Pat Kelsey

Louisville coach Pat Kelsey shouts to his team during an NCAA Tournament game against Michigan State in Buffalo, N.Y., on March 21, 2026.

 Eric Crawford
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB + WAVE) — Louisville basketball has completed a nonconference schedule that includes its annual rivalry game at Kentucky, the defending national champion, several national powers and the possibility of a Thanksgiving reunion with Rick Pitino.

The Cardinals will travel to Rupp Arena for the 59th meeting with Kentucky on Saturday, Dec. 12, one of the highlights of the 2026-27 nonconference schedule announced Monday. 

Louisville also will face defending national champion Michigan in Detroit, host Texas in the ACC/SEC Challenge, play Baylor in Indianapolis and visit Memphis. Five of its 11 guaranteed regular-season nonconference opponents played in last season's NCAA Tournament.

And a Thanksgiving trip to Las Vegas could provide another game with considerable Louisville history attached.

The Cardinals will open the Players Era 16 against Texas Tech on Nov. 24, then face either Oregon or St. John's on Thanksgiving Day. 

A matchup with St. John's would be Louisville's first against former coach Rick Pitino since his departure from U of L in 2017. Adding another layer to the reunion, former Louisville point guard Peyton Siva, a captain of Pitino's 2013 national championship team, is now an assistant on his St. John's staff.

A third Players Era game follows Nov. 27. If Louisville goes 3-0, it could advance to the tournament's championship game Nov. 28.

The schedule begins unofficially with an exhibition at Kansas on Oct. 21, followed by an Oct. 28 home exhibition against Mercyhurst. 

The regular season begins Nov. 2 against Chattanooga at the KFC Yum! Center, part of a basketball doubleheader following a Louisville women's game. Morehead State visits Nov. 7 before Louisville plays its first road game Nov. 15 at Memphis. 

The Cardinals hold a 55-36 advantage in their 91-game series with Memphis.

Stetson visits the Yum! Center on Nov. 19 before Louisville heads to Las Vegas.

After the Players Era, Louisville returns home for another significant test against Texas on Dec. 1 in the ACC/SEC Challenge. The Longhorns reached the Sweet 16 last season after beginning the NCAA Tournament in the First Four.

Four days later, Louisville will travel to Detroit to face defending national champion Michigan at Little Caesars Arena, a rematch of the programs that met for the 2013 national championship.

Then comes the Dec. 12 trip to Kentucky, completing a particularly demanding stretch that could include Texas Tech, Oregon or St. John's, Texas, Michigan and Kentucky in a span of less than three weeks.

Louisville closes its December nonconference schedule with home games against Long Island on Dec. 16 and Eastern Michigan on Dec. 19. 

For the second straight season, the Cardinals will save one nonconference game for later in the ACC schedule. Louisville will face Baylor on Jan. 23 in Indianapolis. 

Five of Louisville's 11 guaranteed regular-season nonconference opponents — Texas Tech, Texas, Michigan, Kentucky and Long Island — played in the 2026 NCAA Tournament.

Louisville will play seven guaranteed nonconference home games at the KFC Yum! Center, including the Mercyhurst exhibition. Its road trips include Kansas for an exhibition and regular-season games at Memphis and Kentucky, with neutral-site games in Las Vegas, Detroit and Indianapolis.

Game times and television assignments have not yet been announced.

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