Arkansas is adding another marquee non-conference test to its 2026-27 schedule, with the Razorbacks set to meet Indiana at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, Nov. 17, according to a school release Monday morning. The game will be part of the Bad Boy Mowers Series.
It’s a matchup Arkansas has handled well over the years. The Razorbacks lead the all-time series 3-2, and the last time these teams crossed paths, Arkansas went into Assembly Hall and left with a 71-64 win on Dec. 29, 2019, during Eric Musselman’s first season in Fayetteville. Isaiah Joe led the way that night with 24 points.
That meeting came in the middle of a run of three straight seasons in which the programs saw each other. Indiana ended Arkansas’ season in the second round of the NIT the year before, winning 63-60. One season earlier, Arkansas hosted the Hoosiers in the “Hardwood Showcase” and squeezed out a 73-72 victory.
The Razorbacks’ edge in the series matches John Calipari’s own record against Indiana. Calipari is 3-2 against the Hoosiers from his Kentucky days, with the most recent matchup coming in the second round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament, when Indiana won 73-67. His other wins over Indiana came in 2012 in the Sweet 16, plus 2010 and 2009.
The Indiana game is the fifth non-conference matchup that has surfaced for Arkansas’ 2026-27 season. The Razorbacks are also scheduled to visit North Carolina in Chapel Hill on Dec. 1 for the SEC/ACC Challenge, head to Detroit on Thanksgiving to face Michigan State, travel to Phoenix to play Arizona on Dec. 19, and host Central Michigan on Dec. 22.
The Arizona game is a rematch of this past season’s Sweet 16 and will be played at Mortgage Matchup Center as part of the Naismith Hall of Fame Series. It will also launch a multi-year series that includes a home-and-home over the next two seasons, along with an option for a fourth game in 2029-30 at a site closer to Arkansas.
Arkansas’ trip to Detroit to face Michigan State will be the second game in a three-game series after the Razorbacks lost 69-66 in East Lansing last year.
In Other News...
National Title Coach Just Gave Arkansas Fans Real Hope On Silverfield
Ryan Silverfield is about to find out how much room there really is to rebuild in Fayetteville, and one of the more intriguing outside voices on Arkansas new coach is Gene Chizik. The former Auburn head coach, who knows the SEC pressure cooker well, has offered cautious optimism about Silverfields chance to steady a program coming off a 2-10 season, pointing to the hire of defensive coordinator Ron Roberts and the fact that the Razorbacks were not as far away as their record suggested.
Arkansas also enters the fall with little of the usual preseason noise, and Chizik sees that as a possible advantage rather than a burden. The challenge, of course, is that the schedule will not wait for a long grace period, and Silverfield inherits a roster that has been turned over enough to make early progress hard to read. Still, for a fan base looking for any sign that the reset can stick, the outside support from a coach with Chiziks rsum gives this first year a little more credibility than a typical clean slate. [Read more 🡒]
Missouri Just Changed Something Arkansas Fans Need To See Before October
Missouris trip to Arkansas no longer sits in the familiar late-season slot that has framed this rivalry for years, and that alone gives the Oct. 31 meeting a different feel. At SEC Media Days, Eliah Drinkwitz pointed to the Tigers reshaped roster and the challenge of getting a new group settled after an 8-5 season, a reminder that this is not the same Missouri team Arkansas saw a year ago.
The Tigers are bringing in a heavy wave of turnover, with 54 new players on the roster and a near-even split between newcomers and holdovers, so the early part of the schedule matters more than ever. For Arkansas, the date change adds another layer to a game that already carries plenty of weight, because by the time Missouri arrives in Fayetteville, both teams should have a much clearer sense of who they are. [Read more 🡒]
Arkansas Just Landed The Frontcourt Addition Fans Have Been Begging For
Arkansas has been hunting for help in the frontcourt, and Caleb Ourigou looks like the kind of addition that can change the feel of a roster fast. The 4-star center, a recent Arkansas commit, brings the sort of size and defensive presence the Razorbacks have been trying to add as they build toward a deeper NCAA tournament run.
Ourigou was one of the more coveted big men in his class, with offers from programs such as TCU, Michigan, BYU, Auburn, Kentucky and Syracuse before landing in Fayetteville. His arrival gives Arkansas another high-upside piece to pair with its existing core, and the next question is how quickly he can translate that promise into minutes once he gets on campus. [Read more 🡒]