Prior to the No. 16 Arkansas basketball team's charity game against No. 1 Kansas on Friday at Bud Walton Arena, Razorback assistant head coach Kenny Payne met with members of the media on Thursday to preview the game between the Hoop Hogs and Jayhawks give.

In his first meeting with the media since being hired by first-year head coach John Calipari this offseason, Payne went into detail about the team and the fans' obvious enthusiasm in the days leading up to the exhibition.

“It's the start of the season and just looking out the window I see kids camping out and getting their campsites ready and stuff like that,” Payne said Thursday. “That’s how you know it’s basketball season and an exciting time. They’re camping out now and the game is tomorrow night at eight o’clock, so that says a lot.”

RELATED: Arkansas vs. Kansas: Stats, analysis, potential starters

Kansas was a Round of 32 participant in the NCAA Tournament a season ago and finished with an overall record of 23-11 (10-8 Big 12). While fans may recognize names like center Hunter Dickinson and guard Dajuan Harris Jr., Payne said the Jayhawks are a different team this time.

“We saw a few (games) of what they did last year,” Payne said. “I love it because there is a philosophy among coaches that you have your own principles, your defensive principles, your offensive principles.”

“We don't know what they're going to do, so our principles have to be strict and to the point because we don't know what they're going to do. We don't know which offensive coach.” (Bill) Self has stepped up when he changes something compared to last year. We know he has a really good team and we have to be prepared for some things that he might do differently that he might want to add to his team.”

Legendary Kansas head coach Bill Self discussed the format of Friday's contest, which could include other situational assignments in addition to regular game action.

“I think we're going to play quarterfinals so nobody can call a foul and we can reset fouls, I think,” Self said during Big 12 Media Day on Wednesday. “Because I think Arkansas might be a little banged up, too. But I expect we'll play most situations outside of the quarter, but maybe it should be more of a practice situation where coaches can actually walk around and show things on the floor and do some things.

RELATED: Arkansas Basketball Player Profile: Johnell Davis

“So, a real game? I don't expect it, even if we keep the score. But I don't expect it to be anything – we'll probably both have to look at different combinations and things like that. And that's what I have. “If there's a lot of guys out there, it'll probably be good for us to see how different guys respond in really meaningful minutes.”

Calipari later addressed the topic in a post on Payne on Thursday.

“I think when Coach Self and Cal got together and talked, they talked about being prepared for situations, and going into the quarterfinals you have the opportunity to address different situations throughout the course of a game,” Payne said. “It allows you to experience several of those situations rather than just playing straight and you get a 20-minute half. Now you get quarters and more opportunities to address different situations.”

While Payne didn't go into great detail, he said Arkansas dealt with some injuries to key contributors, which allowed the freshman group to gain valuable practice experience. With the start of the season less than two weeks away, the Kansas exhibition serves as another wake-up call for both young and veteran players ahead of a season schedule full of challenging matchups.

RELATED: Arkansas Basketball Player Profile: Trevon Brazile

“But it shows our young guys, it shows some of our veterans, how important it is to be ready to play because you're not just playing against a regular team that you're supposed to beat,” Payne said. “You're playing against a team that's one of the best in the country and so our learning curve has to be quick and this accelerates that.”

“From now on we will know exactly what we have to do. We use this term, this statement a lot in the program: Win to learn. At the beginning of the season it’s all about winning to learn.”

Friday's game begins at 8:00 p.m. CT and will air on the SEC Network.