Pat Kelsey releases 1st non-conference schedule as Louisville coach

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Pat Kelsey's first non-conference schedule as University of Louisville men's basketball coach is coming into focus. The school announced its non-conference home slate Tuesday, along with all of its road games except for three matchups in the Battle4Atlantis in the Bahamas.

The slate is highlighted by a Dec. 14 trip to face rival Kentucky and first-year coach Mark Pope.

Louisville will open with an exhibition against Young Harris College, an NCAA Division II school in northern Georgia, on Oct. 31. A second, as yet unscheduled, exhibition will follow, before the season opener against Morehead State on Nov. 4.

That kicks off four straight games in the KFC Yum! Center before leaving for the Bahamas. Louisville will face Tennessee on Nov. 9, Bellarmine on Nov. 19 and Winthrop, where Kelsey coached from 2012 to 2021, on Nov. 22.

The Cards will play in the Battle4Atlantis on Nov. 27, 28 and 29, then will return home to face Ole Miss on Dec. 3, and UTEP on Dec. 11. The field includes Arizona, Creighton, Davidson, Gonzaga, Indiana, Oklahoma and West Virginia.

The final non-conference game will be against Eastern Kentucky on Dec. 28.

"The ACC is the premier basketball conference in the country," Kelsey said in a statement released by the school. "In preparation for league play, we feel this non-conference schedule will challenge us tremendously and help in the development of our team as the season progresses. With an entirely new roster, the early part of the season will be crucial as roles are defined and solidified and as our team evolves and gels. I can't wait for the KFC Yum! Center to be rockin' late this fall. We need the added advantage that comes with having the best arena and fans in college basketball."

TV details and game times will be released at a later date.

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