John Calipari, Arkansas preparing for physical 'battle' vs. Duke in CBS Thanksgiving Classic

John Calipari and Jon Scheyer will square-off as head coaches for the first time Thursday, when No. 4 Duke and No. 22 Arkansas battle in the CBS Thanksgiving Classic inside the United Center in Chicago. The neutral-site showdown will mark just the third meeting between the programs since Arkansas defeated Duke in the 1994 national championship 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.

The showdown marks Arkansas' second opportunity against a brand-name program after the Razorbacks (5-1) lost 69-66 against Michigan State on Nov. 8. Since then, Arkansas survived four buy games against lower-tier opponents, a stretch that included uncomfortably close calls against Samford and Winthrop.

Calipari lamented that his team needs to be more "connected" as it heads into a pre-Christmas portion of its schedule that, in addition to the Blue Devils, also includes games against No. 6 Louisville, No. 20 Texas Tech and No. 3 Houston.

"You can't be out there trying to do your own thing, because the minute your stuff goes wrong — which half the time it does — you're down, you're moving your head, you're hitting the floor," Calipari told Rothstein. "You're losing your mind because you're so concerned about you. Lose yourself in the team. That's what I'm battling right now. And now we've got to go play Duke and we're not connected how we have to be."

With double-digit victories over Texas and Kansas in hand, Duke (7-0) is looking like a well-oiled machine, even after losing its top five scorers from last season's Final Four squad. The nation's No. 1 ranked recruiting class led by five-star forward Cameron Boozer is pulling its weight for the Blue Devils. 

The son of Duke legend Carlos Boozer and twin brother of freshman point guard Cayden Boozer is averaging 21.1 points, 9.9 rebounds and four assists per game. Calipari has taken notice of what makes the freshman phenom's game so special.

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"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."

Arkansas counters with a couple of stud freshmen of its own in Meleek Thomas and Darius Acuff, who are first and second, respectively, in scoring for the Razorbacks. The five-star guards will present the toughest defensive challenge to date for Duke, which played Kansas when KU star freshman Darryn Peterson was out due to injury.

Calipari is right at home coaching a team led by a pair of talented freshman guards likely to be one-and-done NBA Draft prospects. 

"My two freshmen, they're just getting better," Calipari said. "They're learning how to play with other players. They're learning how to create for each other and not just themselves. They're learning late shot clock, what do I do? They're learning if three guys are on you, someone is open, so don't shoot that one. They're learning all of this stuff. It's fun for a coach to watch."

Facing Duke in showcase Thanksgiving Day game is "risking a lot," Calipari said. He recalled last season when the Razorbacks lost 90-77 to Illinois in Kansas City, Missouri during the inaugural CBS Thanksgiving Classic. The Razorbacks were "smashed," Calipari said. 

But, he said, the game taught Arkansas some things about itself early in Calipari's first season before the Razorbacks eventually got things together for a Sweet 16 run.

"We ended up getting better," he said.