FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The University of Arkansas released its 2019-20 men’s basketball schedule. The slate features 18 home games including nine SEC contests and three versus the Razorbacks’ oldest rivals – Rice, TCU and Texas A&M – in Bud Walton Arena.
The Razorbacks will also play their annual Red-White game and two home exhibitions in October. Dates and details for those will be announced at a later.
The Eric Musselman era will begin on Nov. 5 when Arkansas hosts Rice. The Owls – like Texas A&M and TCU – were on the Razorbacks’ schedule for the program’s inaugural season (1923-24). Arkansas and Rice have only played once since the Hogs left the Southwest Conference after the 1990-91 season. However, the teams have met 143 times overall – Arkansas’ fourth-most common opponent – and the Razorbacks own a 102-41 advantage in the series.
Arkansas will stay at home for four more games – hosting North Texas (Nov. 12), Montana (Nov. 16), Texas Southern (Nov. 19) and South Dakota (Nov. 22) – before hitting the road to face Georgia Tech (Nov. 25). The matchup with Georgia Tech will be just the 10th time Arkansas has played a regular-season road game at a member of the ACC, including two trips to Tech in the mid 60’s.
The Razorbacks will close November hosting Northern Kentucky (Nov. 30) and open December with a home game versus Austin Peay (Dec. 3). Four days later, Arkansas will travel to Western Kentucky before returning home to host Tulsa (Dec. 14). This will mark the 60th meeting between the Razorbacks and Golden Hurricane, a series that started in 1931, but the first since 2007.
Arkansas will make its annual trip to North Little Rock on Dec. 21 to face Valparaiso and close its run of non-conference opponents on Dec. 29 at Indiana. While Arkansas and Indiana met in Assembly Hall last March in the NIT, the trip to Bloomington will mark just the eighth time the Razorbacks have played a Big 10 member on their home court.
As it did last season, Arkansas will begin SEC play versus Texas A&M, hosting the Aggies on Jan. 4. After a pair of contests at LSU (Jan. 8) and at Ole Miss (Jan. 11), the Razorbacks will play four of their next five games in Bud Walton Arena. First, Arkansas will face Vanderbilt (Jan. 15) and Kentucky (Jan. 18). Following a trip to Mississippi State (Jan. 22), Arkansas will host TCU (Jan. 25) as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge then welcome South Carolina (Jan. 29).
TCU is Arkansas’ sixth-most common opponent with 142 previous meetings dating back to the Razorbacks’ first year of basketball. Arkansas owns a 104-38 advantage in the series, but the two squads have not met since the Hogs joined the SEC for the 1991-92 season.
On Feb. 1, Arkansas will play at Alabama then return home to face Auburn (Feb. 4). The Razorbacks will hit the road for back-to-back games – at Missouri (Feb. 8) and at Tennessee (Feb. 11).
Arkansas will conclude the season playing four of its final seven games at home, including Mississippi State (Feb. 15), Missouri (Feb. 22), Tennessee (Feb. 26) and LSU (Mar. 4). Road game to close the season include Florida (Feb. 18), Georgia (Feb. 29) and Texas A&M (Mar. 7).
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