The #12/13 Arkansas men’s basketball program returns to Bud Walton Arena on Wednesday for its final exhibition contest of the season, welcoming the Memphis Tigers for a 7:00 pm Central tipoff in Fayetteville.
Both squads enter the matchup carrying 1-0 records from their opening exhibition outings. The Razorbacks earned a 76-72 victory over #15/12 Gonzaga on Saturday, while Memphis secured a 74-58 win against Mississippi State on the road last Friday.
Wednesday’s meeting follows a previous exhibition between the two programs held last year in Memphis. During that contest, Arkansas erased a 45-42 halftime deficit to claim a 99-75 victory. Meleek Thomas paced the Razorbacks with 23 points and four steals, Darius Acuff Jr. contributed 17 points and seven assists with zero turnovers, and Billy Richmond III added 13 points alongside two blocked shots.
Historically, Arkansas holds an 81-11 all-time record in exhibition fixtures, including a 71-6 mark on its home floor and a streak of 40 consecutive home exhibition wins. Officials note that the exhibition results will not count toward the 2026-27 regular-season records or alter the all-time head-to-head series statistics.
In official historical matchups, Arkansas and Memphis are deadlocked with 11 wins apiece across 22 encounters. The Tigers have claimed the last two meetings, which includes an 84-79 victory in the semifinals of the Battle for Atlantis on November 23, 2023. Nevertheless, the Razorbacks have prevailed in nine of the past 13 clashes and hold a 5-1 advantage in games contested in Fayetteville.
The last time Arkansas hosted Memphis for a regular matchup was January 2, 2003, during the tenure of Coach Calipari’s second season leading the Tigers. Memphis overcame a halftime deficit by outscoring the Razorbacks 46-40 in the second half to secure a 72-67 victory. Billy Richmond Jr., father of current Razorback Billy Richmond III, led Memphis with 16 points and six rebounds, while Michael Jones paced Arkansas with 18 points.
Arkansas head coach John Calipari holds a 1-0 all-time record against Memphis, stemming from a 64-61 victory by his UMass Minutemen over the Tigers on January 4, 1996, in Worcester, Massachusetts. Calipari, entering his third season at the helm in Fayetteville, previously served as head coach at Memphis from 2000 to 2009, compiling a 252-69 record, capturing seven league titles, and reaching six NCAA Tournaments, which included four Sweet 16 appearances and a national runner-up finish.
Coverage for Wednesday’s game will be streamed live on SEC Network+ with commentary from Brett Dolan and Manuale Watkins, and broadcast via the Learfield Razorback Sports Network with Chuck Barrett and Matt Zimmerman.
