John Calipari, Arkansas facing Kentucky leads rankings of 2024-25 SEC basketball schedule’s top games

Written by on August 20, 2024

John Calipari, Arkansas facing Kentucky leads rankings of 2024-25 SEC basketball schedule’s top games

Calipari’s return to Kentucky and the addition of Texas and Oklahoma give the SEC some intriguing matchups this season

University of Arkansas Introduces John Calipari
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The SEC released dates for the full conference schedule on Tuesday, pinpointing when the potential game of the year in college basketball during the 2024-25 season will take place. John Calipari’s new-look Arkansas squad will travel to Rupp Arena to face Kentucky on Feb. 1 in the lone scheduled matchup between the Razorbacks and the Wildcats, Calipari’s former school.

Each SEC team will plays the other 15 teams in the conference at least once and will face three teams a second time in a “home-and-home” series. Two of those three teams will be play twice each season as permanent opponents with the other team changing every year.

The three teams Kentucky will play twice this season are Alabama, Tennessee and Vanderbilt. The three teams Arkansas will play twice are LSU, Missouri and Texas.

Arkansas and Kentucky will feature rosters that will look drastically different from the previous season. Since Calipari’s arrival in Arkansas, he’s helped land five former Kentucky pledges (Karter Knox, Zvonimir Ivišić, Boogie Fland, Adou Theiro, and Billy Richmond) to pair with former Tennessee big man Jonas Aidoo and FAU star guard Johnell Davis.

Kentucky coach Mark Pope is building a roster that features zero returning scholarship players. His first transfer portal commitment came from incoming freshman guard Collin Chandler, who spent the last two years on a Mormon mission. Chandler was Pope’s highest-rated signee (No. 33 overall) during his tenure at BYU.

Kentucky has landed high-profile commitments from BYU guard Jaxson Robinson, Dayton sharpshooter Koby Brea, West Virginia guard Kerr Kriisa, San Diego State guard Lamont Butler, and Oklahoma guard Otega Oweh.

Another wrinkle of the schedule release includes Texas and Oklahoma receiving their respective conference opponents as part of an expanded SEC. The Sooners will face Alabama on the road in its first SEC game on Jan. 4, while the Longhorns will renew its rivalry on the road at Texas A&M on the same day.

Here are five SEC conference games to watch this season.

1. Arkansas at Kentucky

When: Feb. 1, 2025 | Where: Lexington, Kentucky

Kentucky’s showdown with Arkansas is shaping up to be one of the top games of the year in the sport. Calipari spent the last 15 years on the home sidelines in Lexington and will coach against his old school at the midpoint of the SEC schedule. This will be the lone matchup between the Razorbacks and the Wildcats this season, as Arkansas and Kentucky unfortunately won’t face each other in a home-and-home series. The only other time(s) the programs could meet this season is the SEC Tournament or the NCAA Tournament.

2. Alabama at Auburn

When: March 8, 2025 | Where: Auburn, Alabama

The final day of the 2024-25 SEC schedule will see Alabama, the No. 2 team in the CBS Sports’ Top 25 And 1 rankings, facing Auburn on the road. While it’s impossible to project how the next seven months will transpire, this game will certainly matter in the grand scheme of the SEC title race. The Crimson Tide are the (current) favorites to win the league because of the firepower the program returns and the additions made via the transfer portal and high school recruiting. Auburn is ranked No. 10 in the Top 25 And 1 because of the return of three of its top five scorers: Johni Broome, Chad Baker-Mazara and Denver Jones. Broome is an All-American/SEC Player of the Year candidate, and no matter where these teams are ranked heading into this game, it will be one to watch.

3. Texas at Texas A&M

When: Jan. 4, 2025 | Where: College Station, Texas

For the first time in over five years, Texas A&M will face Texas on the hardwood. The last matchup between the in-state schools was on Dec. 8, 2019, when the Longhorns defeated the Aggies 60-50 at a neutral site. What makes this game significant (for two reasons) is not only will it be Texas’ first game as a member of the SEC, but it will be the first time in over a decade that these programs will face off at each other’s home gyms. Texas leads the all-time series 78-56 and has won six of the last seven showdowns with the Aggies. Texas A&M is ranked No. 11 in Gary Parrish’s Top 25 And 1, while Texas isn’t far behind at No. 20.

4. Arkansas at Tennessee 

When: Jan. 4, 2025 | Where: Knoxville, Tennessee

Calipari’s first SEC game at his new school will be in a very hostile environment. Tennessee is coming off a season in which the program reached the Elite Eight for the first time in over a decade but will have to replace the production of SEC Player of the Year Dalton Knecht. This game will also serve as a homecoming for Aidoo, who transferred from Tennessee to Arkansas this past offseason.

