Man, let me tell you about planning for those Razorbacks games next season. It ain’t simple as piecing together a kids’ puzzle, that’s for sure. Wanted to get my ducks in a row early, ’cause last year? Total mess. Showed up late to LSU ’cause I misread the dang schedule.
Started Simple Enough
Cracked open the laptop last Tuesday night. Coffee gone cold. Typed “Razorbacks 2025 basketball schedule” straight into the search bar like always. Figured I’d find one official page, maybe two clicks, print the thing and call it done.
Yeah, right.
First hit was some fan forum post guessing dates based on last year’s pattern. Comments fulla folks arguing whether conference play starts early January or mid-January. Useless. Clicked back fast. Next link? A generic college sports site showing placeholder dates like “Sat, TBA vs. Kentucky”. TBA? How’m I supposed to plan around “TBA”? That’s like telling someone dinner’s ready… eventually.
The Scavenger Hunt Begins
Got stubborn. Dug deeper. Remembered the official athletics site. Found it after scrolling past three sponsored links trying to sell me tickets to games that ain’t even scheduled yet. Got excited seeing a proper “2025 Schedule” section… only to click it and get a big fat “Coming Soon! Sign Up For Alerts!” banner. Signed up, sure. But alerts don’t help me block weekends off work right now.
Tried social media next. Official Razorbacks account? Zip. Nothing beyond hype videos for recruiting. Clicked through fan pages. Saw rumors:
- A guy swears he heard Mizzou away game’s Feb 12th.
- Another insists the Texas non-conference game is Thanksgiving weekend.
- Five different answers about when Bama comes to Fayetteville.
Felt like herding cats. My notes looked like a conspiracy theory board.
Finally Caught a Break
Got lucky Thursday morning. Was complaining about this circus at the coffee shop, and Bev behind the counter overheard. Her nephew works facilities setup at Bud Walton. She texted him right then. Two minutes later, my phone buzzes. A photo. Blurry, but readable. Internal arena planning doc. Not public yet, but actual dates! Real opponents!
Scooped my coffee, ran home, didn’t even take my coat off. Cross-referenced that blurry list with what little official stuff existed:
- Jan 8th – Florida (Home)
- Jan 22nd – @ Tennessee (Marked this one in BIG red letters)
- Feb 14th – Kentucky (Home)
- Mar 1st – Auburn (Away)
Felt like cracking a damn code. Spent an hour blocking every single home game weekend on the family calendar. Texted my crew: “Jan 8th, Feb 14th, March 8th – BE THERE. Hotels will jack up prices by Christmas.” Already eyeing flights for Tennessee and Auburn. That internal list? My holy grail. Best cold brew Bev ever made me.
Why’s It Always This Hard?
Makes zero sense, right? Gotta jump through hoops, know a guy who knows a guy, just to find out when to watch some basketball. They want fans to plan trips, buy tickets early, fill the seats… but then hide the schedule like it’s nuclear codes. Should be pinned front and center everywhere October first. Not stuck in some internal memo until December.
Anyway. My calendar’s locked. Already warned the wife about that Knoxville trip in January. Told her to pack thermal socks. Practice is over. Now we play. Go Hogs.