Basketball fever has arrived in Arkansas, even with the official start of the college basketball season still a week away.
Head coach Eric Musselman confirmed Friday afternoon that the No. 14 Razorbacks had sold out Bud Walton Arena for Saturday’s preseason exhibition against No. 3 Purdue.
“Thank you to our fans for showing why Bud Walton Arena is such a special place,” Musselman said in a post on ‘X’, formerly known as Twitter. “Sold out for an EXHIBITION game is unheard of and benefitting tornado victims in central Arkansas. Bring the energy tomorrow at 3pm!”
Proceeds from this game will go to Arkansas 211, a program of the United Way, to assist with relief efforts from the tornadoes that affected Arkansas this past spring.
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This marks the second-straight season Arkansas will play in a preseason charity exhibition game that features two top-25 teams. Last year, the Razorbacks went on the road and lost to Texas.
In July, Arkansas announced it had sold out its regular season tickets for a third-straight year. Razorbacks’ fans will get to see home games against perennial SEC rivals Kentucky, Tennessee and Missouri, with a tasty non-conference game against Duke sprinkled in.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas basketball sells out preseason exhibition against Purdue