Razorbacks finalize games against Michigan State, Texas Tech

The Razorbacks’ schedule is stacked with bluebloods and tournament-caliber squads.

The Texas Tech game, set for December 13 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, offers a rematch from last season’s Sweet 16, where the Red Raiders outlasted Arkansas 85-83 in overtime.

The Michigan State series begins at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, with a return date in Fayetteville for 2026-27.

“It’s important for us to play these kinds of games, to figure out who we are before conference play,” Calipari said, echoing a refrain from his Kentucky years.

Calipari, who left Kentucky in April for a five-year, $35 million deal at Arkansas, has wasted little time scheduling the sort of high-profile games that defined his tenure in Lexington.

The Razorbacks will also face Duke at the United Center in Chicago on Thanksgiving and Houston at Barclays Center in Brooklyn Dec. 20.

“We’re not ducking anybody,” Calipari said. “This is what Arkansas basketball should look like.”

The Michigan State series brings together two of the sport’s elder statesmen.

Tom Izzo, entering his 31st season in East Lansing, has built the Spartans into a model of consistency. Last season, Michigan State captured the Big Ten regular season title and boasted the nation’s fourth-ranked defense, according to KenPom.

Izzo and Calipari are friends who have famously called each other for advice over the years. Their head-to-head record favors Calipari 3-2, though Izzo took the last meeting, an 86-77 win in Indianapolis in 2022.

Their record against Michigan State is 0-2, the last loss a 75-72 heartbreaker in the 1995 Great Eight.

The home-and-home is Arkansas’ first since a 2019-20 contract with Western Kentucky, a sign of Calipari’s intent to toughen up his non-league slate and sharpen a team still learning to play together.

Michigan State’s roster is a blend of battle-tested veterans and new faces. Guards Jeremy Fears, Coen Carr, and Jaxon Kohler return, while the backcourt has been reshuffled by transfers Trey Fort (Samford) and Divine Okuchukwu (Miami), replacing Jaden Akins and Frankie Fidler.

“We have to get used to change,” Izzo said in April, reflecting on a turbulent offseason that saw several players transfer or leave for the NBA. “There’s been a bad system created by the adults, and the players are being forced to navigate that with most of the public attention focused on the negative things of it.”

Izzo’s teams rarely stumble for long.

The Red Raiders, meanwhile, are coached by Grant McCasland, one of college basketball’s rising names.

Texas Tech returns All-American JT Toppin and Christian Anderson, while adding transfers like Luke Bamgboye (VCU), Josiah Mosley (Villanova), and LeJuan Watts (Washington State).

“We want to play the best, and Arkansas is a great measuring stick,” McCasland said after the Dallas game was made official.

Texas Tech fans will recall the 40-41 all-time record against Arkansas — a rivalry that stretches back to the Southwest Conference days.

This is also the second straight year Arkansas will play a true road game against a high-major opponent and travel to Dallas for a marquee non-conference game.

Last season, the Hogs fell to Baylor 72-67 at American Airlines Center, a tough lesson for a team still finding its rhythm.

“Games like these are why you come to Arkansas,” Calipari told local media.

The Razorbacks are also contracted to host Baylor and Louisville, further loading their early schedule.

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