Texas Basketball's Opponent for SEC/ACC Challenge Has Officially Been Set

The Texas Longhorns men's basketball team is coming off of a successful first season under head coach Sean Miller. Texas squeaked into the NCAA Tournament's First Four before pulling off three wins to make a surprising run to the Sweet 16, where the Longhorns lost on a buzzer-beating tip-in to Purdue.

As a result of that March Madness run, there's some notable excitement surrounding Texas basketball headed into next season, especially when looking at the roster moves they've made this offseason.

But to add to that hype, the Longhorns continue to secure some big-time matchups on their non-conference schedule.

Texas to Visit Louisville in ACC/SEC Challenge

Louisville Cardinals head coach Pat Kelsey looks on during the second half against the Michigan State Spartans during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Keybank Center. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Texas men's basketball announced Friday that the Longhorns will be playing the Louisville Cardinals in the ACC/SEC Challenge on Tuesday, Dec. 1 at the KFC Yum! Center.

This will mark the seventh all-time meeting between the two programs and the first since the 2023-24 season when Longhorns guard Max Abmas hit a game-winning jumper with 0.4 seconds left in Madison Square Garden to give No. 19 Texas an 81-80 win over the Cardinals in the Empire Classic.

However, Louisville leads the all-time series 4-2.

The game will also mark the third time that Texas has played in the SEC/ACC Challenge since first joining the conference two seasons ago. The Longhorns beat NC State on the road in their first installment of the series before getting blown out at home against Virginia last season.

But Louisville will arguably be the toughest oppoenent Texas faces during its non-conference slate depending on who else the Longhorns add. Under head coach Pat Kelsey, the Cardinals have put together the No. 1 transfer portal class in the country this offseason thanks to the massive additions of Oregon guard Jackson Shelstad and Kansas forward Flory Bidunga.

Texas is also viewed as having a Top 5 portal class headlined by David Punch (TCU), Isaiah Johnson (Colorado) and Elyjah Freeman (Auburn) but they will have their work cut out for them against Louisville on the road.

Other Games on Texas Basketball's Non-Conference Schedule

Texas Longhorns center Matas Vokietaitis (8) addresses the media in a press conference during a practice session ahead of the west regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at SAP Center. | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Texas will play in the Rady Children’s Invitational in non-conference this fall on Nov. 26 and 27. The other teams in the field include UCLA, Georgetown and Saint Mary's. The head-to-head matchups for the event will be announced at a later date.

The Longhorns will also play the Memphis Tigers on Dec. 16 at the Moody Center.

And most recently, it was reported that Texas would be facing off against the Miami Hurricanes in a neutral site game at the Toyota Center in Houston.

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