MEN'S BASKETBALL
UA to face Valparaiso, Northern Kentucky
At a glance
Arkansas MEN nonconference schedule
DATE OPPONENT
Nov. 5 Rice*
Nov. 12 North Texas
Nov. 16 Montana
Nov. 19 Texas Southern
Nov. 22 South Dakota
Nov. 25 at Georgia Tech
Dec. 3 Austin Peay
Dec. 7 at Western Kentucky
Dec. 14 Tulsa
Dec. 21 Valparaiso+
Dec. 29 at Indiana
Jan. 25 TCU#
TBA Northern Kentucky
*season opener
+at North Little Rock
#Big 12/SEC Challenge
The University of Arkansas will host Valparaiso and Northern Kentucky in the upcoming basketball season.
The game against Valparaiso will be played on Saturday, Dec. 21, at Verizon Arena in North Little Rock as part of a men's and women's doubleheader. The women's team will play the University of Arkansas at Little Rock at Verizon Arena that afternoon.
A date has not been given for the home game against Northern Kentucky, but NKU Coach Darrin Horn confirmed the game during a business luncheon Wednesday in Newport, Ky., according to a tweet from Don Owen, a reporter for the Northern Kentucky Tribune.
Arkansas has never played Valparaiso or Northern Kentucky.
Valpo is coming off a 15-18 season in which the Crusaders went 7-11 in the Missouri Valley Conference. Valpo is losing its leading scorer from last season, but returns senior guard/forward Ryan Fazekas (11.8 points per game) and sophomore guard Javon Freeman-Liberty (11 ppg).
Matt Lottich is in his fifth season as head coach of the Crusaders.
Horn, who previously was the head coach at South Carolina for four seasons until 2012, is entering his first season as head coach at Northern Kentucky. The Norse are coming off a 26-9 season in which they won the Horizon League and lost to Texas Tech in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
NKU must replace its leading scorer, but returns three starters -- senior guard Tyler Sharpe (14.4), junior guard/forward Jalen Tate (13.7) and senior forward Dantez Walton (11.1).
Arkansas has not released its schedule, but the Razorbacks' 13 nonconference opponents have been discovered through other schedule releases or reports.
-- Matt Jones
Sports on 08/29/2019