Kansas and Arkansas are in the process of putting together an exhibition men’s basketball game at Arkansas’ home arena, the Razorbacks’ coach John Calipari told reporters on Monday.
Calipari, the longtime Memphis and Kentucky coach who made the move to Arkansas during the offseason, said as much during a press conference on Monday, after he was asked about the process of assembling his roster and schedule from scratch.
“We’ve got an exhibition with TCU in Dallas, we’re in the works,” Calipari said, in part. “We’re in the works with Kansas on an exhibition here in Bud Walton (Arena).”
Last year, KU went to Illinois for a charity exhibition on Oct. 29. This year, any preseason matchup in Fayetteville would likely have to arrive earlier, as the Jayhawks host Washburn in exhibition action on that same date, ahead of their official opener on Nov. 4 against Howard.
KU has thus far not mentioned a potential Arkansas exhibition, as it was not included in the schedule release on July 11. However, 247Sports had previously reported that the two schools were in talks.
If KU did indeed go to Bud Walton Arena prior to the start of the season, it could be one of the first opportunities for fans of Arkansas to see Calipari and his new roster.
“For him to be in a pressure cooker like that for 15 years, I’m actually happy for him,” KU coach Bill Self said in April, after Calipari left Kentucky. “I hope he does well, just not at our expense, and I’m sure Kentucky’ll hire a great guy also.”
The Wildcats went on to replace Calipari with former BYU coach Mark Pope.
Self and Calipari have split 12 head-to-head matchups in their careers, with Self’s Jayhawks most recently beating Calipari’s Wildcats in the 2023 Champions Classic on Nov. 14, 89-84. Those 12 games include the 2008 (KU over Memphis) and 2012 (Kentucky over KU) national championships.
Meanwhile, KU leads the all-time series against Arkansas 8-6, most recently having lost to Eric Musselman’s edition of the Razorbacks in an upset in the second round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament, when Self was unable to coach due to a heart issue. Musselman left for USC this offseason, creating the opening for Calipari.
Nick Krug
