The 2024-25 college basketball season will mark a new era for John Calipari, as the former Kentucky coach will be roaming the sidelines at a different location in the SEC. After spending the last 15 seasons with the Wildcats, Calipari left his post in Lexington to replace Eric Musselman as the coach at Arkansas in one of the biggest moves of the offseason.
No. 16 Arkansas opens the season on Nov. 6 at Bud Walton Arena against Lipscomb before facing No. 8 Baylor at American Airlines Center in Dallas five days later. The Razorbacks also have intriguing matchups against Illinois, Miami and Michigan on their nonconference schedule.
Calipari has landed serval high-profile commitments this offseason to reshape the Arkansas roster, including former Florida Atlantic star Johnell Davis and Tennessee forward Jonas Aidoo. Davis, the No. 1 player in the CBS Sports Transfer Rankings, was the 2023-24 AAC co-Player of the Year. Aidoo is one the best 2024 transfers in college basketball and was one of the best defensive players in the country at his position.
The Razorbacks also added three members of Kentucky’s 2024 recruiting class: Karter Knox, Billy Richmond and Boogie Fland. All three players were previously committed to Kentucky and followed their future coach to Fayetteville.
Here are the top five Arkansas nonconference games to watch this season.
1. vs. Baylor
When: Nov. 9, 2024 | Where: American Airlines Center (Dallas)
The best nonconference game on Arkansas’ schedule is a game in Dallas against Baylor. The Bears loaded up in the transfer portal by landing former Duke star guard Jeremy Roach and Miami big man Norchad Omier to pair with returning guard…
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