Report: Arkansas, Baylor schedule neutral-site game for 2024-25 season
Arkansas and Baylor are set to play a neutral site game in Dallas on Nov. 9, The Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman reported. The game will take place at American Airlines Center.
The matchup will highlight the first week of the season as John Calipari begins his tenure at Arkansas. It will also put him against Scott Drew, whose name was a hot one to replace Calipari at Kentucky this offseason.
Drew was one of the first potential candidates at Kentucky after Calipari announced his departure for Arkansas. Ultimately, he chose to stay at Baylor and UK ended up hiring Mark Pope as head coach. Now, Drew and Calipari will square off in an exciting neutral-site game as the college basketball season gets underway.
“In our program, we strive to put Jesus first, then others, then ourselves,” Drew said in a statement confirming his decision. “We truly believe God has called my family and I continue our work here at Baylor, surrounded by the best people and community anyone could be blessed to have. We are grateful for the support of Mack Rhoades, President Livingstone and the entire Baylor Family, and we look forward to working together to bring more championships to Waco. #JOY.”
Arkansas, Baylor made big recruiting moves this cycle
Arkansas will have nine fresh faces on Calipari’s roster this season – five transfers and four incoming freshmen. The headliner of the transfer portal class is former FAU guard Johnell Davis, who came in as the No. 3 overall player in the On3 Industry Transfer Portal Rankings. Tennessee transfer Jonas Aidoo also came in at No. 10.
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On the recruiting trail, the Razorbacks landed three top-30 recruits, led by four-star guard Boogie Fland. The Harlem (N.Y.) Archbishop Stepinac product came in as the No. 26 overall player from the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
As for Baylor, the Bears also found success on the recruiting trail with a blend of high school and landed some highly touted commitments. The biggest fish from the portal was former Miami forward Norchad Omier, who was the No. 2 overall player to hit the open market this cycle.
On the high school front, Five Star Plus+ guard VJ Edgecombe was the crown jewel of Baylor’s No. 4-ranked recruiting class, according to the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Ranking. Edgecombe was the No. 4 overall player from the 2024 cycle.