FAYETTEVILLE — The crux of Arkansas’ 2017-18 nonconference basketball schedule is set after the Razorbacks’ addition to the loaded Phil Knight Invitational field Wednesday.
Arkansas is assured a few early season tests against college basketball's elite programs. The Razorbacks are banking on having a roster that will have it in the national conversation heading into the season, too.
The schedule, which now includes six known games, has the markings of a challenging slate for what coach Mike Anderson and his staff hope is a high-caliber team. The Phil Knight Invitational, which will be played in Portland, Ore., over Thanksgiving weekend next year, guarantees the Razorbacks three games. It’s a good bet some of those will be matchups with marquee opponents with a field that includes Duke, North Carolina, Michigan State, Connecticut, Florida, Gonzaga, Georgetown, Butler, Texas, Stanford, Oregon, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Portland and Portland State.
Arkansas also has at least three additional nonconference games set. The Razorbacks will play at Houston and host Minnesota in the second games of a pair of home-and-home agreements. They’ll also host Colorado State in the first year of a home-and-home series.
The six games make up about half of what will be the final version of the nonconference schedule, which could also wind up featuring another quality opponent via the SEC-Big 12 Challenge. Having set matchups this far in advance will also aid in scheduling the rest of the nonconference matchups.
The schedule will test what figures to be a deep team returning seniors Jaylen Barford, Daryl Macon, Anton Beard, Trey Thompson, Dustin Thomas and Arlando Cook, barring attrition. Arkansas will also add a trio of four star in-state prospects in power forward Daniel Gafford (ESPN’s No. 48 player in the class of 2017), combo guard Khalil Garland (ESPN’s No. 55 prospect) and combo forward Darious Hall.
Arkansas will graduate Moses Kingsley, Dusty Hannahs and Manny Watkins, but the returning roster meshed with the newcomers has the potential to be one of Anderson’s deepest and most versatile in his tenure at Arkansas. With today’s announcement accepting the Phil Knight Invitational bid, it’s clear Anderson and the program want to test that roster against some of the nation’s elite programs.