FAYETTEVILLE -- Two early road tests and home games with Big 12 Conference foes Oklahoma and Texas highlight the nonconference portion of Arkansas men's basketball schedule, which was released on Thursday.

The Razorbacks open their season against Southeastern Louisiana on Nov. 14 and have one more home game against California-Davis before traveling to two mid-major programs. Arkansas travels to Missouri State on Nov. 22 to mark the opening of the Bears' new arena, and Razorbacks visit coach John Pelphrey's old team, South Alabama, on Nov. 26.

Arkansas plays host to Oklahoma on Dec. 30 and wraps up nonconference action on Jan. 6. Pelphrey also stressed that the rest of the Razorbacks' nonconference slate is better than it might first appear.

"We also have three nonconference games against defending conference champions (Austin Peay, South Alabama, Stephen F. Austin) and another against a team that was in the NCAA Tournament two years ago and won 20 games last season (North Texas)," Pelphrey said in a statement.

Austin Peay and Stephen F. Austin head to Fayetteville for the Jim Thorpe Classic, a round-robin tournament on Dec. 17-20. Arkansas, which has seven newcomers on its roster, wanted to put on a four-team tournament couldn't find a fourth team.

The Razorbacks were initially supposed to play Baylor on Jan. 3 in North Little Rock, but that game has been pushed back to 2010. North Texas takes Baylor's place on the schedule.

After the Razorbacks play at South Alabama, they won't play a true road game until Jan. 14 at Ole Miss.

"We have a stretch of 10 home games from the end of November through the start of conference play," Pelphrey said. "We are young, but this schedule will be good for us."

Arkansas begins Southeastern Conference play against Mississippi State on Jan. 10 in Bud Walton Arena. The Hogs then have back-to-back road games at Ole Miss and Florida. Home games against Auburn and Alabama follow, with a trip to LSU squeezed before the Razorbacks play host to Tennessee on Feb. 4.

The Razorbacks have road games at Mississppi State and Auburn the next week, home games against Kentucky and LSU the following week, and games at South Carolina and Alabama week after. Arkansas finishes with home games against Georgia and Ole Miss and a contest at Vanderbilt before the SEC Tournament in Tampa, Fla.

Four games are scheduled for national television, all in Bud Walton Arena: Northwestern State (Dec. 27 on ESPN2), Texas (Jan. 6 on ESPN2), Alabama (Jan. 29 on ESPN or ESPN2) and Kentucky (Feb. 14 on CBS).