Arkansas basketball is set for a marquee matchup on Thanksgiving as John Calipari’s Razorbacks take on No. 4 Duke in the CBS Thanksgiving Classic at the United Center in Chicago. The meeting will mark the first time Calipari and Duke head coach Jon Scheyer face off, and just the third meeting between the programs since Arkansas defeated Duke in the 1994 national championship game.
“They’re big, they’re long and it’s going to be a battle,” Calipari told Jon Rothstein on CBS Sports’ Inside College Basketball Now. He emphasized the importance of team cohesion, adding, “You can't be out there trying to do your own thing, because the minute your stuff goes wrong — which half the time it does — you're down, you're moving your head, you're hitting the floor. You're losing your mind because you're so concerned about you. Lose yourself in the team. That's what I'm battling right now. And now we've got to go play Duke and we're not connected how we have to be.”
Duke (7-0) enters the game as a well-oiled machine, boasting double-digit wins over Texas and Kansas, despite losing its top five scorers from last season’s Final Four squad. The Blue Devils’ No. 1 ranked recruiting class, led by five-star forward Cameron Boozer, has stepped in seamlessly, with Boozer already emerging as Duke’s lead star.
Arkansas counters with its own talent, led by five-star freshmen guards Meleek Thomas and Darius Acuff, who rank first and second in scoring for the Razorbacks. The duo presents a tough defensive challenge for Duke and will be central to Arkansas’ chances of pulling off an upset. Coach Cal is no stranger to having elite freshman players lead his teams but he has the proper experience from other players surrounding his playmaking guards. The Razorbacks' biggest point of emphasis will be to own the rebounding battle, something they've struggled with early on.
This Thanksgiving matchup is more than just an early-season spectacle, it’s a litmus test for both programs, offering insight into how the Razorbacks and Blue Devils stack up against the nation’s elite. With high-powered rosters and top coaching minds colliding, Thursday’s game promises to be one of the season’s most compelling showdowns.