Men's basketball schedule set

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas men’s basketball schedule is set for the 2010-11 season with a 30-game slate beginning on Thursday, Nov. 18 at Bud Walton Arena. Arkansas’ schedule currently has 19 games on television, not including any post season tournaments with more to come, and 13 contests against teams that played in the post season last year.

"We have a very challenging non-conference schedule," Arkansas head coach John Pelphrey said. "With UAB, Oklahoma, Seton Hall, Texas and Texas A&M, it should be an exciting schedule for both our players and the fans. We have never shied away from putting together a difficult schedule and this year reiterates that. In regards to the SEC schedule, there are again a lot of challenges ahead of us. There are good players throughout this great league and our fans will get to see some of the best when we play Tennessee, Kentucky and Georgia at home, to name a few.

"In order to meet these challenges, we will have to be very close and operate as a team. It will all start with pressure defense and we’ll have to be fast in transition. If we can do those things than I think that we will overachieve and based on the attitude and work ethic of our players I think that we will have an opportunity to do just that."

Included in the 2010-11 schedule is a variety of games against teams from multiple conferences. Arkansas has opponents from 10 different leagues on the schedule including the SEC, Big East, Big 12, Conference USA, SWAC, Atlantic Sun, Ohio Valley, Sun Belt, MEAC and Southland. The television lineup for the season as it currently stands includes five games on the ESPN family of networks (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU), three on Fox Sports Net, two on Comcast Sports South and nine on the SEC Network. The Southeastern Conference Tournament will be televised by the SEC Network and ESPN.

Bud Walton Arena will begin rocking for the 18th year on Nov. 18 when the Razorbacks open the season with Grambling State as a part of the Razorback Showcase. The showcase is a set of four games on the Arkansas schedule to start the season and also includes games with Florida Gulf Coast on Nov. 22 at Bud Walton, Southeast Missouri State on Nov. 24 at Bud Walton and Alabama-Birmingham on Nov. 26 in North Little Rock, Ark. The Razorbacks took on a ranked UAB squad a year ago and dropped a last-second decision to the Blazers.

Oklahoma comes to Fayetteville on Dec. 1 in a return game from a year ago followed by Troy who completes a six-game season-opening stretch of games for the Razorbacks in the state of Arkansas. The Razorbacks take their first road trip of the season on Dec. 8 when they take on Seton Hall as part of the SEC/Big East Invitational. It is also Arkansas’ first national television broadcast, a 6 p.m. start on ESPN2.

The Razorbacks return to Fayetteville to face Mississippi Valley State on Dec. 15 before another neutral site and nationally-televised game with Texas A&M on Dec. 18 in Dallas, Texas. The Razorbacks’ non-conference slate concludes with home games against Texas Southern on Dec. 22, North Carolina A&T on Dec. 29, Texas-Arlington on Dec. 31 and a trip to Austin, Texas to play the Texas Longhorns on Jan. 4.

Arkansas’ conference schedule starts on Saturday, Jan. 8 when the Razorbacks host the Tennessee Volunteers at 12:30 p.m. A road trip to Baton Rouge, La., to face LSU follows on Jan. 12 leading to another Saturday afternoon game at Bud Walton Arena, this time with the Alabama Crimson Tide on Jan. 22. The Razorbacks make their only two-game road swing of the year against Eastern Division foes South Carolina and Florida on Jan. 19 and 22, respectively, before wrapping up a tough January slate against Auburn on ESPNU on Jan. 25 and on the road at Vanderbilt on Jan. 29.

February begins with a game against what is believed to be a much-improved Georgia team on Feb. 2 in Fayetteville followed by Ole Miss, also at Bud Walton Arena on Feb. 5. Arkansas travels to Mississippi State on Feb. 9 and returns to Fayetteville for a rematch with LSU on Feb. 12. A break in the SEC schedule gives Arkansas an opportunity to take on Florida A&M on Wednesday, Feb. 16, before a trip to Alabama on Saturday, Feb. 19.

Arkansas hosts highly touted Kentucky on Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. and wraps up the February schedule at Auburn on Feb. 26. The regular season schedule concludes with games against Mississippi State in Fayetteville and at Ole Miss, March 2 and 5, respectively.

The 2011 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament will be held in Atlanta, Ga., March 10-13 and broadcast on the SEC Network and ESPN.

Tickets for the 2010-11 men’s basketball season are available at the Razorback Ticket Office by calling 1-800-982-HOGS, or by going online to ArkansasRazorbacks.com. The Razorbacks begin fall practices on Friday, Oct. 15.

Download: 2010-11 Men’s Basketball Schedule.pdf