Who: #14/15 (#4 seed) Arkansas Razorbacks (26-8) vs (#13 seed) Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors (24-8)
What: Arkansas is 20-8 all-time in NCAA opening-round games.
When: Thursday – Mar. 19 – approximately 1:25 pm (PT) / 3:25 pm (CT)
Where: Portland, Ore. • Moda Center (19,393)
How (to follow):
– TV/Stream: TBS / NCAA Stream (Brad Nessler, Wally Szczerbiak and Jared Greenberg)
– Radio: Learfield Razorback Sports Network (Chuck Barrett and Matt Zimmerman)
– Westwood One (Ryan Radtke & Austin Croshere)
– Westwood One on Sirius/XM: 211 or 204 || SXM App/Online Channel 966
– Arkansas-Hawai’I Game Information
– Arkansas Game Notes
– Vanderbilt Game Notes
– SEC Men’s Basketball Release/Stats
PORTLAND, Ore. – Arkansas, the #4 seed in the West Regional, will face #13 seed Hawai’i in the opening round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament on Thursday (Mar. 19) in Portland, Ore. (Moda Center). The game is scheduled to start at approximately 1:25 pm (PT) / 3:25 pm (CT) – following the Wisconsin-High Point game – and will be televised on TBS.
Arkansas earned its 38th all-time NCAA berth and is playing in its fifth Tournament in a six-year span. The Razorbacks are coming off a three-game run to win the 2026 SEC Championship.
Arkansas is 52-36 (.591) in its 37th appearance (*also earned bid in 1944 but could not play) and is 20-8 all-time in first-round matchups. Razorback head coach John Calipari is 59-23 (.720) in his 25th NCAA Tournament appearance. He is 21-3 all-time in NCAA first-round games. He is 5-2 all-time as a #4 seed and 4-0 all-time versus a #13 seed.
The Arkansas-Hawai’I winner will face the winner of #5 seed Wisconsin and #12 seed High Point on Saturday. Time and TV to be announced.
NOTES:
For more information on Arkansas Men’s Basketball, follow @RazorbackMBB on X, Instagram and Facebook.
Two rounds of storms possible Tuesday. The morning risk is very low, then a more substantial risk may evolve late in the day
Tonight: Clouds increase with storms north late. Lows in the lower 60s
Tuesday: Low storm chance in the morning with a greater chance late in the day. Highs near 80
Wednesday: Scattered areas of rain and storms. Highs in the mid to upper 60s
One of the top basketball prospects in the class of 2027 has made his commitment.
Per On3’s Joe Tipton, 5-star center Obinna Ekezie Jr. is reclassifying to the class of 2026 and will play for Louisville this fall.
Ekezie is considered to be the No. 4 overall player and the No. 2 center in his class by 247Sports’ composite rankings. The Orlando, Florida, native is also the No. 2 player in his state.
The 7-footer had Arkansas, BYU, Kentucky and Maryland in his final group alongside Louisville, but ultimately went with Pat Kelsey and the Cardinals.
“I chose Louisville because it has everything I need in terms of winning and development. I have a great opportunity to develop and showcase my game at both the 4 and 5 alongside Flory Bidunga,” he told Tipton. “Louisville already feels like home to me and we’re going to be an incredibly competitive team. We’re striving to win a National Championship.”
Ekezie, of course, has dreams of playing at the professional level, and he felt moving up to the class of 2026 would help him reach those goals.
“After my high school season, I evaluated the rewards and risks and felt college was the right move for my development,” he said. “I get to practice every day against elite competition and develop at a much faster rate. I want to compete at the highest level and this gives me the best opportunity to grow as a player.”
The Cardinals have had a successful offseason, landing Kansas transfer center Flory Bidunga, Oregon transfer point guard Jackson Shelstad, Iowa transfer forward Alvaro Folgueiras, Arkansas transfer wing Karter Knox and more.
Now, Louisville will add even more talent in Ekezie.
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