FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas head coach indicated a couple of weeks ago he has pretty much settled on a schedule and that he is pretty happy about what he was able to put together on relatively short notice.
Of course, that immediately got Razorbacks fans wondering who might be on the menu for the first season of Calipari's tenure at Arkansas. It's known for sure that the Hogs will face Michigan in Madison Square Garden on Dec. 11 opposite a game between Tennessee and Miami, but other than that, little is known beyond Calipari hinting at a second big non-conference game by saying he really wants a good reason to fill up an arena in Dallas.
One thing to be expected when having to throw together a schedule on the fly is to lean on the familiar and established relationships. Because of this, it's reasonable to assume there are hints as to what Arkansas' schedule will look like based on some of the patterns Calipari showed while at Kentucky.
The first is he's almost always going to have a game against a team from North Carolina. This could be because of his time playing point guard at UNC-Wilmington. From time to time it's a smaller school such as the Seahawks. However, it's typically either Duke or North Carolina.
This is typically because television networks pay good money to figure out a way to get traditional blue bloods, quite literally blue in this case, on the floor together. Calipari hinted some television networks had reached out with interest in a marquee game for the Hogs, but odds are that wasn't in reference to a game with the Blue Devils or Tar Heels.
That's because this game is already potentially covered by the SEC-ACC Challenge. Those came out last year in late June, so fans won't have to wait long to find out who Arkansas draws.
The Razorbacks got Duke last season in Bud Walton, so the Blue Devils are off the table. However, North Carolina played Tennessee, which is the other big storyline match-up for the Tar Heels with Calipari gone from Kentucky.
From a television programming standpoint, it just makes sense to have the Razorbacks travel to Chapel Hill for a high profile game shortly after Thanksgiving. With the odds high the North Carolina connection is covered, that leaves three other major trends to explore.
The next is probably already addressed also. More often than not, Michigan State found its way onto the Kentucky schedule.
That's probably a game tabled until next season though because Arkansas is already slated to take on Michigan in New York City. It's unlikely the Hogs see both the Wolverines and the Spartans in the same season, but it's almost a guarantee Michigan State will be on the schedule sooner than later.
Another trend is playing non-conference teams from Tennessee and Kentucky. The Louisville game was required on a yearly basis, but that's strictly a rivalry thing with the Wildcats, so, while it's possible the Razorbacks and Cardinals play at some point, it's not nearly as likely as Calipari scheduling a directional Kentucky school.
Odds are high a team like Eastern Kentucky or Bellarmine, along with perhaps an East Tennessee State will fill in a pair of non-high profile slots at Bud Walton. Historically, there's also a reasonable chance Caliapri will slide a small Texas team such as UT-Arlington into the schedule.
Such moves make even more sense with him being at Arkansas as opposed to when he scheduled those games at Kentucky. That means one more high profile game is still sitting out there to take place in Dallas- Fort Worth.
It appears the targeted venue is the American Airlines Center, home of the Dallas Mavericks, although the Dickies Arena over in Fort Worth has been drawing large events lately also. However, setting up shop with a large Hogs' contingent in an NBA arena just feels more Calipari.
As for the team, there's a chance a Baylor or Oklahoma State could fill the role, but remember, he said television networks reached out wanting to put together a big event game. When it comes to this type of headline product, there is no team Calipari got paired up with more at Kentucky than Kansas.
CBS executives still have that upset in the Sweet 16 where Davonte Davis and Ricky Council left it all on the floor before the emotional interview with Davis that followed that had everyone talking. Mix in Calipari and his history with Kansas and a neutral site location that makes sense for both and it seems like a huge missed opportunity if this isn't the game.
Both programs hit North Texas hard in recruiting and that's a big stage game that will look great on television because there is little doubt both fan bases will easily fill the AAC even if no one leaves
Arkansas or Kansas to do so. If this is the case, it will definitely be a welcome change in philosophy to the schedule.
Getting Michigan and Kansas to go along with whomever Arkansas aligns with out of the ACC gives Razorbacks fans regular points throughout the non-conference schedule to look forward to a big tent pole game. That's something Hogs fans have missed over the years as long slogs of random mid-majors filled up seemingly endless weeks of the season.
Again, it's possible a game with Kansas may not happen and that Calipari's reference to Dallas might be for future seasons, but all the clues, including Calipari's history, strongly suggest a big-time non-conference schedule of similar proportion is coming regardless. Either way, Arkansas fans win.
The one thing that is for certain, the next domino to definitely fall is coming in the next two to three weeks. That ACC game will be revealed soon and it will tell a lot about what else is going to follow.
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