Arkansas vs. Memphis: How to Watch, Game Preview and Exhibition Details

Arkansas and Memphis Meet in Fayetteville for Final Preseason Tune-Up

The Arkansas Razorbacks and Memphis Tigers face off at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville for their second and final preseason exhibition game, wholehogsports.com reported. The matchup revives an intermittent rivalry on the hardwood, bringing Memphis back to Fayetteville for the first time in over two decades.

Wednesday’s contest marks the second preseason outing for both programs. Arkansas enters the matchup following a 76-72 home victory over Gonzaga on Saturday, while Memphis secured a 75-58 win against Mississippi State in Starkville on Friday, wholehogsports.com reported. The all-time series between the two programs stands tied at 11-11.

Arkansas vs. Memphis Postgame Show Presented by BetSaracen | INSIDE ARKANSAS

Roster Turnovers Shape Two Very Different Programs

The two squads approach this exhibition with drastically different personnel setups. Memphis arrives in Fayetteville with an entirely new roster following a 13-19 campaign under head coach Penny Hardaway during the previous season, wholehogsports.com reported. Hardaway holds a 175-87 record in his ninth season leading his alma mater.

On the opposing bench, Arkansas head coach John Calipari guides a heavily reloaded roster featuring 10 newcomers, including eight freshmen. The Razorbacks return just one player from last season’s rotation in Billy Richmond, giving them the youngest team in the power conferences and the fifth-youngest in Division I men’s basketball, per RotoWire data cited by wholehogsports.com. Calipari enters his third season at Arkansas with a 50-23 record and boasts a 905-286 career mark across 35 seasons.

Live Watch Party 12 Arkansas vs Memphis at Bud Walton Arena

Health remains a primary storyline for the Razorbacks heading into Wednesday. During Saturday’s win over Gonzaga, Arkansas forwards Cooper Bowser and Miikka Muurinen alongside guard Jordan Smith were each helped off the floor in the second half, wholehogsports.com reported. While Muurinen and Smith returned to action against Gonzaga, Bowser did not. All three are expected to play against Memphis.

Historical Context Behind the Series Resumption

Wednesday marks Memphis’s first trip to Bud Walton Arena since Jan. 2, 2003, when the Tigers secured a 72-67 victory, wholehogsports.com reported. The two schools previously contested an annual home-and-home series that concluded in 2003. Calipari, who served as Memphis’s head coach at that time, was responsible for ending the series.

Arkansas vs. Memphis: How to Watch, Game Preview and Exhibition Details — Photo: si.com

Last year’s exhibition offered a lopsided preview of the programs’ current trajectories, as Arkansas defeated Memphis 99-75 on Oct. 27, 2025, at the FedEx Forum, according to wholehogsports.com. Their last regular-season meeting took place on Nov. 23, 2023, in Paradise Island, Bahamas, where Memphis edged the Razorbacks 84-79.

How to Watch and Listen

For fans unable to attend the 19,200-seat Bud Walton Arena, the game will be broadcast via streaming platforms. SEC Network+ and ESPN+ will carry the video feed, accessible on WatchESPN.com and through the ESPN app with a subscriber login. Brett Dolan handles play-by-play duties alongside analyst Manuale Watkins.

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Radio coverage is available through the Razorback Sports Network via local FM and AM affiliates and the Varsity Network app, with Chuck Barrett on play-by-play and Matt Zimmerman providing analysis, wholehogsports.com noted, adding that broadcast blackouts may apply.

Following Wednesday’s exhibition, both teams pivot quickly to regular-season action. Arkansas opens its regular season against Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 7 p.m. on Nov. 3 in Fayetteville, while Memphis faces No. 18 Iowa State on Nov. 2 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, wholehogsports.com reported. The Associated Press ranks Arkansas No. 12 to start the campaign, with KenPom slotting the Razorbacks at No. 20 and the Tigers at No. 85.