FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas men’s basketball will host Pacific in its nonconference slate for the upcoming season, per a report from CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein. He did not report a date for the game.
It would be the first time the Razorbacks and Tigers have ever played.
It is the eighth game on the 2024-25 schedule to be reported ahead of coach John Calipari’s first season.
The Razorbacks’ other games include a home game against Arkansas-Little Rock on Nov. 22; neutral-site matchup against Illinois on Nov. 28 in Kansas City; the ACC/SEC Challenge at Miami on Dec. 3; the Jimmy V. Classic against Michigan on Dec. 10 at Madison Square Garden in New York; a game against Central Arkansas on Dec. 14 in North Little Rock; a home game against North Carolina A&T on Dec. 21; and a home game against Oakland on Dec. 30.
UALR coach Darrell Walker told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette his team’s games with Arkansas, Illinois and Maryland-Eastern Shore are part of a multi-team event, meaning the Razorbacks would also schedule Maryland-Eastern Shore for a game, likely in Fayetteville.
Arkansas’ SEC opponents have been announced, but dates and times will be revealed at a later date. Rothstein reported that the SEC schedule will be released Tuesday.
Calipari said last month the Razorbacks will play a preseason exhibition against TCU in Dallas and could potentially host Kansas in another exhibition. Dates for those matchups have not been announced.
Pacific is coming off a 6-26 campaign — including a nine-point first half in the West Coast Conference Tournament against Pepperdine — that cost former coach Leonard Perry his job mid-season. The Tigers were ranked No. 358 in KenPom’s rating of all 362 Division I teams last season.
Pacific hired new coach Dave Smart, who was an assistant at Texas Tech last season after having a successful run in Canadian college basketball.
The Tigers lost nine players to the transfer portal — Makai Richards (Chattanooga), Tyler Beard (California State- Northridge), Cam Denson (Long Beach State), Nick Blake (went pro with Serbia’s KK Madost), Tan Yıldızoğlu (Virginia Military Institute), Judson Martindale (CSUN), Moe Odum (Pepperdine), Villiam Garcia Adsten and Donovan Williams (Western Michigan)— and five others to graduation. Redshirt senior Burke Smith is the lone returner.
Smith largely rebuilt Pacific through the transfer portal, adding nine newcomers, two from junior college, through the portal. Four — Elijah Fisher (DePaul), Kris Keinys (Minnesota), Lamar Washington (Texas Tech) and Jefferson Koulibaly (SMU) — come from power-conference programs. Fisher was the Blue Demons’ second-leading scorer and will likely be the go-to man for the Tigers this season.
Russellville native Donyae May joined the Tigers from Connors State College, where he averaged 12 points and 6.1 assists in his two-year JUCO career.Arkansas’ roster first roster under Calipari consists of returners Trevon Brazile and walk-on Lawson Blake, who will miss time with a ruptured Achillies; transfers Zvominir Ivisic (Kentucky), Jonas Aidoo (Tennessee) Johnell Davis (Florida Atlantic), Adou Thiero (Kentucky), DJ Wagner (Kentucky), Melo Sanchez (Hawaii Pacific) and walk-on Kareem Watkins (Kentucky); and freshmen Karter Knox, Johnuel “Boogie” Fland, Billy Richmond, Jaden Karuletwa, Ayden Kelly and Casmir Chavis