Louisville basketball played its first preseason exhibition game Wednesday night, marching into Allen Fieldhouse to defeat the No. 17 Kansas Jayhawks. The atmosphere certainly didn’t feel like an exhibition, as the place was rocking from start to finish.
Louisville just did something at Kansas that hadn’t happened since 1993
Pat Kelsey and the Cardinals looked impressive, winning 89-83. The Cardinals had a busy offseason, adding 11 players, including Jackson Shelstad, who led the team in scoring with 23 points, and 5-star freshman Obinna Ekezie Jr., who added 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 blocks off the bench.
Louisville fans turned off the TV, impressed with the Cardinals and their exhibition win, and for many reasons. But Wednesday's win felt like more than an exhibition win; it felt like a sign, maybe even foreshadowing, that the Cardinals can compete with the nation’s top teams this season.
Louisville looks to fix its flaw against ranked opponents
Last year, one of Louisville’s biggest weaknesses and flaws was playing against the nation’s best. The Cardinals consistently beat the teams they were supposed to beat, but when they met elite teams, they got exposed every game.
Louisville finished the 2025-26 season going 3-7 against teams ranked in the top 25, 1-6 against teams ranked in the top 25, and 0-4 against teams ranked in the top 15. And in those six losses, Kelsey lost by an average of 14.8 points, including when Louisville lost by 31 and 11 to Duke and by 21 to Tennessee. When looking more closely at the other games, the Cardinals went down big, trailing Arkansas by 20, Virginia by 15, and Michigan State by 13.
But Wednesday night's win over Kansas on the road gives Louisville fans hope that this year will be different. The Cardinals proved they can compete with the best, and Kelsey’s offseason adjustments, attacking physicality, size, and experience in the portal, will elevate this program to beat top-25 teams.
Yes, it is only a preseason game. But, since Kelsey arrived, Louisville has struggled against ranked teams, even in preseason, like last year when Kansas dominated the Cardinals. Now, this preseason win gives Louisville fans a spark entering the year, and it shows Kelsey and the Cardinals are fixing one of their biggest flaws from the previous season.
The Cardinals have multiple chances to prove the preseason win wasn't a fluke, as they will face several ranked teams this year, including No. 19 Texas Tech, No. 7 Texas, No. 16 Michigan, No. 23 Kentucky, No. 14 Miami, No. 9 Virginia, and No. 2 Duke. So, Louisville fans hope the Cardinals will compete with these elite teams and not be exposed like last year, when they went 0-4 against top-15 teams, and Wednesday night’s win certainly felt like a sign that this team fixed one of its biggest flaws from a year ago.
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