Report: Indiana And Louisville To Meet Again In Men's Basketball Game In Indy

It will be the the third season in a row that Indiana and Louisville met on the hardwood.

Indiana Hoosiers forward Luke Goode (10) drives to the basket as Louisville Cardinals guard Reyne Smith (6) defends during the second half at the Atlantis Resort. / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana and Louisville's campuses are less than two hours apart, so it makes sense that the two schools have met frequently in recent seasons.

However, for the first time since 2018, the two programs will meet in one of the two neighboring states.

According to Field Of 68's Jeff Goodman, Indiana will play Louisville on Dec. 6 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. It will be the third time in as many seasons that the Hoosiers and Cardinals will tangle on the hardwood.

Louisville will play Indiana on Dec. 6 at Gainbridge Arena in Indianapolis, source told @TheFieldOf68.

Love this non-conference matchup between Pat Kelsey and the Cardinals and new IU coach Darian DeVries and the Hoosiers.

Should be a terrific atmosphere.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) April 10, 2025

The two schools have played in Indianapolis as recently as 2016 when Louisville earned a 77-62 victory in Tom Crean's final year in charge of the Hoosiers.

The last two meetings in the series took place in exotic locales.

During the 2023-24 season, Indiana and Louisville met in the Empire Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York. Against a Louisville team that would only win eight games that season, the Hoosiers struggled, but ultimately earned a 74-66 victory.

Louisville fired Kenny Payne after that season and hired former College of Charleston coach Pat Kelsey to coach in 2024. Indiana met Louisville in the opening round of Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas in late November 2024. It was thought to be a litmus test to see where the Hoosiers would be in the national pecking order if they could defeat Louisville and higher-rated opponents after that.

What happened instead was perhaps the worst loss of the season for Indiana and in the Mike Woodson era. Louisville jumped on Indiana early and never let up in an 89-61 victory, one in which Indiana trailed by as much as 38 points.

Indiana never really recovered as far as being in the national picture is concerned. After a loss to Gonzaga in the second round at Battle 4 Atlantis, Indiana did not appear in the top 25 poll for the remainder of the season.

Indiana has a 12-9 edge in the all-time series, including an 82-69 victory over the Cardinals in the 1993 NCAA Tournament.

It also means Indiana will play the two most prominent programs from the Commonwealth of Kenutucy in the same season for the first time since the 2002-03 season. Indiana is scheduled to begin a four-year series against Kentucky at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky. on Dec. 20.

Indiana will also play Marquette in Chicago on Nov. 9 as part of its nonconference schedule.

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