Arkansas boss John Calipari knows facing Duke’s Cameron Boozer will be a difficult task.

“He’s physical, he gets angles to the basket,” Calipari said. “The best part of his game is he offensive rebounds his own misses. He’s a terrific passer, so you can say ‘let’s double team him.’ Well now, the rest of the guys, the game is easier for them. He’s good. We’re going to have to be at our best to try and just make it hard.”

Duke and Boozer seem infallible. A 7-0 record with wins over Texas and Kansas has them soaring. However, the schedule will test the Blue Devils, facing three ranked opponents back to back, starting with Arkansas in the CBS Sports Thanksgiving Classic. The Razorbacks are 5-1 coming into this game, with the only loss against Michigan State. Let’s look at how the two teams pair ahead of the marquee clash. 

How to watch Duke vs Arkansas?

Date: Thursday, November 27, 2025, 8:00 pm ET

Location: United Center in Chicago, Illinois

Watch: CBS

Streaming: FuboTV, DirecTV

Duke vs Arkansas: Injury Report

Duke vs Arkansas: Projected Lineups

Duke 

Cameron Boozer 

Isaiah Evans 

Patrick Ngongba II 

Caleb Foster 

Dame Sarr 

Arkansas 

Darius Acuff Jr. 

Trevon Brazile

J. Wagner

Karter Knox 

Nick Pringle 

Duke vs Arkansas: Preview And Prediction

Duke lost their top scorers from last year, but it did not require any buffer. They are dominating much like their 2024-25 campaign. Arkansas, on the other hand, showed some frailty against its only ranked opponent. It gives Duke a leg up. John Calipari has been preparing his side for a physical game.

“They’re big, they’re long, and it’s going to be a battle,” Calipari told Jon Rothstein on CBS Sports’ “Inside College Basketball Now” show. Let’s look at the raw numbers of both teams so far. 

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The game will showcase who deserves to be among the best freshmen. Boozer stands out, but Arkansas’ Meleek Thomas and Darius Acuff Jr. are among the nation’s top 15 scoring rookies and are 2 of 7 NCAA freshmen to average at least 16 points and 4 assists. If Arkansas wants to stop Boozer, it will need to block his paint play. 

His strength is a major advantage, but his impact on the game will decrease if forced away from the basket. It seems Calipari will not double-team Boozer and force a 1v1. Trevon Brazile could be tasked with the Boozer assignment. He will want to physically assert himself, but if Brazile can hold that off and limit his paint touches, there is a chance to contain the Duke phenom, who is a top-predicted draft pick. He was already limited in short periods of time against Texas and Kansas.

They could force the Duke bigs into some foul trouble.  Both Pat Ngongba II and Maliq Brown fouled out in the season-opener against Texas. First, the freshman duo will need to be efficient. Thomas shot a season-low 33.3% from the field, and Acuff Jr. shot  31.3% against Michigan. Against a non-ranked Winthrop, Acuff Jr. was held to a season-low 30%. Across the season, Acuff is shooting 43% and Thomas is 46.5 %. They would need to bring their A game on the big stage.

According to ESPN Analytics, Calipari’s side only has an 11.2% chance to win this game. Duke is the heavy favorite because of the talent across their roster. Isaiah Evans, Boozer, and Ngongba make for a dangerous attack. Cameron’s brother, Cayden, has been impressing off the bench with 7.4 points and 4 assists per game. What do you think, can the Razorbacks pull off an upset?