FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas and head coach John Calipari continues to flush out the 2024-25 nonconference schedule, this time with a nationally televised game on Nov. 28 against one of the top teams in the Big Ten.
Illinois Athletic Director Josh Whitman revealed during his annual media roundtable on Thursday that the Razorbacks and Fighting Illini will reportedly square off on Thanksgiving Day at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City.
Whitman said the game would be broadcast on THV11 immediately after the NFL day game between the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears.
Arkansas will be battle-tested before entering SEC play this upcoming season. The new-look Hogs are set to face Miami in the SEC/ACC Challenge on Dec. 3, Michigan at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 10 and there's speculation of a game against Oakland on Dec. 30 at Bud Walton Arena.
So far, Arkansas has only officially announced the contest against Miami.
The alleged game between the Razorbacks and Fighting Illini would be the first meeting between the two programs since Arkansas eliminated Illinois in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament, punching a ticket to the Sweet 16 with a 73-63 victory.
The Hogs hope to bounce back from their first losing season since 2010 when they finished 16-17 overall and missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time in five years.
Illinois is coming off a 29-9 season culminating in its first Elite Eight appearance since 2005. The Fighting Illini finished second in the Big Ten, only behind Purdue.