5. Oklahoma at Alabama

When: Jan. 4, 2025 | Where: Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Oklahoma will get its first taste as a member of the SEC when they face Alabama on the road. The Crimson Tide is one of the top contenders to be ranked high in the first preseason poll because of the return of All-American guard Mark Sears. Alabama reached the Final Four for the first time in program history this past spring, and expectations remain high. As for the Sooners, the program is entering a turning point in Year 4 of the Porter Moser era. Oklahoma has missed the NCAA Tournament in the first three seasons of Moser’s tenure, and with the program joining a loaded conference, breaking that drought won’t be easy.


SEC 2024-25 conference schedule

Thursday, January 4 Oklahoma at Alabama
Thursday, January 4 Missouri at Auburn
Thursday, January 4 Florida at Kentucky
Thursday, January 4 Vanderbilt at LSU
Thursday, January 4 Georgia at Ole Miss
Thursday, January 4 South Carolina at Mississippi State
Thursday, January 4 Arkansas at Tennessee
Thursday, January 4 Texas at Texas A&M
Sunday, January 7 Auburn at Texas
Tuesday/Wednesday, January 7/8 Ole Miss at Arkansas
Tuesday/Wednesday, January 7/8 Tennessee at Florida
Tuesday/Wednesday, January 7/8 Kentucky at Georgia
Tuesday/Wednesday, January 7/8 LSU at Missouri
Tuesday/Wednesday, January 7/8 Alabama at South Carolina
Tuesday/Wednesday, January 7/8 Mississippi State at Vanderbilt
Tuesday/Wednesday, January 7/8 Texas A&M at Oklahoma
Thursday, January 11 Florida at Arkansas
Thursday, January 11 Oklahoma at Georgia
Thursday, January 11 LSU at Ole Miss
Thursday, January 11 Kentucky at Mississippi State
Thursday, January 11 Vanderbilt at Missouri
Thursday, January 11 Auburn at South Carolina
Thursday, January 11 Alabama at Texas A&M
Thursday, January 11 Tennessee at Texas
Tuesday/Wednesday, January 14/15 Ole Miss at Alabama
Tuesday/Wednesday, January 14/15 Mississippi State at Auburn
Tuesday/Wednesday, January 14/15 Missouri at Florida
Tuesday/Wednesday, January 14/15 Texas A&M at Kentucky
Tuesday/Wednesday, January 14/15 Arkansas at LSU
Tuesday/Wednesday, January 14/15 Georgia at Tennessee
Tuesday/Wednesday, January 14/15 South Carolina at Vanderbilt
Tuesday/Wednesday, January 14/15 Texas at Oklahoma
Thursday, January 18 Texas at Florida
Thursday, January 18 Auburn at Georgia
Thursday, January 18 Alabama at Kentucky
Thursday, January 18 Ole Miss at Mississippi State
Thursday, January 18 Arkansas at Missouri
Thursday, January 18 LSU at Texas A&M
Thursday, January 18 Tennessee at Vanderbilt
Thursday, January 18 South Carolina at Oklahoma
Sunday, January 21 Mississippi State at Tennessee
Tuesday/Wednesday, January 21/22 Vanderbilt at Alabama
Tuesday/Wednesday, January 21/22 Georgia at Arkansas
Tuesday/Wednesday, January 21/22 Texas A&M at Ole Miss
Tuesday/Wednesday, January 21/22 Florida at South Carolina
Tuesday/Wednesday, January 21/22 Missouri at Texas
Thursday, January 25 LSU at Alabama
Thursday, January 25 Oklahoma at Arkansas
Thursday, January 25 Tennessee at Auburn
Thursday, January 25 Georgia at Florida
Thursday, January 25 Ole Miss at Missouri
Thursday, January 25 Mississippi State at South Carolina
Thursday, January 25 Kentucky at Vanderbilt
Thursday, January 25 Texas A&M at Texas
Sunday, January 28 Kentucky at Tennessee
Tuesday/Wednesday, January 28/29 South Carolina at Georgia
Tuesday/Wednesday, January 28/29 Auburn at LSU
Tuesday/Wednesday, January 28/29 Texas at Ole Miss
Tuesday/Wednesday, January 28/29 Alabama at Mississippi State
Tuesday/Wednesday, January 28/29 Oklahoma at Texas A&M
Thursday, February 1 Georgia at Alabama
Thursday, February 1 Arkansas at Kentucky
Thursday, February 1 Texas at LSU
Thursday, February 1 Auburn at Ole Miss
Thursday, February 1 Missouri at Mississippi State
Thursday, February 1 Texas A&M at South Carolina
Thursday, February 1 Florida at Tennessee
