Kentucky, Arkansas to meet just once in 2025-26: John Calipari scheduled to face former team in Fayetteville
There will be no return trip for John Calipari and Arkansas to Rupp Arena in 2026. CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein reported Tuesday that Kentucky and Arkansas will only play once during SEC play in the 2025-26 season. The game will take place at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville.
That means there won't be a sequel to the longtime former Kentucky coach returning to where he coached from 2009-24. Last year, Kentucky hosted Arkansas in one of the most highly anticipated games of the 2024-25 college basketball season. After Calipari spent 15 seasons as the coach at Kentucky, he returned for the first time as a visitor and received a wave of boos when he entered the court and during pregame introductions.
Arkansas entered the month of February 1-6 in SEC play before notching its second conference win over the Wildcats in upset fashion. Arkansas defeated Kentucky 89-79 behind 21 points from forward Adou Thiero, who played at Kentucky under Calipari during the 2023-24 campaign.
Arkansas' win over Kentucky helped fuel an improbable turnaround during Year 1 of Calipari's tenure in Fayetteville. The Razorbacks finished 8-10 in SEC play and reached the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament before losing to Texas Tech 85-83 in the Sweet 16. The Wildcats finished 24-12 overall (10-8 SEC) and reached the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2019 in Mark Pope's first season as the coach of his alma mater.
Expectations for both teams will be high this winter. Kentucky ranks No. 5 in the 247Sports transfer portal rankings -- headlined by the addition of former Arizona Star big man Jayden Quaintance -- a projected top-five pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. The Wildcats are tied with Louisville, Michigan, Kansas, St. John's and UConn (+1700 on FanDuel) for the fifth-shortest odds to win the 2026 national title.
Arkansas ranked No. 6 in the 2025 team recruiting rankings. The Razorbacks added a pair of five-star guards in Darius Acuff Jr. and Meleek Thomas, as well as former South Carolina big man Nick Pringle via the transfer portal. Arkansas (30-1) is tied with Arizona, Illinois and Gonzaga for the 14th-best odds to cut down the nets next spring in Indianapolis.
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