It’s Duke basketball vs. Arkansas in the Windy City for a Thanksgiving Day meeting at the United Center.
The No. 4 Blue Devils (7-0) will take on the No. 21 Razorbacks (5-1) at 8 p.m. ET on CBS. Following conclusion of Duke vs. Arkansas, Northwestern and Oklahoma State will tip off inside the United Center.
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Overall, Arkansas leads the series 3-2 with Duke. The Hogs won the most recent meeting in Fayetteville, taking down the Blue Devils 80-75 during the 2023-24 season. Duke’s last win over Arkansas came in the 2021-22 season, claiming 78-69 victory in San Francisco, California, in the NCAA Elite Eight.
The meeting with Arkansas marks a three-game stretch of facing ranked opponents for the Blue Devils, with meetings set against No. 8 Florida (Dec. 3) and No. 12 Michigan State (Dec. 6).
Here are some things to know and a score prediction for the Blue Devils’ latest matchup with Arkansas:
Battle of the freshmen
Freshman guards Meleek Thomas (18.3 ppg) and Darius Acuff Jr. (16.8) lead the Hogs in points per game, forming one of the nation’s most dynamic backcourt duos. Both have shown they can score and facilitate, though they’ve shown some struggles. Against Michigan State, Thomas shot a season-low 33.3% from the field and Acuff Jr. 31.3%. A few games later, Acuff Jr. was held to a season-low 30% in a narrow 84-83 win over Winthrop. Acuff has started each of the Hogs six games while Thomas has only started two.
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Duke boasts five freshman on its 2025-26 roster, led by Cameron Boozer who leads Duke in four categories: points (21.1), assists (4.0), rebounds (9.9), steals (1.7) and blocks per game (1.3). Dame Sarr is the other freshman that has been in Duke’s starting five through its seven games, averaging 8 points and 4.4 rebounds while matching Boozer with 1.7 steals per contest as one of Duke’s top perimeter defenders. Cayden Boozer and Nikolas Khamenia are each averaging 7.4 points per game, with Cayden second with 3.9 assists per game and Khamenia third with 2.6.
Duke basketball’s offense vs Arkansas defense
Following Arkansas’ slim one-point win over Winthrop on Nov. 18, John Calipari did not hide his frustration with the Hogs’ defensive performance. Winthrop won the battle of the glass, out-rebounding the Hogs 33-30, and finished the day 48% from the field and from 3.
Duke, meanwhile, enters the contest with the third-most efficient offense in the NCAA, averaging 1.2 points per possession per KenPom. Arkansas’ defense ranks 38th in defensive efficiency and is allowing .94 points per possession. On the season, Duke is averaging 93.6 points per game and has hit 100-plus points in three of its seven games this season. The Blue Devils have three players averaging in double figures: Boozer (21.1), Pat Ngongba (13) and Isaiah Evans (13).
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Duke basketball’s frontcourt vs Trevon Brazile
The last time the two teams met, Arkansas big man Trevon Brazile posted a double-double of 19 points and 11 boards. Brazile is averaging 13 points and 7.0 rebounds on the season while shooting 51.2% from the field. His production has fluctuated early. He was held to just three points on 1-of-5 shooting against Michigan State, then bounced back to score 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting with four blocks in the win over Winthrop. How Brazile impacts this one could play a big role inside.
Duke counters with one of the most productive frontcourts in college basketball. Freshman Cameron Boozer and sophomore Pat Ngongba II both rank among the nation’s top players in on-court impact, according to EvanMiya.com‘s BPR metrics. Maliq Brown plays a role off the bench, giving the Blue Devils another elite defender. Following the win over Howard, Boozer called Ngnongba II and Brown “the highest IQ big men in the country.”
Duke vs Arkansas score prediction
Duke 84, Arkansas 76: Duke is 2-0 in neutral site games this season and is 22-8 in neutral settings under coach Jon Scheyer. Duke’s offensive firepower, with Cameron Boozer leading a balanced scoring attack, should put consistent pressure on an Arkansas defense that has been up-and-down early in the year.
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Anna Snyder covers Duke for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at asnyder@usatodayco.com or follow her @annaesnydr on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Duke basketball vs Arkansas score prediction, players to watch
