Kansas Basketball Schedules Home-and-Home Exhibition with Louisville

For the first time since 1993, the Kansas Jayhawks will hit the road for a matchup against the Louisville Cardinals.

Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The Kansas Jayhawks will hit the road to face Louisville in an exhibition game prior to the start of the 2025-26 college basketball season on Friday, Oct. 24.

The news was announced Tuesday as KU’s schedule for the upcoming year begins to take shape. As part of the agreement, Louisville will travel to Lawrence for a return exhibition matchup prior to the 2026-27 season.

This will be the first time these two teams have faced off since KU traveled to Louisville in January 1993. The first meeting took place in February 1959 when KU lost in Louisville by a score of 82-74. However, KU has won four of the past five matchups and currently owns a 6-5 all-time record against the Cardinals.

Louisville experienced a remarkable turnaround this past season under head coach Pat Kelsey. Prior to his arrival, Louisville had gone a combined 12-52 in two seasons under former head coach and player Kenny Payne.

In Kelsey’s first year at the helm, he guided the Cardinals to an 18-2 ACC record (27-8 overall). The team finished the year ranked No. 10 in the country, according to the Associated Press, and Kelsey was named ACC Coach of the Year.

The exhibition will likely be KU fans’ first chance at getting a glimpse of ballyhooed freshman Darryn Peterson before the Jayhawks host one of their usual in-state Division II opponents for an exhibition inside Allen Fieldhouse prior to facing Green Bay to officially kick off the season on Nov. 4.

It’s unclear if the proceeds from the exhibition versus Louisville will go to any charity or Name, Image, and Likeness funds like some exhibitions have in the past. Tipoff time, television/streaming details, and ticket information are also still to be determined.

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