John Calipari, Arkansas facing Kentucky leads rankings of 2024-25 SEC basketball schedule's top games

The SEC released dates for the full conference schedule on Tuesday, pinpointing when the potential game of the year in college basketball during the 2024-25 season will take place. John Calipari's new-look Arkansas squad will travel to Rupp Arena to face Kentucky on Feb. 1 in the lone scheduled matchup between the Razorbacks and the Wildcats, Calipari's former school.

Each SEC team will plays the other 15 teams in the conference at least once and will face three teams a second time in a "home-and-home" series. Two of those three teams will be play twice each season as permanent opponents with the other team changing every year.

The three teams Kentucky will play twice this season are Alabama, Tennessee and Vanderbilt. The three teams Arkansas will play twice are LSU, Missouri and Texas.

Arkansas and Kentucky will feature rosters that will look drastically different from the previous season. Since Calipari's arrival in Arkansas, he's helped land five former Kentucky pledges (Karter Knox, Zvonimir Ivišić, Boogie Fland, Adou Theiro, and Billy Richmond) to pair with former Tennessee big man Jonas Aidoo and FAU star guard Johnell Davis.

Kentucky coach Mark Pope is building a roster that features zero returning scholarship players. His first transfer portal commitment came from incoming freshman guard Collin Chandler, who spent the last two years on a Mormon mission. Chandler was Pope's highest-rated signee (No. 33 overall) during his tenure at BYU.

Kentucky has landed high-profile commitments from BYU guard Jaxson Robinson, Dayton sharpshooter Koby Brea, West Virginia guard Kerr Kriisa, San Diego State guard Lamont Butler, and Oklahoma guard Otega Oweh.

Another wrinkle of the schedule release includes Texas and Oklahoma receiving their respective conference opponents as part of an expanded SEC. The Sooners will face Alabama on the road in its first SEC game on Jan. 4, while the Longhorns will renew its rivalry on the road at Texas A&M on the same day.

Here are five SEC conference games to watch this season.

1. Arkansas at Kentucky

When: Feb. 1, 2025 | Where: Lexington, Kentucky

Kentucky's showdown with Arkansas is shaping up to be one of the top games of the year in the sport. Calipari spent the last 15 years on the home sidelines in Lexington and will coach against his old school at the midpoint of the SEC schedule. This will be the lone matchup between the Razorbacks and the Wildcats this season, as Arkansas and Kentucky unfortunately won't face each other in a home-and-home series. The only other time(s) the programs could meet this season is the SEC Tournament or the NCAA Tournament.

2. Alabama at Auburn

When: March 8, 2025 | Where: Auburn, Alabama

The final day of the 2024-25 SEC schedule will see Alabama, the No. 2 team in the CBS Sports' Top 25 And 1 rankings, facing Auburn on the road. While it's impossible to project how the next seven months will transpire, this game will certainly matter in the grand scheme of the SEC title race. The Crimson Tide are the (current) favorites to win the league because of the firepower the program returns and the additions made via the transfer portal and high school recruiting. Auburn is ranked No. 10 in the Top 25 And 1 because of the return of three of its top five scorers: Johni Broome, Chad Baker-Mazara and Denver Jones. Broome is an All-American/SEC Player of the Year candidate, and no matter where these teams are ranked heading into this game, it will be one to watch.

3. Texas at Texas A&M

When: Jan. 4, 2025 | Where: College Station, Texas

For the first time in over five years, Texas A&M will face Texas on the hardwood. The last matchup between the in-state schools was on Dec. 8, 2019, when the Longhorns defeated the Aggies 60-50 at a neutral site. What makes this game significant (for two reasons) is not only will it be Texas' first game as a member of the SEC, but it will be the first time in over a decade that these programs will face off at each other's home gyms. Texas leads the all-time series 78-56 and has won six of the last seven showdowns with the Aggies. Texas A&M is ranked No. 11 in Gary Parrish's Top 25 And 1, while Texas isn't far behind at No. 20.

4. Arkansas at Tennessee 

When: Jan. 4, 2025 | Where: Knoxville, Tennessee

Calipari's first SEC game at his new school will be in a very hostile environment. Tennessee is coming off a season in which the program reached the Elite Eight for the first time in over a decade but will have to replace the production of SEC Player of the Year Dalton Knecht. This game will also serve as a homecoming for Aidoo, who transferred from Tennessee to Arkansas this past offseason.

5. Oklahoma at Alabama

When: Jan. 4, 2025 | Where: Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Oklahoma will get its first taste as a member of the SEC when they face Alabama on the road. The Crimson Tide is one of the top contenders to be ranked high in the first preseason poll because of the return of All-American guard Mark Sears. Alabama reached the Final Four for the first time in program history this past spring, and expectations remain high. As for the Sooners, the program is entering a turning point in Year 4 of the Porter Moser era. Oklahoma has missed the NCAA Tournament in the first three seasons of Moser's tenure, and with the program joining a loaded conference, breaking that drought won't be easy.

SEC 2024-25 conference schedule