Louisville basketball has filled in two more dates on its 2026-27 nonconference calendar, with Long Island and Eastern Michigan both headed to the KFC Yum! Center in December.
The Cardinals will face the Sharks on Wednesday, Dec. 16, and the Eagles on Saturday, Dec. 19, according to signed contracts between the schools obtained by The Courier Journal through an open records request. Each visiting team will receive $100,000. Start times were still undetermined at the time of publication.
Long Island arrives after a season that brought the program back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018. Under 17-year NBA veteran Rod Strickland, the Sharks went 24-11, captured both the Northeast Conference regular-season and tournament titles, and finished above the 20-win mark for the first time since 2011-12.
Seeded No. 16, they were routed 92-58 by No. 1 Arizona in the opening round.
KenPom.com ranked them 216th in adjusted efficiency, while BartTorvik.com had them 237th.
There’s still no 2026-27 roster posted on LIU’s official website, but EvanMiya.com’s transfer portal database lists seven commitments for Strickland’s team, including former UTSA guard Vasean Allette. The site says the Sharks lost 11 players to free agency, with only three of those commitments having pledged elsewhere as of Aug.
- That group is rated the No. 1 incoming class in the NEC.
Eastern Michigan is also coming off a coaching change. The Eagles finished 10-21 last season, went 4-14 in Mid-American Conference play and closed the year ranked 243rd in KenPom and 239th on Torvik. After Year 5 under Stan Heath, the program and coach mutually agreed to part ways.
Former Clemson associate head coach Billy Donlon took over and, according to EvanMiya, has put together the top transfer class in the MAC. That four-man group is led by former Cincinnati guard Sencire Harris. Donlon also kept hold of Heath’s top scorer, rebounder and facilitator from 2025-26, 6-foot-9 forward Mohammad Habhab.
Louisville had already played Eastern Michigan once during Pat Kelsey’s second season, winning 87-46 on Nov. 24, 2025, at the Yum! Center. That game was part of a multi-team event with cross-state rival Cincinnati that was later canceled for 2026-27.
The new additions slot into a nonconference schedule that already includes a few major pieces. Year 3 of the Pat Kelsey era opens Nov. 2 against Chattanooga and Nov. 7 against Morehead State, both at the Yum! Center.
The week of Thanksgiving sends Louisville to Las Vegas for its first appearance in the Players Era 16. The Cardinals are guaranteed three games at Michelob ULTRA Arena, with a fourth possible if they reach the championship on Nov.
- They open against Texas Tech at 8 p.m. on Nov. 24, then play either Oregon or St.
John’s on Nov. 26, followed by either Iowa State, Maryland, San Diego State or Tennessee on Nov. 27.
The other side of the bracket features Alabama, Baylor, Creighton, Gonzaga, Kansas State, Miami, Michigan and TCU.
After that, Louisville returns home for a Dec. 1 meeting with Texas in the SEC/ACC Challenge, then heads to Detroit to play Michigan on Dec. 5 at Little Caesars Arena. A week later, the Cardinals travel to Lexington for their annual rivalry game with Kentucky on Dec. 12 at Rupp Arena.
Louisville is also scheduled to meet Baylor in the second game of a neutral-site series that began last season, though no date or venue had been announced as of Aug. 5.
At the moment, the Cardinals have one exhibition game set: Oct. 21 against Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse. Another preseason tune-up is expected to be added in the coming weeks.
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