Louisville’s men’s basketball non-conference slate is turning into a gauntlet.
The latest addition came Thursday afternoon, when news broke that Louisville and Michigan had agreed to a two-year series. The Cardinals and Wolverines will meet at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Dec. 5 this season, then play again in Nashville during the 2027-28 season.
This year’s game became possible after Michigan’s scheduled matchup with Duke at Madison Square Garden unraveled. That game had been set for an Amazon broadcast, but it fell apart because of a broadcast rights dispute and Dusty May’s surprise departure for the NBA.
With Michigan now on the schedule, Louisville’s non-conference slate is close to complete. The Cardinals still need three more games filled in, but given how loaded the rest of the schedule already looks, those final openings seem likely to be buy games against lesser opponents.
Here’s where things stand now:
Oct. 21 - At Kansas (Exhibition)
Nov. 2 - vs. Chattanooga
Nov. 7 - vs. Morehead State
Nov. 24 - vs. Texas Tech (Players Era Festival first round in Las Vegas)
Nov. 26 - vs. St. John’s/Oregon (Players Era Festival second round in Las Vegas)
Nov. 27 - vs. Tennessee/Iowa State/Maryland/San Diego State (Players Era Festival third round in Las Vegas)
(Potentially) Nov. 28 - Players Era Festival Championship game
Dec. 1 - vs. Texas (ACC-SEC Challenge)
Dec. 5 - vs. Michigan (in Detroit)
Dec. 12 - At Kentucky
TBA - vs. Baylor (rumored to be Jan. 23 in Nashville)
TBA - at Memphis State
That adds up to eight, and possibly nine, games against power programs with legitimate NCAA Tournament upside - “even you, Memphis State.” If Louisville beats Texas Tech in its first game in Las Vegas, the Cardinals would be all but guaranteed at least five games against teams projected to land in the preseason AP top 25.
OK, now dream with me for a moment
On Thanksgiving Week, the Louisville men’s basketball team exacts some Maui revenge on Texas Tech. Then they take down Rick Pitino and St. John’s on Thanksgiving Day, and take out two years worth of frustration on Tennessee a day later.
That Saturday, the Cardinal basketball team captures the Players Era Festival title, and then the football team goes to Lexington and smacks Kentucky for a third straight year.
Three days later, Pat Kesley and company take down an unbeaten, top 10 Texas team in front of the best Yum Center crowd of the Kelsey era.
That Saturday, the basketball team knocks off reigning national champ Michigan in Detroit, and the football team locks up a playoff berth with an ACC title game win in Charlotte.
In Other News...
Louisvilles ACC Hopes Ride On Jeff Brohms New Offensive Core
With the season opener against Ole Miss looming, Louisville is trying to sort out a revamped offense that will lean heavily on new faces and a few established pieces. The Cardinals brought in transfer quarterback Lincoln Kienholz to help steer the unit, while Isaac Brown and Keyjuan Brown give Jeff Brohm a backfield that should provide some balance as the staff works through its early-season answers.
The receiving group is where the intrigue really starts to build, with transfers Lawayne McCoy and Tre Richardson stepping into spots created by major departures. Richardson, in particular, arrives with the chance to become a central part of the passing game, and Louisville will need that kind of immediate production if it wants to keep pace in ACC play after the opener sets the tone. [Read more 🡒]
Louisville Fall Camp Puts Kienholz And New Targets Under Pressure
Early August brings the kind of urgency that makes fall camp matter, and Louisville is leaning into it as it starts building toward the 2026 opener against Ole Miss. The Cardinals are using these practices to sort out position battles, deepen a defense that needs reliable answers, and get a clearer picture of who can create offense when the lights come on.
Lincoln Kienholz sits at the center of that conversation, with the quarterback room offering one of camps biggest evaluation points. Louisville also needs new receiving options to come forward, and Tre Richardson, Lawayne McCoy and TreyShun Hurry are among the names being watched closely as the staff tries to determine who can become the go-to targets before the season arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Louisville Could Be Counting On A Quiet Local Linebacker Soon
Jacob Smith has been the kind of local prospect programs like to point to when they talk about development and patience. A redshirt sophomore linebacker from Somerset, Kentucky, who starred at Corbin High School and earned all-state honors, Smith arrived in the state with a strong reputation and the appeal of staying close to home. His path to this point has been quieter than his high school rsum suggested, but there is still a sense that his best football is ahead of him.
Smith is aiming for a bigger role in 2026, with the hope that he can work his way into the linebacker rotation and give Louisville another homegrown option on defense. For now, the intrigue is less about what he has already done and more about what kind of opportunity opens up next, especially for a player whose first two seasons have not yet produced the kind of extended run that would answer all the questions. [Read more 🡒]