Razorbacks Playing UCA in Little Rock Helps New Coach There, Too
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The news started leaking out Friday, but right now all we have is a report from Jon Rothstein at College Hoops Today that may gives us some insight into Arkansas' basketball schedule this year.
If the Razorbacks are going to face UCA in a non-conference game this year in Little Rock, we can only make a few assumptions about the first schedules for both the Hogs' John Calipari and the Bears' John Shulman after being hired in April.
We have no idea when or where, though, since neither school has released official schedules. Non-conference is always a work in progress, often until fall. The game will be played in the Little Rock area and the assumption that will be in Simmons Bank Arena in North Little Rock.
The Hogs are 6-0 against the Bears with just two of the games being played away from Fayetteville at neutral-court locations. For the last couple of decades, Arkansas has usually played a non-conference opponent a couple of weeks before the Christmas break in Simmons.
Since the game is usually a sell-out regardless of opponent, it is something they would like to continue. UCA is looking to build on what they have by going out and getting Shulman, who came from Alabama-Huntsville.
When the Razorbacks hired Calipari from Kentucky, he made it clear right from the start he wanted to play more games in the Little Rock area. That's not surprising considering the amount of talent in the Central Arkansas. As for the Bears, the travel time is down there is about 20 minutes with little traffic coming from Conway.
It would also be a chance for Shulman's first team to draw big-time publicity that will follow the Razorbacks this season with the expected Calipari circus arriving in Fayetteville. It's added exposure for UCA against a team projected to be highly-ranked, plus the flagship in-state team.
The game has already been announced as an ESPN+ broadcast, which is a positive for Razorback fans because that has not been possible in the past because there have been too many issues with internet connectivity in Little Rock. That was always surprising considering past names on the arena were Alltell and Verizon for 20 years, and has since been an issue after Simmons Bank took on the sponsorship.
Much like Calipari, Shulman has been adding players since being hired in what has likely been a whirlwind of activity, signing some of the highest-rated high school players in Arkansas plus putting together a schedule and juggling all the complexities that entails.
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ANDY HODGES
Sports columnist, writer, former radio host and television host who has been expressing an opinion on sports in the media for over four decades. He has been at numerous media stops in Arkansas, Texas and Mississippi.