Arkansas and Houston To Square off in Never Forget Tribute Classic
FAYETTEVILLE – Arkansas will return to the New York Metropolitan Area during the Holiday season as the Razorbacks and Houston Cougars will play in the Never Forget Tribute Classic on Dec. 20 (Sat.) in Newark, N.J., at the Prudential Center. The game will air on The CBS Television Network and stream live on Paramount+. Tipoff will be announced later.
This will be the eighth edition of the Never Forget Tribute Classic, hosted by Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment. The event supports a 9/11-related charities. The specific recipient of support from the 2025 event will be unveiled in the coming weeks.
Fans interested in attending the event can register to receive direct email alerts regarding ticket news and other details at prucenter.com/nftc. Tickets for the event will go on sale Oct. 8 and will be available at Ticketmaster.com, Prucenter.com and Prudential Center’s Box Office.
Dylan Wanagiel, Vice President, Sports Properties and Special Events, HBSE/Prudential Center
“Building upon last year’s record-setting college basketball season for Prudential Center, and the honor of hosting the NCAA Men’s Basketball Division I East Regional, we are proud to partner with industry-leader Intersport to bring this marquee event to Newark. Arkansas and Houston are nationally renowned programs, and we look forward to delivering another exciting iteration of the Never Forget Tribute Classic between National Championship hopefuls on CBS while also contributing to our community.”
Arkansas head coach John Calipari
“We are excited about this matchup for our fans. Razorback nation proved last year that they will show up for games like this that are played in elite facilities at destination cities. We look forward to facing a top-level program led by one of the best coaches in the country. Kelvin and I have been friends a long time. He has built an incredible program with a great culture at Houston. This game will be a great measuring stick for us as we wind down the nonconference part of the schedule and start to turn our attention to the SEC schedule.”
Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson
“The great thing about piecing together a schedule is that you have to schedule teams who are going to test you. When you play one of John’s teams, you know their fan base is going to travel. Prudential Center is going to be full of Razorback fans. Arkansas is one of the great programs in the country, and John is a Hall of Fame coach. This is a great opportunity to test ourselves early against one of the best programs in the country.”
NOTES:
• Previous editions of the Never Forget Tribute Classic were played in December of 2016, 2017 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2024.
• For the second-straight year, Arkansas will travel to the New York Metropolitan area in December as the Razorbacks will face the Houston Cougars in Newark’s Prudential Center (Home of the New Jersey Devils).
^ It will be Arkansas’ first time to play in the Prudential Center.
^ Arkansas defeated Michigan last season in Madison Square Garden as part of the Jimmy V Classic.
• The Razorbacks have played the Cougars 40 times and own a 22-18 advantage in the series.
^ A big win for the Razorbacks in the series came on March 4, 1984, the teams’ regular-season finale played in Barnhill Arena. #12 Arkansas beat #2 Houston, 73-68, to snap a 39-game SWC win streak by the Cougars.
^ Prior to leaving the SWC (1990-91 season), Arkansas won seven straight in the series, including a 96-84 victory in the 1990 SWC Tournament Championship.
^ Since Arkansas left the SWC (1990-91), the Razorbacks and Cougars have only met three times and Houston won two.
– ARK lost, 78-87, at North Little Rock (Nov. 18, 2011)
– ARK won, 84-72, in Bud Walton Arena (Dec. 6, 2016)
– ARK lost, 91-65, at Houston (Dec. 2, 2017)
• Coach Calipari faced Houston 20 times (19 as head coach at Memphis and once at UK)
^ Coach Calipari is 17-3 versus Houston
– 16-3 while at Memphis
– 1-0 while at UK, a 62-58 win in the 2019 NCAA Sweet 16
• Coach Calipari is 2-0 in the Prudential Center
^ 3/25/2011: UK vs Ohio State – W, 62-60 in the NCAA Sweet 16
^ 3/27/2011: UK vs North Carolina – W, 76-69 in the NCAA Elite 8
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