KU and Arkansas discuss playing a practice basketball game

The Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball team, which traveled to Illinois for an exhibition game against Illinois last fall to support a charity representing victims of the Maui wildfires, may play an exhibition game against Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas this pre-season.

The proposed exhibition, which a source said would also be played for charity, was mentioned by Arkansas first-year coach John Calipari during a news conference with reporters on Monday.

KU coach Bill Self confirmed in a text message to The Star that “we’re talking about it. Not done yet.”

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No date has been set for the KU-Arkansas game. Calipari said it would be played at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville.

“We are working with Kansas on an exhibit here at Bud Walton,” Calipari said at Monday’s news conference.

The game would not count in the record books. In terms of regular season games between the schools, KU leads the all-time series 8-6.

Arkansas has won the last two meetings: 72-71 in the second round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament in Des Moines, Iowa, and 65-64 in the 2005 Maui Invitational.

KU defeated Arkansas 93-81 in an Elite Eight game in 1991. The teams split a two-year home-and-away series in 1985-86 and ’86-87. KU won both ends of a home-and-away series in 1976-77 and ’77-78.