The Arkansas men’s basketball team will host Central Michigan on Dec. 22 at Bud Walton Arena, adding another nonconference matchup to what is shaping up to be a demanding early-season schedule.
The game was first reported by Bracketeer’s Rocco Miller. It will mark the second meeting between the Razorbacks and the Chippewas, with the first coming nearly 20 years ago.
Arkansas defeated Central Michigan 75-59 on Dec. 5, 2006, in Fayetteville. That game was played during the height of the Stan Heath era, with the Razorbacks finishing that season 21-14 and advancing to the NIT.
The upcoming matchup represents the fourth nonconference game now reported for Arkansas. The Razorbacks will travel to Detroit to face Michigan State on Thanksgiving at Little Caesars Arena. They’ll then head to the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill to play North Carolina on Dec. 1, followed by a trip to Phoenix to take on Arizona on Dec. 19.
All three of those opponents reached postseason play last year. Michigan State earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament before falling in the second round. North Carolina finished 27-9 and made the Sweet 16. Arizona, despite a challenging season by its standards, still received an at-large bid and won a first-round game.
Adding Central Michigan gives head coach John Calipari a game closer to home before the Razorbacks likely begin SEC play. The Chippewas will travel to Fayetteville for the second leg of what should be a competitive mid-December stretch.
Central Michigan is coming off a 10-21 season under second-year head coach Andy Bronkema. The Chippewas struggled in Mid-American Conference play, finishing near the bottom of the league standings. Bronkema took over the program after serving as an assistant at Michigan and Grand Valley State.
The game also carries a family connection for Arkansas fans. Chippewa signee Tyre Acuff is the younger cousin of former Razorbacks point guard Darius Acuff, who played for Arkansas during the 2024-25 season. Darius Acuff transferred to Arkansas from Kansas State and appeared in 33 games as a freshman, showing flashes of the scoring ability that made him a highly-touted recruit out of Bartlesville, Oklahoma.
Darius Acuff ultimately entered the transfer portal this spring and is expected to transfer elsewhere for his sophomore season. But the family connection to Central Michigan adds another layer to the December matchup, at least for fans who followed his brief Razorbacks career.
Bud Walton Arena has hosted various nonconference opponents over the years, but games against mid-major programs from the MAC are relatively rare. Central Michigan’s trip to Fayetteville represents a significant geographic jump for the Chippewas — the drive from Mount Pleasant, Michigan, to Fayetteville spans roughly 14 hours.
The Razorbacks are entering a critical stretch in Calipari’s third season in Fayetteville. After a turbulent first year that ended with a 16-17 record and no postseason, Arkansas showed improvement down the stretch last season before falling to High Point in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Building nonconference momentum against a mix of high-major opponents and regional programs will be important as the Razorbacks aim to establish themselves in the SEC hierarchy.
Tickets for the game have not yet gone on sale through the Razorback Athletics ticket office. Fans interested in attending should monitor ArkansasRazorbacks.com for updates on single-game ticket availability.
Source: NWA Democrat Gazette
