Hogs to start, end SEC run vs. Aggies

FAYETTEVILLE — The University of Arkansas men’s basketball team is opening SEC play against Texas A&M for the 2019-20 season.

Nothing new about that. This will be the fifth time in the eight seasons since the Aggies joined the SEC that they have been the Razorbacks’ conference opener.

But for a change, the game will be in Walton Arena. The previous four times Arkansas opened SEC play against Texas A&M, the

game was at Reed Arena in College Station, Texas.

After the Razorbacks play the Aggies on Jan. 4 — according to Arkansas’ schedule released Tuesday — the teams won’t play the return game at Texas A&M until the SEC regular-season finale March 7.

In between, Arkansas will play 16 other SEC games, including home dates against Vanderbilt on Jan. 15, Kentucky

on Jan. 18, South Carolina on Jan. 29, Auburn on Feb. 4, Mississippi State on Feb. 15, Missouri on Feb. 22, Tennessee on Feb. 26 and LSU on March 4.

The Razorbacks’ SEC road games in addition to Texas A&M are LSU on Jan. 8, Ole Miss on Jan. 11, Mississippi State on Jan. 22, Alabama on Feb. 1, Missouri on Feb. 8, Tennessee on Feb. 11, Florida on Feb. 18 and Georgia on Feb. 29.

Arkansas’ first regular-season game under Coach Eric Musselman will be against

Rice on Nov. 5.

The Razorbacks’ marquee nonconference games are against TCU at home in the Big 12/SEC Challenge on Jan. 25 and on the road at Georgia Tech on Nov. 25, at Western Kentucky on Dec. 7 and at Indiana on Dec. 29.

Arkansas’ annual game in North Little Rock will be against Valparaiso on Dec. 21.

The Razorbacks will play a Red-White intrasquad game and two exhibition games in October in Walton Arena, but those dates will be announced later.