Arkansas basketball to play Duke on Thanksgiving in 2025

The 2024-25 college basketball season hasn't ended yet, but the hype for next year is already starting. Arkansas will have another blockbuster matchup in the nonconference for the 2025-26 season as the Hogs will take on Duke on Thanksgiving.

Believe it or not, the Razorbacks are winning their series against the Blue Devils. Since 1990, Arkansas and Duke have met on the hardwood five times, with Arkansas winning three. However, the two programs seem only to meet in spurts. The first three matchups were between 1990 and 1994, the final of which was when the Hogs won the National Championship. Nearly 30 years later, the teams met again in the Elite Eight, where Duke had the final laugh.

Most recently, the teams met in Eric Musselman's final season at Arkansas. That game was one of the only bright spots in the 2023-24 season, with Arkansas beating No. 7 Duke in Bud Walton Arena, 80-75. And now, to cap off the latest spurt of games between the two storied programs, the Hogs and Blue Devils will meet on Nov. 27 at United Center in Chicago at 8:00 PM ET.

In a press release shared by CBS Sports writer Matt Norlander, Arkansas head coach John Calipari wrote, "In what will be one the most watched college basketball games in the last decade, we could not be more excited to be playing Thanksgiving Day against Duke on CBS again this season. This past year, playing on Thanksgiving Day was a great experience and great exposure for our program, as well as all of college basketball.

"This will be an NCAA Tournament-caliber game that will show us exactly where our team is at that point in the season."

Next season will be the second year in a row that the Razorbacks have played on Thanksgiving. In 2024, Arkansas played Illinois at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri. It had one of the biggest (literally) storylines of the nonconference, with twin 7-footers Zvonimir and Tomislav Ivisic playing head-to-head for the first time in college. Unfortunately, the Illini's Tomislav walked away with the win.

"I'm really excited to be back in Chicago and in the United Center with our team." wrote Duke's head coach Jon Scheyer. "We're always looking for new and innovative ways to approach our schedule, and playing on Thanksgiving night on primetime TV is another great chance to showcase Duke Basketball on a national stage against a great opponent. We're looking forward to the challenge."

Duke is the first piece of the puzzle which is the 2025-26 basketball schedule. If the Duke game and this season's nonconference schedule indicate how the next season's nonconference schedule shakes out, get ready to watch some high-quality basketball next fall.