Illinois will get an early look at coach John Calipari’s new team at Arkansas in a nationally televised Thanksgiving game.
CBS on Friday announced the teams will meet at 3 p.m. Nov. 28 at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo. The game will air on both CBS-2 and the Paramount+ streaming service.
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Calipari is in his first year at Arkansas after 15 seasons at Kentucky that included six SEC championships, four Final Four berths and the 2012 national title. He also coached Massachusetts (1996) and Memphis (2008) to the Final Four, though the NCAA vacated both of those over eligibility issues.
“We are thrilled for this opportunity,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood said in a statement. “Playing in Kansas City — a tremendous basketball city that is near and dear to me — and taking on a great opponent in Arkansas, led by a Hall of Fame coach in Coach Calipari, is a big test for our team. … We know the sports world will be watching.”
The Illini return only one major contributor, junior wing Ty Rodgers, from the team that went 29-9, won the Big Ten Tournament and reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.
Five-star forward Will Riley and Thornton big man Morez Johnson Jr. — the state’s Mr. Basketball for 2024 — headline a five-player freshman class, and Underwood also brought in five players via the transfer portal: guards Kylan Boswell (Arizona) and Tre White (Louisville) and forwards Carey Booth (Notre Dame), Ben Humrichous (Evansville) and Jake Davis (Mercer).
Calipari, meanwhile, brought three former Kentucky players — D.J. Wagner, Adou Thiero and Zvonimir Ivišić — with him to Fayetteville along with Gary native Johnell Davis, who starred for Florida Atlantic’s 2023 Final Four team. Arkansas also signed three five-star recruits in guard Boogie Fland and forwards Karter Knox and Billy Richmond III.
Tomislav Ivišić, Zvonimir’s brother, is a freshman center for Illinois.
“Thanksgiving is a day that gets all of America — whether you are a sports fan or not — watching sports on TV,” Calipari said in a statement. “Playing in this time slot will provide tremendous exposure for both programs. … We have a great deal of respect for Coach Underwood and his Illinois program, and we know this game will be one the whole nation will be interested in seeing.”
Illinois leads the all-time series 5-1, but the Razorbacks ousted the Illini in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
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