Preview: Louisville Cardinals vs. Cincinnati Bearcats

The Cardinals take on the Bearcats in a neutral court showdown.

Nov 11, 2025; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Mikel Brown Jr. (0) dribbles against Kentucky Wildcats forward Andrija Jelavic (4) during the second half at KFC Yum! Center. Louisville defeated Kentucky 96-88. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images | Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

No. 6 Louisville Cardinals (4-0, 0-0 ACC) at Cincinnati Bearcats (4-0, 0-0 Big 12)

- Tipoff: Friday, November 21 at 6:30 p.m. EST
- Location: Heritage Bank Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.
- How To Watch: ESPNU
- How To Listen: 93.9 FM
- Betting Favorite: Louisville -5.0
- All-Time Series: Louisville Leads 56-44
- Last Meeting: Cincinnati won 81-62 on Nov. 23, 2022 (Maui Invitational)

Projected Starting Lineups

Louisville

• G Mikel Brown Jr. (6-5, 190, Fr.)
• G Isaac McKneely (6-4, 195, Sr.)
• G Ryan Conwell (6-4, 215, Sr.)
• F J'Vonne Hadley (6-7, 210, 6th)
• F/C Sananda Fru (6-11, 245, Jr.)

Cincinnati

• G Day Day Thomas (6-1, 190, Gr.)
• G Kerr Kriisa (6-3, 185, Gr.)
• G Shon Abaev (6-8, 210, Fr.)
• F Baba Miller (6-11, 225)
• C Moustapha Thiam (7-2, 250, So.)

Comparison

See how the Cardinals stack up against the Bearcats, and who the statistical models favor: Tale of The Tape, Predictions: Louisville vs. Cincinnati

Game Notes

Louisville

• Louisville’s eight-point win over Kentucky marked the largest margin of victory the Cards have had over the Cats since 2008. It was the first time UofL has won the Battle of the Bluegrass since 2020, and the first time it claimed victory at home in the matchup since 2012.
• Louisville is 31-0 under Kelsey when leading with five minutes to play.
• Freshman guard Mikel Brown Jr. was named Co-Player and Co-Rookie of the Week on Monday after averaging 24.0 ppg, 6.0 apg and shooting 48.1% from the floor in Louisville’s two Week 2 victories.
• A pair of Cardinals represent Louisville on the Naismith Trophy Player of the Year Watch List, Oscar Robertson Trophy Preseason Watch List and the Wooden Award Preseason Watch List; both Ryan Conwell and Mikel Brown Jr. were named to the esteemed lists.
• Freshman guard Mikel Brown Jr. was named to the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award Preseason Watch List while senior guard Ryan Conwell was named the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award Preseason Watch List.
• Louisville led 59-15 at halftime against South Carolina State on Nov. 3. The 44-point halftime lead was the largest in program history.
• Louisville’s two season opening victories marked the first time the Cardinals have had back-to back 30-point victories since 2016.
• Head coach Pat Kelsey is the reigning ACC Coach of the Year - he is one of 10 active DI head coaches that have earned a Coach of the Year honor in three or more DI conferences.
• There are 14 players returning to DI this season that have made at least 175 3-pointers with a career 3-point field goal percentage of 38% or more; Ryan Conwell and Isaac McKneely are two of those 14.
• Currently, six of Louisville’s 2025-26 opponents are ranked in the AP Poll, with five more receiving votes.
• Freshman Mikel Brown Jr. scored 29 points against Kentucky on Nov. 11, 2025, the fourth-most points in a game by a Louisville freshman ever.
• There are 14 players who returned to DI this season that started the season with at least 175 made 3-pointers with a career 3-point field goal percentage of 38% or more; Ryan Conwell and Isaac McKneely are two of those 14 players.
• Of the 10 players who were on an NCAA DI roster in 2024-25, eight of them were on teams that played in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
• According to 247Sports, Louisville had the No. 3 transfer class in the country after major roster adjustments. Louisville was amongst the top transfer classes by other recruiting services, including On3 who placed the Cardinals at 21st in the country.
• UofL has three Cardinals on the roster that have scored over 1,000 DI points: Ryan Conwell (1,430), Isaac McKneely (1,138) and J’Vonne Hadley (1,062).

Cincinnati

• The 2025-26 campaign marks the 125th season of competition for Cincinnati men’s basketball, and the Bearcats will commemorate the milestone with a year-long celebration honoring the program’s rich history, iconic players and cultural legacy. Cincinnati men’s basketball, which was named a top-10 program in college basketball history by the Associated Press, boasts 44 All-Americans, 41 conference titles, six Final Four appearances and back-to-back national championships across its history, which dates back to the 1901-02 season.
• Cincinnati, allowing just 61.0 points per game defensively, ranks second nationally in adjusted
  defensive efficiency, per KenPom. The Bearcats’ 91.1 rating sits only behind Houston at 89.6 and just ahead of Gonzaga at 92.1.
• The Bearcats rank second in the Big 12 in blocks per game (6.3), opponent field goal percentage (35.6%) and turnovers forced per game (17.75), along with third in defensive rebounds per game (30.75) and fourth in scoring defense (61.0 ppg).
• Baba Miller was honored on the Big 12’s Starting Five, the conference office announced Nov.
  10. Miller was joined on the Starting Five, which is new this season, by Arizona’s Koa Peat, Texas Tech’s Christian Anderson, BYU’s AJ Dybantsa and Kansas’ Darryn Peterson. Miller opened the season with 18 points and 10 boards in the Bearcats’ 94-63 victory over Western Carolina before tallying 24 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks on 8-of-9 from the field in a 74-64 win over Georgia State. He became the first Bearcat with consecutive double-doubles to open a season since Bobby Brannen in 1997-98.
• With just one starter and a pair of letterwinners returning from the Bearcats’ 2024-25 squad,
  Cincinnati retains only 13.3% of its scoring, 7l.6% of its rebounding and 17.5% of its assists from a season ago.
• Cincinnati has found itself playing with pace offensively and forcing its opponents to play more
  deliberately on the opposite end. The Bearcats sit 18th nationally in average offensive possession length at 14.5 seconds and their opponents are taking 17.1 seconds per possession on the other end, good for 216th-fastest nationally.

(Photo of Mikel Brown Jr.: Jamie Rhodes - Imagn Images)

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