Report: Louisville Adds Two More Teams to 2025-26 Non-Conference Schedule

12 of the Cardinals' 13 spots on their non-conference schedule have been filled.

Mar 15, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Louisville Cardinals head coach Pat Kelsey in the second half of the 2025 ACC Conference Championship game against the Duke Blue Devils at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville men's basketball program's slate of non-conference games for the upcoming 2025-26 season is nearly complete.

According to The Courier-Journal's Brooks Holton, the Cardinals have added both Montana and South Carolina State for year two of the Pat Kelsey era. Dates for those two games have not yet been revealed.

This past season, Montana went 25-10 in year 11 under head coach Travis DeCuire. This included winning the Big Sky Conference Tournament, punching the Grizzlies' first ticket to the NCAA Tournament since 2019.

As for South Carolina State, year three under head coach Erik Martin saw the Bulldogs go 20-13 overall. While they were MEAC's regular season co-champions, they fell in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament.

12 of Louisville's 13 non-conference opponents for the 2025-26 season are now publicly known. At home, the Cardinals will face Kentucky on Nov. 11, Eastern Michigan and NJIT on Nov. 24 and 26, respectively, and Memphis on Dec. 13.

The EMU and NJIT games are part of an MTE with Cincinnati. Louisville will leave the KFC! Yum Center for their matchup with the Bearcats, kicking off the MTE with a showdown at Heritage Bank Arena in Cincinnati on Nov. 21. This is one of three neutral site non-con matchups for UofL, as they will also take on Indiana on Dec. 6 from Gainbridge Arena in Indianapolis, as well as Baylor on Feb. 14 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.

So far, Louisville has just two true road non-conference games. They'll head to Arkansas on Dec. 3 for the ACC/SEC Challenge, and travel to Tennessee on Dec. 16.

Louisville is coming off of a successful year one under Kelsey. The Cardinals went 27-8 overall, winning more games than over the previous three seasons combined, resulting in Kelsey winning ACC Coach of the Year. UofL made their return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019 - although it resulted in a first round exit to Creighton.

Not long after the end of the season, Kelsey and his staff immediately got to work constructing next year's roster. They added three top-25 transfers in Ryan Conwell, Isaac McKneely and Adrian Wooley, while top-25 Class of 2025 prospects Mikel Brown Jr. and Sananda Fru are joining the fold. Additionally, J'Vonne Hadley and Kasean Pryor are both taking advantage of extra years of eligibility.

(Photo of Pat Kelsey: Jim Dedmon - Imagn Images)

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