foxnews
The Arkansas Razorbacks are set to face a non-conference schedule that will severely test them as the college basketball season approaches. With the season opener only weeks away, head coach John Calipari expressed some regret about the challenging lineup of opponents he put together.
During the SEC Basketball Tipoff event in Birmingham, Alabama, Calipari described the Razorbacks' schedule as 'ridiculous.' He then quipped that he must have been 'on crack' when he finalized the slate of games.
Calipari explained that preparing his team for tough matchups is part of his job, saying, 'That's part of my job, teaching them how to win, and how to play in tough games.' He continued, '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.'
While Calipari made it sound like the Razorbacks jump straight into the fire against Virginia in their first game, they actually begin the season against Arkansas Pine-Bluff on November 3 before facing the Cavaliers in Washington, D.C.
Arkansas' games against Indiana and Michigan State will also take place on neutral courts, but the team does have a true road test against North Carolina on December 1 in Chapel Hill. That matchup with the Tar Heels is the only true road game for Arkansas before SEC play starts in January.
In the preseason media poll, Arkansas was picked to finish third in a loaded SEC, with Florida taking the top spot and Texas second. Calipari's former employer, Kentucky, was picked to finish seventh.
Calipari is entering his third year as head coach of the Razorbacks and has led the program to the Sweet 16 in each of his first two seasons. Last season, Arkansas was led by Darius Acuff Jr., and the team will need to fill the void left by his departure after he was selected seventh overall in the 2026 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings.
Originally reported by foxnews.