Confirmed: Arkansas to host Oakland for 2024-25 non-conference matchup
Head coach John Calipari and the Arkansas Razorbacks will officially host Oakland on Dec. 30 at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville as part of the 2024-25 non-conference schedule, HawgBeat confirmed via a Freedom of Information Act request.
Note: This story was updated July 2 when HawgBeat received confirmation that the contract had been signed by both parties.
Based out of Auburn Hills, Michigan, the Oakland Golden Grizzlies eliminated Calipari and the 3-seed Kentucky Wildcats from the NCAA Tournament on March 21 behind Jack Gohlke's 10 made three-pointers.
The Razorbacks are 2-0 all-time against Oakland with the last meeting resulting in a 91-68 win in Fayetteville on Nov. 16, 2011. The two teams also met at Bud Walton Arena in Dec. 2006, when the Hogs beat the Golden Grizzlies, 91-57.
Arkansas currently also has scheduled games in the non-conference portion of the schedule against Illinois in Kansas City on Nov. 28, at Miami (FL) on Dec. 3 in the ACC/SEC Challenge, versus Michigan at Madison Square Garden as a part of the Jimmy V Classic on Dec. 10 and reportedly against UCA in North Little Rock on Dec. 17, plus there's still an expected neutral site matchup against an unknown opponent in Dallas.
"Most of the stuff is done of who we're playing, and then there may be one team that I try to do a home-and-home with," Calipari said May 25. "But we're going to play in Little Rock. We're going to play in Dallas. You need national games. You've got to play in Madison Square Garden."
As of now, the Razorbacks do know their 2024-25 conference opponents at home and on the road. Arkansas will have home-and-homes with LSU, Missouri and Texas, plus they will host Alabama and Oklahoma while taking trips to Kentucky and Tennessee, among others.
"Right now, some of the games I've scheduled, you get calls from ESPN, different events, CBS — Can you do this? Can you do this?" Calipari said. "Until I get the rest of the roster, I probably won't fully do the schedule, but we're in good shape right now. I'm juiced about it. Like, let's go."
Arkansas currently has 11 scholarship players for the 2024-25 roster. Click here for HawgBeat's Arkansas basketball roster tracker.