When Arkansas hosts the Duke Blue Devils in a ranked-on-ranked showdown, it won’t just be a marquee non-conference matchup, it will be John Calipari’s return to one of his longest-standing rivals. After years of battling Duke on the court and on the recruiting trail at Kentucky, Calipari meets the Blue Devils for the first time as Arkansas’ head coach.
This time, the circumstances are different. Duke enters the game 7–0, with impressive double-digit neutral-site wins over Texas and Kansas. Arkansas, at 5–1, has shown flashes of upside but dropped its lone Power Six matchup at Michigan State. Still, Calipari believes his team is better for it.