Thursday, February 1 Vanderbilt at Oklahoma
Tuesday/Wednesday, February 4/5 Oklahoma at Auburn
Tuesday/Wednesday, February 4/5 Vanderbilt at Florida
Tuesday/Wednesday, February 4/5 LSU at Georgia
Tuesday/Wednesday, February 4/5 Kentucky at Ole Miss
Tuesday/Wednesday, February 4/5 Missouri at Tennessee
Tuesday/Wednesday, February 4/5 Arkansas at Texas
Thursday, February 8 Alabama at Arkansas
Thursday, February 8 Florida at Auburn
Thursday, February 8 Mississippi State at Georgia
Thursday, February 8 South Carolina at Kentucky
Thursday, February 8 Ole Miss at LSU
Thursday, February 8 Texas A&M at Missouri
Thursday, February 8 Texas at Vanderbilt
Thursday, February 8 Tennessee at Oklahoma
Tuesday/Wednesday, February 11/12 LSU at Arkansas
Tuesday/Wednesday, February 11/12 Tennessee at Kentucky
Tuesday/Wednesday, February 11/12 Florida at Mississippi State
Tuesday/Wednesday, February 11/12 Oklahoma at Missouri
Tuesday/Wednesday, February 11/12 Ole Miss at South Carolina
Tuesday/Wednesday, February 11/12 Georgia at Texas A&M
Tuesday/Wednesday, February 11/12 Auburn at Vanderbilt
Tuesday/Wednesday, February 11/12 Alabama at Texas
Thursday, February 15 Auburn at Alabama
Thursday, February 15 South Carolina at Florida
Thursday, February 15 Missouri at Georgia
Thursday, February 15 Mississippi State at Ole Miss
Thursday, February 15 Vanderbilt at Tennessee
Thursday, February 15 Arkansas at Texas A&M
Thursday, February 15 Kentucky at Texas
Thursday, February 15 LSU at Oklahoma
Tuesday/Wednesday, February 18/19 Arkansas at Auburn
Tuesday/Wednesday, February 18/19 Oklahoma at Florida
Tuesday/Wednesday, February 18/19 Vanderbilt at Kentucky
Tuesday/Wednesday, February 18/19 South Carolina at LSU
Tuesday/Wednesday, February 18/19 Texas A&M at Mississippi State
Tuesday/Wednesday, February 18/19 Alabama at Missouri
Thursday, February 22 Kentucky at Alabama
Thursday, February 22 Missouri at Arkansas
Thursday, February 22 Georgia at Auburn
Thursday, February 22 Florida at LSU
Thursday, February 22 Texas at South Carolina
Thursday, February 22 Tennessee at Texas A&M
Thursday, February 22 Ole Miss at Vanderbilt
Thursday, February 22 Mississippi State at Oklahoma
Sunday, February 25 South Carolina at Missouri
Tuesday/Wednesday, February 25/26 Mississippi State at Alabama
Tuesday/Wednesday, February 25/26 Texas at Arkansas
Tuesday/Wednesday, February 25/26 Ole Miss at Auburn
Tuesday/Wednesday, February 25/26 Florida at Georgia
Tuesday/Wednesday, February 25/26 Tennessee at LSU
Tuesday/Wednesday, February 25/26 Vanderbilt at Texas A&M
Tuesday/Wednesday, February 25/26 Kentucky at Oklahoma
Friday, March 1 Texas A&M at Florida
Friday, March 1 Auburn at Kentucky
Friday, March 1 Oklahoma at Ole Miss
Friday, March 1 LSU at Mississippi State
Friday, March 1 Arkansas at South Carolina
Friday, March 1 Alabama at Tennessee
Friday, March 1 Missouri at Vanderbilt
Friday, March 1 Georgia at Texas
Tuesday/Wednesday, March 4/5 Florida at Alabama
Tuesday/Wednesday, March 4/5 LSU at Kentucky
Tuesday/Wednesday, March 4/5 Tennessee at Ole Miss
Tuesday/Wednesday, March 4/5 Texas at Mississippi State
Tuesday/Wednesday, March 4/5 Georgia at South Carolina
Tuesday/Wednesday, March 4/5 Auburn at Texas A&M
Tuesday/Wednesday, March 4/5 Arkansas at Vanderbilt
Tuesday/Wednesday, March 4/5 Missouri at Oklahoma
Friday, March 8 Mississippi State at Arkansas
Friday, March 8 Alabama at Auburn
Friday, March 8 Ole Miss at Florida
Friday, March 8 Vanderbilt at Georgia
Friday, March 8 Texas A&M at LSU
Friday, March 8 Kentucky at Missouri
Friday, March 8 South Carolina at Tennessee
Friday, March 8 Oklahoma at Texas

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The post John Calipari, Arkansas facing Kentucky leads rankings of 2024-25 SEC basketball schedule’s top games first appeared on OKC Sports Radio.


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