The 2025 CBS Sports Thanksgiving Classic will feature a match-up between Arkansas and Duke at Chicago’s United Center, marking their sixth encounter and only the third in regular-season play. With Duke losing star player Cooper Flagg to the NBA Draft and Arkansas under coach John Calipari, both teams are expected to be strong contenders in college basketball. The game, emphasizing high-level competition, will air at 8 p.m. Eastern on CBS and Paramount+. This follows a successful Thanksgiving game this year that attracted over 5 million viewers, further elevating the stakes for this exciting primetime showdown.
The 2025 CBS Sports Thanksgiving Classic is set to feature a showdown between Arkansas and Duke, as these two prominent programs face off at the United Center in Chicago, according to CBS’s announcement on Thursday. This early season clash will mark only the sixth all-time meeting between these historic teams and their third in the regular season.
Both Arkansas and Duke are expected to be among the most intriguing squads in college basketball next season. The Blue Devils will be transitioning post-Cooper Flagg, anticipated to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Arkansas aims to progress in Year 2 under coach John Calipari after a mixed debut season for the former Kentucky coach.
“I’m thrilled to return to Chicago and be at the United Center with our team,” said Duke head coach Jon Scheyer. “We consistently seek innovative strategies for our schedule, and competing on Thanksgiving night in primetime is an excellent opportunity to showcase Duke Basketball on a national platform against a formidable opponent. We are eager to embrace this challenge.”
The Razorbacks hold a slight edge in the all-time series, leading 3-2, and they won the most recent encounter 80-75 on November 29, 2023, at Arkansas’ Bud Walton Arena. This was the only game in the series history contested on a college campus, with the first four matchups occurring at neutral sites. The Razorbacks notably defeated Duke 76-72 in the 1994 national championship game.
“As one of the most anticipated college basketball games in recent years, we couldn’t be more excited to face Duke on Thanksgiving Day on CBS again this season,” stated Arkansas head coach John Calipari. “Last year’s Thanksgiving game was an incredible experience and provided great exposure for our program as well as for college basketball as a whole. This NCAA Tournament-worthy matchup will be a crucial moment to assess where our team stands during the season. These high-stakes games are essential for March preparedness. Duke has enjoyed a remarkable season, and Jon Scheyer has adeptly taken charge of that program. We are looking forward to this exciting matchup.”
This season marked CBS’s inaugural broadcast of a Thanksgiving Day college basketball game, achieving significant success as Illinois triumphed over Arkansas 90-77 in Kansas City, Missouri. The game drew an average of 5.174 million viewers on CBS, making it the most-watched college basketball game on any network this season.
In contrast to this year’s afternoon Arkansas vs. Illinois game, the 2025 CBS Sports Thanksgiving Classic will be featured in primetime, scheduled to tip off at 8 p.m. Eastern on both CBS and Paramount+.
2025-26 Duke Outlook
Duke has secured the nation’s top recruiting class, led by Miami twins Cameron and Cayden Boozer, and includes four of the top 25 players according to 247 Sports. However, third-year head coach Jon Scheyer has proven to be much more than just a strong recruiter since succeeding the legendary Mike Krzyzewski. Duke is on track to potentially secure a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019. The upcoming roster will see significant changes following Flagg’s predicted shift to the NBA and Duke associate head coach Jai Lucas’ departure to the Miami head coaching role.
2025-26 Arkansas Outlook
Arkansas’ 2025 signing class is rated No. 4 nationally by 247 Sports and includes two five-star talents in Darius Acuff Jr. and Meleek Thomas. Both are guards and McDonald’s All-Americans set to make an impression on NBA scouts in the lead-up to the 2026 NBA Draft. Several key players from this year’s Arkansas roster will also have eligibility remaining next season, such as leading scorer Adou Thiero. If Calipari can effectively integrate the incoming freshman talent, returning players, and transfers, the Razorbacks will aim to enhance their performance in 2025-26.