LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- One of Louisville basketball's most heated rivalries is getting a fresh chapter — and it's happening in a place close to home for Louisville head coach Pat Kelsey.
The University of Louisville men's basketball team will face longtime rival Cincinnati in a neutral-site showdown Friday, Nov. 21 at Heritage Bank Center in downtown Cincinnati. The game is part of The Hoops Classic, a multi-team event presented in partnership with CareSource.
It's a meeting steeped in history — and nostalgia. The Cardinals and Bearcats were fierce conference foes for decades, from the Metro Conference to Conference USA and the Big East. Now, they'll renew the rivalry just a few miles from where Kelsey grew up.
"Adding a neutral site game against Cincinnati was just another great piece in our scheduling puzzle," Kelsey said. "There is great history between our two programs as we were rivals for many years. I sense the fan bases on both sides are excited. I grew up going to the Riverfront Coliseum which is now Heritage Bank Arena. In fact, it was the first place that I saw Coach (Denny) Crum's Louisville Cardinals play live – I'm excited to coach the 2025-26 edition of the Cards in the same venue."
Louisville fans will have early access to tickets through a season ticket member presale via email. Tickets for the general public go on sale Wednesday, Aug. 28, via Ticketmaster.com.
The Hoops Classic also includes two home games for the Cardinals at the KFC Yum! Center: Eastern Michigan on Monday, Nov. 24, and NJIT on Wednesday, Nov. 26. Both games are included in the season ticket member package.
Louisville leads the all-time series with Cincinnati, 58-44, in a rivalry that dates back to 1921. The two programs last met in 2022, a 81-62 Bearcats win at the Maui Invitational. The Cardinals are 3-4 all-time against Cincinnati at neutral sites.
Louisville has faced Eastern Michigan just once — an 86-53 win in 2015. The game against NJIT will mark the first-ever meeting between the programs.
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