Thousands of college basketball fans figure to be celebrating Thanksgiving on Thursday, Nov. 28, in downtown Kansas City.
The Arkansas Razorbacks of the SEC and Illinois Fighting Illini of the Big Ten have agreed to play a regular-season neutral-site game at 3 p.m. Central on Thanksgiving afternoon at T-Mobile Center.
The game has been set up by CBS, which will be televising a college basketball game on Thanksgiving for the first time.
The Illinois-Arkansas game will be aired on CBS immediately following an NFL battle between the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears set for an 11:30 a.m. kickoff in Detroit.
According to CBS Sports, the Razorbacks-Illini game will air live on both CBS and Paramount+.
“What a great opportunity CBS is giving Arkansas and Illinois. Thanksgiving is a day that gets all of America — whether you are a sports fan or not — watching sports on TV,” Arkansas coach John Calipari said, per CBS Sports. “Playing in this time slot will provide tremendous exposure for both programs. Kansas City’s T-Mobile Center is a premier arena that is located close enough that both fan bases can attend. We have a great deal of respect for coach (Brad) Underwood and his Illinois program, and we know this game will be one the whole nation will be interested in seeing.”
“We are thrilled for this opportunity. Playing in Kansas City — a tremendous basketball city that is near and dear to me — and taking on a great opponent in Arkansas, led by a Hall of Fame coach in coach Calipari, is a big test for our team,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood said. “It is an honor for Illinois Basketball to play on CBS on Thanksgiving Day; we know the sports world will be watching.”
The Illini and Razorbacks have met six times. Illinois owns a 5-1 lead in the series. The Hogs beat Illinois in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
Arkansas and Illinois both played in Kansas City’s T-Mobile Center in the 2021 Hall of Fame Classic. The teams did not meet in the Classic and Arkansas was the Classic champion thanks to wins over Kansas State and Cincinnati. With those two wins in 2021, Arkansas improved to 8-6 all-time in Kansas City.
According to news releases from Arkansas and Illinois, tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 28, at AXS.com and on the AXS app. Event information can be found at thanksgivinghoopsshowcase.com and on social media at @bdGlobalSports.com.
Where are Jayhawks on Thanksgiving?
The Kansas Jayhawks will have a game Tuesday and Saturday of Thanksgiving week. KU will meet Duke at a yet-to-be-determined time on Tuesday, Nov. 26, in the Vegas Showdown at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. KU will play a second game at a yet-to-be-determined time Saturday, Nov. 30, at Allen Fieldhouse.
KU and Arkansas have been planning on playing an exhibition game for charity to be held sometime in October at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Arkansas. No date has yet to be announced for that contest. Both Calipari and KU’s Bill Self acknowledged on July 30 that the schools were in discussions about such an exhibition.
KU played Illinois in a charity exhibition last Oct. 29 in Champaign, Illinois. The Illini won 82-75.
The Kansas City Chiefs, by the way, will be playing at home Friday of Thanksgiving week. The Oakland Raiders will meet the Chiefs in a 2 p.m. kickoff Nov. 29 at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. KU football will play Baylor on Saturday, Nov. 30, in Waco.
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