Louisville basketball has had an eye-popping offseason so far, as the Cardinals have landed six commitments from the Transfer Portal and three from the 2026 recruiting class. Louisville is making some serious noise this offseason and is trending as one of the top teams entering the 2026-27 season.
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And with Louisville having high expectations, the Cardinals' fans are keeping a close eye on one game. The Cardinals' biggest rival is without a doubt the Kentucky Wildcats. Last year, Louisville and college basketball fans were outraged when the game was scheduled for the worst possible date: Nov. 11, just three games into the season.
However, according to Jon Rothstein, the two programs and college basketball have finalized the date for next season, and it appears to be the perfect date.
Louisville basketball schedules Kentucky rivalry game on the perfect date
College basketball is better when these two programs make the NCAA Tournament, and coming off a year when both went dancing, this rivalry looks like it will have another fun showdown. The two in-state schools are reportedly scheduled to meet in Rupp Arena on Saturday, December 12.
Next season's game between Kentucky and Louisville will be played on Saturday, December 12th at Rupp Arena, per release.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) May 27, 2026
Louisville won last year's showdown 96-88, and was led by Mikel Brown Jr., who scored 29 points. Now, Pat Kelsey will try to lead Louisville to their second straight win over the Wildcats, which would mark the Cardinals' first time defeating Kentucky in back-to-back seasons since 2007-08 and 2008-09.
The Cardinals will have a good chance to break this drought as they have the No. 1 portal class in the nation and will be led by Flory Bidunga, Jackson Shelstad, Karter Knox, and others. Louisville right now is ranked as high as No. 5 in Fox Sports' way-too-early rankings, while Kentucky isn’t ranked in many rankings at the moment.
The rivalry game scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 12, is much better than the one on Nov. 11, and it is exactly where it should be played. Louisville and Kentucky are one of the best rivalries in college basketball, and it deserves to be played in December and on the weekend.
College basketball fans want this game in December, when games matter more and both teams have already played some meaningful games. So, Louisville and Kentucky meeting on a Saturday in the middle of December is what fans were begging for this past season, and after both teams made the NCAA Tournament, the two get the day they deserve.
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For all the latest news and updates on Louisville basketball's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.
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