Arkansas basketball coach Mike Anderson wanted to toughen up his team's nonconference schedule.
The 2012-13 schedules shows Anderson accomplished his goal.
The Razorbacks unveiled their completed schedule Monday, highlighting a five-game nonconference slate that includes neutral site games against Arizona State (Nov. 23) and Wisconsin or Creighton (Nov. 24), home games against Syracuse (Nov. 30) and Oklahoma (Dec. 4), and a road trip to play at Michigan (Dec. 8). It's an intriguing and challenging stretch during Arkansas' 13-game nonconference schedule, which begins with the season opener against Sam Houston State on Nov. 9.
“This schedule is definitely a challenge and we will be tested as a team early and often,” Anderson said in a statement Monday. “It is important to have a tough non-conference schedule to prepare us for the SEC.”
The 13 nonconference games will lead into the 18-game Southeastern Conference schedule, which begins against at Texas A&M on Jan. 8. The SEC schedule was released earlier this summer.
Below is the complete 31-game schedule:
ARKANSAS BASKETBALL 2012-13 SCHEDULE
Nov. 2 – Southwest Baptist (exhibition)
Nov. 5. – LeMoyne-Owen (exhibition)
Nov. 9 – Sam Houston State
Nov. 18 – Longwood
Nov. 20 – Florida A&M
Nov. 23 – vs. Arizona State (Las Vegas)
Nov. 24 – vs. Wisconsin/Creighton (Las Vegas)
Nov. 30 – Syracuse
Dec. 4 – Oklahoma
Dec. 8 – at Michigan (Ann Arbor, Mich.)
Dec. 15 – Alcorn State
Dec. 20 – Robert Morris
Dec. 22 – Alabama A&M (North Little Rock)
Dec. 29 – Northwestern State
Jan. 5 – Delaware State
Jan. 8 – at Texas A&M (College Station, Texas)
Jan. 12 – Vanderbilt
Jan. 16 – Auburn
Jan. 19 – at Ole Miss (Oxford, Miss.)
Jan. 23 – Mississippi State
Jan. 26 – at South Carolina (Columbia, S.C.)
Jan. 31 – at Alabama (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
Feb. 2 – Tennessee
Feb. 5 – Florida
Feb. 9 – at Vanderbilt (Nashville, Tenn.)
Feb. 13 – at Auburn (Auburn, Ala.)
Feb. 16 – Missouri
Feb. 21 – Georgia
Feb. 23 – at Florida (Gainesville, Fla.)
Feb. 27 – at LSU (Baton Rouge, La.)
March 2 – Kentucky
March 5 – at Missouri (Columbia, Mo.)
March 9 – Texas A&M
March 13-17 – SEC Tournament in Nashville, Tenn.
— Robbie Neiswanger • Arkansas News Bureau
