Louisville basketball's 3 biggest non-conference games in 2025

The Louisville Cardinals are expected to have a thrilling 2025-26 schedule. The full schedule has yet to be released, but fans have already found out some crucial matchups and dates for Louisville basketball's 2025-26 season. The Cardinals will play 18 games against ACC opponents, two of which will be against SMU and two against another ACC opponent. The Cardinals will play the rest of their 14 ACC opponents in one matchup.

The Cardinals are expected to be an elite team in the upcoming season. Louisville has the sixth-best odds to win the National Championship, and the Cardinals' elite backcourt has many experts labeling Louisville as the ACC favorite.

Pat Kelsey and his Cardinals will be battle-tested early in the season, as Louisville has a challenging but thrilling non-conference schedule. That said, fans are incredibly excited for the season, and the non-conference matchups are a glaring reason. So, here are Louisville basketball's three biggest non-conference games in 2025.

Louisville basketball's 3 biggest non-conference games in 2025

3. Tennessee Volunteers

The Tennessee Volunteers landed three 4-star transfers, two 4-star commits, and, of course, 5-star commit Nate Ament. The Volunteers swiped Ament from the Cardinals after the nation's No. 4 overall recruit picked Tennessee over Louisville in April 2025. This is expected to be a massive showdown from Knoxville, Tenn., as these two National Championship caliber teams will tip off on Dec. 16.

These two programs played each other last season in just the second game of the regular season, and the Volunteers dominated from start to finish in a 77-55 victory. Louisville will now look for revenge with its improved roster and secure a marquee victory in mid-December.

All eyes will be on the two 5-stars, Ament from Tennessee and Mikel Brown Jr. from Louisville. These two incoming freshman are expected to be 2026 NBA Lottery Draft picks and lead their programs to a deep postseason run.