Louisville’s non-conference slate was already loaded, and Memphis just made the next stop look a whole lot more dangerous.
The Cardinals are staring at a brutal stretch from Nov. 24 to Dec. 12, with No. 16 Texas Tech in the first round of the Player’s Era Tournament followed by No.
7 Texas, No. 20 Michigan and No.
24 Kentucky. But before that run even begins, Louisville has to deal with a Memphis team that has burst out of the gate and turned a game that barely drew much attention into a serious early-season test.
Memphis is 2-0 and has done it with two wins that demand notice. The Tigers opened by knocking off No.
18 Iowa State at home, 80-76, then followed that up with an 89-88 win over VCU. That’s the kind of start that changes how a matchup looks in a hurry.
Against Iowa State, Memphis was a 13.5-point underdog, but Jayden Reid delivered 26 points and Luke Almodovar added 18 to power the upset. Reid was back at it against VCU, scoring 32 and burying two game-winning free throws with five seconds left.
That’s why Louisville’s trip to Memphis now feels much bigger than it did when the schedule first came out. It was always going to be a meaningful early test for Kelsey and his new-look Cardinals, but few would have expected the Tigers to be undefeated and in the rankings conversation this early.
Kelsey made it clear after Louisville’s win on Saturday that he understands what’s waiting.
“We are going to walk into a hostile environment next week,” stated Kelsey about their game against Memphis. “Coach Hardaway’s team at Memphis just beat Iowa State, which is a top 10 team in the country.
That is an unbelievable fan base there. Playing in an NBA arena against a really, really high-level team.”
Memphis still has one more hurdle before Louisville, with a trip to No. 22 Vanderbilt on Tuesday. The Cardinals, meanwhile, get the week to prepare for what Kelsey called a big road test.
Louisville and Memphis meet Sunday, Nov. 15 at 1 p.m. local time.
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