matchup would mean they would face off for the third year in a row, with Coach Cal looking for some revenge. The last two meetings have gone the way of Self, with Kansas defeating the Wildcats in the last two matchups at the SEC-Big 12 Challenge and the Champions Classic.
Now at a new school, an Arkansas victory would give Calipari some bragging rights back – even though the game won’t go down in the official record books.
Aside from the coaches’ prior meetings, the two programs also have some recent and past history with each other. KU leads the all-time series 8-6, but Arkansas has won the last two matchups in the 2023 NCAA Tournament Second Round and the 2005 Maui Invitational. The Jayhawks did get the better of Nolan Richardson’s Hogs in the 1991 Elite Eight, though.
If Self and Calipari were to face off in Fayetteville, it would certainly have an argument for the best meaningless game of all time. Brace yourself for the swarm of KU fans calling it Arkansas’ Super Bowl when Bud Walton Arena is packed to the gills.
Calipari’s Exhibition with Kansas Basketball Breaks from Norms
While a power-conference school testing itself in a preseason game is far from uncharted waters. Arkansas’ doubling up on those big tests may be a new development among all major college programs.
Looking at other blue bloods, limiting things to one tough challenge seems to be the norm. Kansas, for instance, has scheduled major opponents such as Illinois in recent years, but it was paired with a cupcake exhibition against Fort Hays State – just try and point to that on a map.
The same goes for Kentucky, who mostly scheduled tiny schools from the midwest to come to Lexington for a paid beatdown. That’s a trend that was consistent under Calipari, and looks set to continue under new coach Mark Pope.
The same goes for other blue bloods like North Carolina and Duke. Meanwhile, it seems as if what Calipari is doing with these exhibition matchups is groundbreaking.
The benefits of this are clear. Testing yourself as early as you can is only going to make the team better. And while some might argue the game not counting for anything in the win-loss column is a downside, it also means you truly have nothing to lose. Take Musselman’s Hogs, for instance, who lost by 30 in Austin two years ago and went on to make the Sweet Sixteen.
The Razorbacks are going to have plenty of fluffy non-conference matchups at home to get the juices flowing, so why not get some reps in against tough competition when there aren’t any stakes? It’s better to have your weaknesses exposed in October or November than March.
Calipari’s Brand Makes Seamless Transition to Arkansas Basketball
Much was made at the time of Calipari’s move to Arkansas that he wouldn’t be able to continue his operations in Fayetteville. But his three months as Head Hog have proven the opposite is true – he’s not going anywhere.
The team is littered with high-profile transfers and high school recruits – with five-star Darius Acuff Jr. on the way in 2025 – the staff looks very similar to how it did during his best years at Kentucky, and the schedule is shaping up to be an exciting and challenging campaign for the Hogs.
“All we’ve done is move the headquarters from one place to another,” Calipari said. “We’re recruiting the same thing. I’m saying the same things in the home that I’ve said for 30 years now.”
Some have branded Arkansas as a step down for Calipari, given he’s making a little less money for a program with fewer fans and much fewer championship trophies.
But here’s a case of what could be leveling up for the legendary Coach Cal. While playing multiple big-time charity games may seem small in the grand scheme, it does appear to represent the first time he’s gone beyond anything he had at Kentucky. It’s all part of an upcoming challenge for which the Naismith Hall of Famer certainly seems excited.
“I was told a couple weeks ago that we sold out season tickets. People…it’s July! The building seats 20,000! Season tickets, gone,” he said with a smile. “What I say to you and all the fans is, I’m as excited as you are.”
“You say, ‘How’s it going?’ I say, ‘It’s great, we haven’t lost a game yet!’ Everybody’s excited, but be patient because of how we do this. It’s a process.”
Even if Arkansas comes up short in one – or both – of its charity tilts against TCU and Kansas, those early challenges will make that process smoother down the road.
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After Calipari’s presser, Boogie Fland, Adou Thiero and Trevon Brazile took the podium and answered questions recapping the summer. Hear what they had to say:
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