The No. 16 Arkansas Razorbacks are 10 days away from a preseason charity exhibition game against No. 1 Kansas, and head coach John Calipari said Tuesday his team is dealing with some injuries.
The Head Hog took the stage at SEC Media Day in Birmingham, Alabama, where he talked about a range of different topics. Among those was the health of his team ahead of the exhibition game.
"Hopefully, we're going to have a somewhat full team," Calipari said. "Right now, we're down three or four guys. Hopefully, a couple of those guys will be available to play, but neither (Kansas head coach Bill Self) or I would push a player because of an exhibition game. If he needs to sit out, he'll sit out."
Calipari didn't mention each specific player who has dealt with injuries but did say forward Adou Thiero, who accompanied him on the trip to Birmingham, is banged up.
"He's been a little beat up here the last week and a half, two weeks," Calipari said. "Hoping he'll be able to go against Kansas, but I'm not sure. If there's any question, I'll hold him out."
Thiero is one of three transfers on the Razorbacks who followed Calipari from Kentucky. He was held out of the Tip-Off Tour events in Hot Springs and Pine Bluff over the weekend.
Along with Thiero, Florida Atlantic transfer guard Johnell Davis was held out of last weekend's Tip-Off Tour events and was seen wearing some form of a brace under a long-sleeve shirt on his right arm in Hot Springs and Pine Bluff.
Calipari said in a post on X that any players who were held out of the event were only for precautionary reasons, but it's possible those players could be held out of the preseason exhibitions as well.
While a preseason matchup against the No. 1 team in the country is enticing to the fans, Calipari said the number by Kansas' name — which was released on Monday by the Associated Press — doesn't change his outlook on the game.
"To us, we knew they'd be good," Calipari said. "We know it'll be a hard game for us.
The Razorbacks' regular-season opener is against Lipscomb on Nov. 6, but the fans will get a glimpse against the Kansas Jayhawks inside Bud Walton Arena on Oct. 25. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. and the game will air on the SEC Network.
