Report: Louisville Finalizing Two-Year Series with Cincinnati

The Bearcats are the latest regional rival to be added to the Cardinals' upcoming 2025-26 schedule.

Mar 14, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard J'Vonne Hadley (1) handles the ball against Clemson Tigers forward Ian Schieffelin (4) during the second half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Another longtime rival of the Louisville men's basketball program has been added to next season's slate of non-conference games.

The Cardinals are "finalizing an agreement" to play a two-year neutral site series with Cincinnati, according to CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein.

The first matchup will take place at Heritage Bank Center in Cincinnati this upcoming season, while the return trip for the 2026-27 season will be held at Freedom Hall. Official dates have yet to be determined, per Rothstein.

UC is now the fifth known non-conference opponent that Louisville will face in the 2025-26 season. The Cardinals will host Kentucky on Nov. 11, take on Indiana on Dec. 6 from Gainbridge Arena in Indianapolis, host Memphis on Dec. 13 for the start of a recently-announced six-year series, then travel to Tennessee on Dec. 16.

The Cardinals will also play a yet-to-be-named opponent as part of the ACC/SEC Challenge. Louisville had also previously been in talks with St. John's about getting a game on the 2025-26 schedule, although AD Josh Heird came out and said that is no longer on the table.

Like with Memphis, Louisville and Cincinnati are former conference rivals, having been league members in the Missouri Valley Conference, Metro Conference, Conference USA and Big East. In fact, UofL has faced UC more so than any other school in their program's history, playing a total of 100 times and holding a 56-44 advantage.

However, since Louisville's departure for the ACC in 2014, they have faced Cincinnati just once. This came on Nov. 23, 2022 as part of the Maui Invitational, with the Bearcats earning an 81-62 victory.

Cincinnati is heading into year five of the Wes Miller, who holds an 82-59 record as the head coach of the Bearcats. However, despite being the preseason No. 20 team last year, UC went just 19-16 to miss out on the NCAA Tournament yet again. Cincinnati has not been to the Big Dance since Mick Cronin's final year in 2019.

Louisville is coming off of a successful year one under head coach Pat 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.

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(Photo of J'Vonne Hadley: Jim Dedmon - Imagn Images)

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