University of Memphis Athletics
University of Memphis
No. 12 Arkansas (Exhibition)
Oct 27, 2026 | Men's Basketball
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – In its final tune-up before the regular season, the Memphis men's basketball program heads to No. 12 Arkansas for a 7 p.m. exhibition game Wednesday at Bud Walton Arena.
It's the second of two exhibition games for Memphis, both on the road against SEC opponents. The Tigers defeated Mississippi State 75-58 last Friday in Starkville in their first appearance.
In the win over the Bulldogs, Memphis opened the second half on an 11-0 run to go up 50-35 and the team's lead never dipped below 14 points in the final 16 minutes. The Tigers led for over 38 minutes in the game.
Senior Jayden Reid led the Tigers with a game-high 26 points. He was 11-of-15 from the field with four assists, three steals and no turnovers. Reid was one of four Tigers to score in double-figures. Nemanja Popovic registered 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting, while senior Luke Almodovar tallied 11 points. Fifth year Rihards Vavers tallied 10 points and five rebounds.
Reid was named to the Preseason All-Conference First-Team after transferring from Northwestern where he averaged 10.1 points per game. He spent the prior two years in the American Conference at South Florida and averaged 12.6 points and 3.6 assists per game as a sophomore after being named to the 2023-24 American All-Freshman Team.
It will be the second straight year Memphis and Arkansas meet in an exhibition as the Razorbacks finished on top 99-75 last season at FedExForum. The last regular season meeting between the two programs was Nov. 23, 2023 when the Tigers won 84-79 in The Bahamas.
Arkansas beat No. 15 Gonzaga in a home exhibition over the weekend 76-72. The Razorbacks are coached by John Calipari, who was the head coach at Memphis from 2000-09.
Arkansas was predicted to finish third out of 16 teams in the SEC Preseason Poll. The Razorbacks finished 28-9 (13-5 SEC) last season, won the SEC Tournament and reached the Sweet 16.
Wednesday's exhibition can be watched on the SEC Network Plus with Brett Dolan and Manuale Watkins on the call, and can be heard on 98.9 The Roar with Dave Woloshin and Ken Moody.
The season opener is Monday, Nov. 2 against No. 18 Iowa State at 6 p.m. in a neutral site game in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The home opener is Saturday, Nov. 7 at 2 p.m. against VCU at FedExForum.
Back at it on Wednesday 💪 https://t.co/yEhqfYiyEC
— Memphis Basketball (@Memphis_MBB) October 26, 2026
NOTES
- Hardaway and Calipari are two of the three winningest coaches in Memphis history. Hardaway sits third all-time in program history in wins with 175, while Calipari was 214-67. Larry Finch was 220-130 in 11 seasons from 1986-97.
- The Tigers non-conference schedule boasts an average opponent NET of 96.7, based on the final 2025-26 rankings, and adds to Hardaway's long-standing philosophy of playing elite opponents. The schedule includes games against four ranked teams and three receiving votes in the 2026-27 AP Preseason Top-25.
- Not including exhibitions, the Tigers are 21-10 against Power 4 opponents under Hardaway.
- Senior Tylik Weeks was tabbed to the Preseason All-Conference Second-Team. He transferred from Southern Miss where he led the Sun Belt Conference in scoring last season with 19.7 points per game. The Sun Belt All-Conference First-Team selection scored in double figures in 32 of 34 games and scored at least 30 points four times.
- Popovic was cleared by the NCAA for two years of eligibility. However, the NCAA notified Memphis that Popovic must serve a six-game withholding period to begin the 2026-27 season due to previous international competition. Memphis is appealing the withholding period and an update regarding Popovic's status will be provided once the NCAA has reached a final decision. Popovic started at center in the team's exhibition win over Mississippi State and recorded 12 points (6-9 FGs), four rebounds, three steals and a block in 31 minutes.
- The Tigers will enter their 106th season of basketball and 14th in the American Conference.
How to follow the Tigers: For complete information on Memphis Tigers Men's Basketball, visit http://www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter and Instagram.
