One of the biggest nonconference games of the 2025-26 college basketball season will take place on Thanksgiving when No. 4 Duke faces No. 22 Arkansas in the CBS Sports Thanksgiving Classic. This will mark the second consecutive year that the Razorbacks play on Thanksgiving on CBS. Illinois defeated Arkansas 90-77 last year in a holiday showdown.
This matchup will feature some of the best freshmen in the country on the same court. The headliner of this game is Duke forward Cameron Boozer, who is a projected top-three pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. On the other side, Arkansas has two potential lottery picks in Meleek Thomas and Darius Acuff Jr.
Duke is off to a 7-0 start for the first time since the 2021-22 campaign. The Blue Devils are looking to start a season 8-0 for the first time since the 2017-18 season, a year in which Duke reached the Elite Eight.
John Calipari, Arkansas preparing for physical ‘battle’ vs. Duke in CBS Thanksgiving Classic
David Cobb
Arkansas is off to a 5-1 start in Year 2 of the John Calipari era, with the lone loss coming to Michigan State earlier this month. The Razorbacks are 4-9 against ACC competition since the start of the 2014-15 season.
Here is everything you need to know ahead of the marquee matchup.
Where to watch Duke vs. Arkansas live
Date: Thursday, Nov. 27 | Time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: United Center — Chicago
TV: CBS | Live stream: CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App
Streaming on Paramount+ Premium
Duke vs. Arkansas: Need to know
Duke could have the No. 1 pick, again: The race for the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft will likely be between three players: Boozer, Kansas’ Darryn Peterson and BYU’s AJ Dybansta. While Boozer will be drafted behind those players this summer, he is off to an incredible start to the season and is on track to become the latest member of the Duke program to be drafted in the top three. Last season, Cooper Flagg won National Player of the Year as a freshman and became the No. 1 overall pick. Through three weeks, Boozer should be in the conversation for both.
Coach Cal has two elite freshmen: When Calipari was the coach at Kentucky for 15 years, he routinely produced first-round picks. That streak ended last summer, as Arkansas/Calipari didn’t have a player selected in the first round. If the early returns are any indication, it’s that the drought won’t last long. Acuff and Thomas are both playing at an elite level. Both should be drafted high this summer. Acuff and Thomas are both in the top 10 of CBS Sports’ latest freshmen rankings.
Duke has a gauntlet upcoming: Duke’s matchup against Arkansas will mark the second team Scheyer’s program has faced this season. The upcoming stretch of games will be more of where that came from. The Blue Devils face reigning national champion Florida next week at home in the ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge and also have nonconference games against Michigan State and Texas Tech before ACC play begins.
Duke vs. Arkansas prediction, picks
This game is going to come down to the play of the freshman on both sides. Can Arkansas slow Boozer down? That’s the biggest key in this game. Boozer has looked like a force during the first few weeks of the season. He is a walking double-double capable of taking over a game. Look for Boozer to have a big performance and Duke to cover the spread. Pick: Duke -10.5
Who will win and cover in every college basketball game? Visit SportsLine to get picks from the model that simulates each game 10,000 times and is up more than $1,200 for $100 players on its top-rated spread picks the past six years.
