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Michigan basketball non-conference schedule includes matchup against Arkansas at Madison Square Garden

clayton-sayfieby: Clayton Sayfie05/31/24CSayf23
Zack Novak
Michigan Wolverines basketball beat Arkansas in December 2012. (Photo by Beth Hall-USA TODAY Sports)

Michigan Wolverines basketball will have an exciting schedule in its first season under head coach Dusty May, which includes the addition of a Dec. 11 matchup against Arkansas in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden. CBS Sports insider Jon Rothstein broke the news that the Wolverines will take on the Razorbacks.

The event is a doubleheader that will also include a showdown between Miami and Tennessee, per Rothstein. May’s squad participated in the Jimmy V Classic last season, losing to Illinois, 98-89. North Carolina vs. UConn was the other game.

Michigan will also take on Miami (Ohio) as part of its non-conference slate. The Maize and Blue will participate in the Fort Myers tip off Nov. 25-27, along with South Carolina, Virginia Tech and Xavier, and face Oklahoma in the Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte, N.C., Dec. 18.

Michigan has a 4-3 record against Arkansas, with the most recent meeting being an 80-67 win Dec. 8, 2012 in Fayeteville.

The two teams have played twice in the postseason — a 77-62 win by U-M in the NIT semifinal in 1997 and a 76-68 Arkansas victory in the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight in 1994. The Razorbacks went on to win the national championship in 1994.

Michigan played at Madison Square Garden, knocking off home team St. John’s 89-73 on Dec. 13. The Wolverines have won 11 straight games at the World’s Most Famous Arena and own a 26-11 overall record at the venue.

Both Michigan and Arkansas have new head coaches in 2024-25. Eric Musselman left Fayetteville for USC and was replaced by John Calipari, who departed Kentucky on his own volition amid questions about his long-term job security. The Wildcats fell to Oakland in the first round of the NCAA Tournament this past March.

Arkansas finished 16-17 last season, missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018-19. Michigan, meanwhile, didn’t make the Big Dance for the second straight year, finishing with a dismal 8-24 record. Head coach Juwan Howard was fired after his fifth season.

Despite having down years in 2023-24, both Michigan and Arkansas have a lot of hope for next season. The Wolverines brought in eight new players, including six transfers, and May and his staff have received high marks for their offseason moves. Calipari, meanwhile, brought in three former Kentucky players, three top-30 recruits in the 2024 class and former Florida Atlantic guard Johnell Davis.

May, of course, coached Davis at Florida Atlantic. He averaged 18.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game last season, shooting 48.3 percent overall and 41.4 percent from three-point distance in earning first-team All-AAC honors.

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