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Jeff Borzello, ESPN Staff Writer
John Calipari’s first time on the Bud Walton Arena sideline as the head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks will come against none other than likely preseason No. 1 Kansas, he announced Wednesday.
Calipari posted on X that Arkansas has scheduled two preseason charity exhibition games, with the first one coming at home against Kansas on Oct. 25.
The Jayhawks are ranked No. 1 in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25.
Arkansas will also face TCU in Fort Worth on Nov. 1 in a charity exhibition game.
The Razorbacks hired Calipari away from Kentucky last April after 15 seasons with the Wildcats. He led the program to a national championship in 2012 and went to four Final Fours in his first six seasons in Lexington.
“This is a dream job. It was my dream job,” Calipari said upon leaving Kentucky. “Anybody in our profession looks at the University of Kentucky in basketball and said, that is the bluest of blue. The last few weeks, we’ve come to realize that this program probably needs to hear another voice. And the fans need to hear another voice. We’ve loved it here, but we think it’s time for us to step away. And step away completely from the program.”
Calipari, who replaced Eric Musselman in Fayetteville, signed a five-year contract at Arkansas starting at $7 million per season.
He rebuilt the Razorbacks’ roster by bringing along three players he coached at Kentucky (D.J. Wagner, Adou Thiero, Zvonimir Ivisic) and three recruits he signed at Kentucky (Johnuel Fland, Karter Knox, Billy Richmond), while also landing top-10 transfers Johnell Davis and Jonas Aidoo.
Bill Self’s team is looking to bounce back from last season, the Jayhawks’ worst campaign since Self took over in 2003.
Kansas returns three starters, including All-American Hunter Dickinson, and adds star transfers AJ Storr (Wisconsin), Rylan Griffen (Alabama) and Zeke Mayo (South Dakota State).