UofL men’s basketball head coach Pat Kelsey announced the 2024-25 non-conference schedule on Tuesday, featuring nine home games inside the KFC Yum! Center.
In Kelsey’s first year leading the Cardinals, UofL will play seven non-conference home games this season, along with two exhibitions. The home schedule currently includes three teams from Kentucky.
“The ACC is the premier basketball conference in the country,” said Kelsey. “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.”
The Cardinals are a combined 127-83 against guaranteed non-conference opponents, with an additional 36-28 mark against opponents they could face in the Battle 4 Atlantis in late November.
The full slate of potential opponents includes five teams that were in the NCAA Tournament, with two that made the Sweet 16 and one that advanced to the Elite 8.
UofL is currently 93-82 against 2024-25 SEC membership and could face up to four SEC opponents in the non-conference slate, with Tennessee on Nov. 9 and Ole Miss on Dec. 3 both at home, Oklahoma in the Battle 4 Atlantis, and Kentucky in Lexington on Dec. 14.
The Cardinals will host Young Harris on Oct. 21 in the KFC Yum! Center as an exhibition opponent. The opponent and date for Louisville’s second exhibition game will be released at a later date.
UofL will begin its 111th season against Morehead State on college basketball opening night, Nov. 4, at home in the KFC Yum! Center. The Cardinals are 31-12 over Morehead State and haven’t faced the Eagles since 2011.
Later in the week, the Cardinals host Tennessee in the first game of a home-and-home series with the Volunteers. UT finished the 2023-24 season ranked No. 5 in the Associated Press Poll after a trip to the Elite Eight.
Louisville remains home to host crosstown foe Bellarmine (Nov. 19). The Cardinals are 13-1 over the Knights all-time, including a 73-68 win last season.
Kelsey’s former team of nine years, Winthrop, will make the trip to The Ville on Nov. 22. The Friday night meeting will be the first time UofL has ever faced the Eagles of Rock Hill, N.C.
After the four-game homestand to start the season, Louisville will play in the Battle 4 Atlantis for the third time in program history from Nov. 27-29. The Cardinals have a 4-2 record on-site in the tournament, falling in the championship game both trips they’ve made to Paradise, Bahamas.
First-round matchups and the bracket for the Battle 4 Atlantis are expected to be announced later this summer. The field features 2024 Sweet 16 teams Arizona and Gonzaga, along with Davidson, Indiana, Oklahoma, Providence, and West Virginia.
After returning from the Bahamas, the Cardinals will host their second SEC team of the year, Ole Miss, on Dec. 3 as a part of the 2024 SEC/ACC Men’s Basketball Challenge. Louisville is 1-2 against the Rebels and hasn’t faced Ole Miss since 2008.
The Cardinals will host the UTEP Miners on Dec. 11 inside the KFC Yum! Center – the two programs have never played each other.
Louisville will travel to Lexington for the Battle of the Bluegrass, where Kentucky leads the all-time series 39-17. The teams have met every season since 1983 except for 2021-22 when the matchup was canceled due to COVID-related issues.
UofL is slated to take a two-week break from contests before closing the non-conference schedule with an additional in-state opponent, Eastern Kentucky, in the KFC Yum! Center on Dec. 28. There’s a storied, 75-game history between the two programs; the Cardinals lead the Colonels 53-22 in the all-time series.
Times and television assignments for the entire non-conference schedule will be released at a later date. The ACC schedule will also be released by the conference in the coming months.
