Don't look now, but the 2026-27 college basketball season is just around the corner. While the action officially tips off on November 1, with Notre Dame facing Villanova in Italy, there's plenty to watch in the early weeks, including some great non-conference matchups. Looking at the early stretch of non-conference play, it's hard to miss the Arkansas Razorbacks' first month and a half, given some painfully tough matchups set up by head coach John Calipari.
Before Arkansas even kicks off conference play against Missouri when the calendar turns to 2027, they'll face five top-tier programs and several notable teams capable of putting opponents on upset watch. After a date with Arkansas-Pine Bluff, the first of those five matchups will be against Virginia on November 8.
Apparently, looking back, head coach Calipari is wondering what he was thinking when putting together Arkansas' non-conference schedule, and he took a jab at himself for it during the SEC Basketball Tipoff this week.
"Our schedule's ridiculous. Why I opened the season with Virginia, I must've been on crack," Calipari said. "Then you go Michigan State? What? Then you go, we're gonna go play in Phoenix [and] play Arizona. Indiana, way better than I thought; we're playing them in New York. Then we play an easy one, North Carolina in the Dean Dome, what?"
John Calipari on Arkansas' non-conference schedule:
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) October 15, 2026
"Why I opened the season with Virginia, I must've been on crack" 😂 pic.twitter.com/QUiTLh5P5n
It's impossible to dispute that Calipari and the Razorbacks have one of the most brutal non-conference schedules, and to top it off, the matchups against Michigan State and North Carolina are back-to-back in late November/early December.
Here's a look at Arkansas' full schedule before kicking off SEC play:
- 11/3 vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff
- 11/8 vs. Virginia
- 11/11 vs. Robert Morris
- 11/13 vs. Central Arkansas
- 11/17 vs. Indiana (at Madison Square Garden)
- 11/20 vs. Mississippi Valley State
- 11/26 vs. Michigan State
- 12/1 at North Carolina
- 12/5 vs. Oral Roberts
- 12/8 vs. Oakland
- 12/13 vs. UT Arlington
- 12/19 vs. Arizona
- 12/22 vs. Central Michigan
- 12/29 vs. UT Rio Grande
While Arkansas should have some matchups that'll let Calipari give extended minutes to the second unit, the Razorbacks will face several major tests to begin the year. One thing is clear: once SEC play gets underway, we should have a pretty clear picture of where Arkansas stacks up against talented opponents.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: John Calipari couldn't help but troll himself for Arkansas' brutal schedule