Arkansas forward out for extended time
Arkansas Razorbacks forward Karim Rtail will miss time to start the 2025-2026 season recovering from a back injury, Andrew Hutchinson from Best of Arkansas Sports reported and sources also confirmed with HawgBeat.
The report from BoAS said Rtail, who is a 21-year-old freshman, “could be sidelined for as many as 12 weeks as he recovers from surgery,” which would slate him to make his Razorback debut in January.
The 6-foot-8 Lebanon native came to the states after playing for the Lebanese FIBA junior national teams, competing in both the 2022 U18 Asia Championship and the 2023 U19 World Cup.
Rtail played for Neptunas-Akvaservis in Lithuania’s National Basketball League for two seasons. He started at power forward for 35 games in 2024-25 while averaging 8.3 points and 4.5 rebounds while shooting 42.6% from the field, 31.4% from three-point range and 78.9% from the free throw line.
Rtail has also played in Montenegro for Montenegrin Prva B, Lebanon’s Sagesse – Al Hekmeh Beirut and Italy’s U20 Banco do Sardenga Sassari.
The Razorbacks will play two scrimmage games – Oct. 24 at home against Cincinnati and Oct. 27 at Memphis – before tipping the season off on Nov. 3 against Southern inside Bud Walton Arena.
2025-2026 Arkansas Basketball Schedule
ALL TIMES CT
Oct. 12 (Sunday) Razorback Tip-Off Scrimmage – Hot Springs, Ark. (Bank OZK Arena) – 3:00 pm
Oct. 24 (Friday) Cincinnati (Exhibition) – Bud Walton Arena – SECN+ – 7:00 pm
Oct. 27 (Monday) at Memphis (Exhibition) – Memphis, Tenn. (FedEx Forum) – ESPNU – 8:00 pm
Nov. 3 (Monday) Southern – Bud Walton Arena – SEC Network – 6:00 pm
Nov. 8 (Saturday) at Michigan State- East Lansing, Mich. – TBA – 6:00 pm
Nov. 11 (Tuesday) Central Arkansas – Bud Walton Arena – SECN+ – 7:00 pm
Nov. 14 (Friday) Samford – Bud Walton Arena – SECN+ – 7:00 pm
Nov. 18 (Tuesday) Winthrop – Bud Walton Arena – SECN+ – 7:00 pm
Nov. 21 (Friday) Jackson State – Bud Walton Arena – SECN+ – 7:00 pm
Nov. 27 (Thursday) vs. Duke – Chicago, Ill. (United Center) – CBS – 7:00 pm
Dec. 3 (Wednesday) Louisville – Bud Walton Arena – ESPN – 6:00 pm
Dec. 6 (Saturday) vs. Fresno State – North Little Rock (Simmons Bank Arena) – SECN+ – 3:00 pm
Dec. 13 (Saturday) vs. Texas Tech – Dallas, Texas (American Airlines Center) – ESPN2 – 11:00 am
Dec. 16 (Tuesday) Queens – Bud Walton Arena – SEC Network – 8:00 pm
Dec. 20 (Saturday) vs. Houston – Newark, N.J. (Prudential Center) – CBS – 4:30 pm
Dec. 29 (Monday) James Madison – Bud Walton Arena – SECN+ – 7:00 pm
Jan. 3 (Saturday) Tennessee * – Bud Walton Arena – ESPN2 – 2:00 pm
Jan. 7 (Wednesday) at Ole Miss * – Oxford, Miss. – SEC Network – 8:00 pm
Jan. 10 (Saturday) at Auburn * – Auburn, Ala. – ESPN/2 – 5:00 pm
Jan. 14 (Wednesday) South Carolina * – Bud Walton Arena – SEC Network – 8:00 pm
Jan. 17 (Saturday) at Georgia * – Athens, Ga. – ESPN/2/U – 3:00 pm
Jan. 20 (Tuesday) Vanderbilt * – Bud Walton Arena – ESPN/2/U – 8:00 pm
Jan. 24 (Saturday) LSU * – Bud Walton Arena – SEC Network – 7:30 pm
Jan. 27 (Tuesday) at Oklahoma * – Norman, Okla. – ESPN/2 – 6:00 pm
Jan. 31 (Saturday) Kentucky * – Bud Walton Arena – ESPN – 5:30 pm
Feb. 7 (Saturday) at Mississippi State * – Starkville, Miss. – ESPN/2 – 11:00 am
Feb. 10 (Tuesday) at LSU * – Baton Rouge, La. – SEC Network – 8:00 pm
Feb. 14 (Saturday) Auburn * – Bud Walton Arena – ESPN/2 – 7:30 pm
Feb. 18 (Wednesday) at Alabama * – Tuscaloosa, Ala. – ESPN/2/U – 6:00 pm
Feb. 21 (Saturday) Missouri * – Bud Walton Arena – ESPN/2 – 3 or 3:30 pm
Feb. 25 (Wednesday) Texas A&M * – Bud Walton Arena – ESPN/2/U – 8:00 pm
Feb. 28 (Saturday) at Florida * – Gainesville, Fla. – ESPN/2 – 7:30 pm
Mar. 4 (Wednesday) Texas * – Bud Walton Arena – ESPN/2/U – 6:00 pm
Mar. 7 (Saturday) at Missouri * – Columbia, Mo. – ESPN/2/U – 11:00 am
Mar. 11-15 – SEC Tournament – Nashville, Tenn. (Bridgestone Arena) – SEC/ESPN
Mar. 19-22 – NCAA 1st/2nd Rounds
Mar. 26-29 – NCAA Regionals
April 4 & 6 – NCAA Final Four/Championship – Indianapolis, Ind. (Lucas Oil Stadium)
