Piecing Together Louisville's 2020-21 Non-Conference Schedule
While the 2019-20 college basketball season was forced to be cancelled due to the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, the scheduling dominos for next season are already starting to fall in place. Under the presumption that the 2020-21 college basketball season will still begin as scheduled, the Louisville Cardinals have already filled out over half their non-conference schedule.
With the ACC's move to a 20-game conference schedule that began last season, Louisville has 11 slots for non-conference opponents during the regular season. Out of those 11, seven have been filled.
Precisely when college basketball will return is not yet known, but regardless the Cardinals will kick off the 2020-21 season with a home matchup against Western Kentucky. Louisville is on an 8 game winning streak vs. the Hilltoppers, and have won 25 of their last 28 games against them dating back all the way to 1962.
The first concrete date on the schedule is Friday, Nov. 13 when Louisville and Oklahoma State will do battle as part of the 2020 Armed Forces Classic at the Marine Corps Base Camp in Lejeune, North Carolina. This is their second time participating in the Armed Forces Classic, as they defeated Minnesota 81-66 for the 2014 iteration of the event on Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen. Louisville is 3-1 all time vs. Oklahoma State and last faced them on Mar. 21, 1993 in the NCAA Tournament, winning 78-63.
Next on the calendar is the MGM Resorts Main Event in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Cards are one of four teams participating in the heavyweight bracket of the tournament joining Arkansas, Colorado State and San Francisco, and will face two of the three.
It's not yet known who the Cards will face first at the MGM Resorts Main Event, but purely from a scheduling standpoint it would make sense for them to not face Arkansas right out of the gates and set up a potential Power Five championship game. Between San Francisco & Colorado State, from a storyline perspective it makes much more sense to have the latter face Louisville for obvious reasons.
As always, capping off the non-conference schedule will be the Battle of The Bluegrass. This year's rivalry matchup with the Kentucky Wildcats will take place at the KFC Yum! Center and will most likely fall on Dec. 26, as the game has more often than not fallen on the final Saturday in December.
Also thrown in the mix, Louisville will face both Navy and Furman at the KFC Yum! Center at some point during the 2020-21 season. The Cards have faced the Midshipmen just once in their 106 year history: a 68-52 victory on Dec. 18, 1972 at Freedom Hall. As for the Paladins, Louisville is 4-0 against them most recently winning 104-63 on Dec. 22, 2002.
While an opponent has not yet been assigned, there is also the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. It has typically taken place over a three day span around the time where the calendar flips from November to December. This year, it will most likely fall to the Nov. 30 - Dec. 2 range.
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