Louisville basketball put together a gauntlet of a non-conference schedule, and now one game looks even more challenging. When Cardinals fans look at their schedule, much of the attention goes to the huge stretch from November 24 to December 12.
Louisville’s dominant win revealed exactly what Pat Kelsey needs from his 5-star freshman
UofL will face No. 16 Texas Tech in the first round of the Player’s Era Tournament, and then after the event, they face No. 7 Texas, No. 20 Michigan, and No. 24 Kentucky. However, one game that not many talked about is actually Louisville’s next game against Memphis, and it just got tougher.
Louisville has a major test this Sunday against Memphis
Memphis will be a major test for Louisville and this Cardinals team, and their start to the 2026 season proves it. Entering the season, not many were talking about this game, as other games grabbed the spotlight, but Memphis is now 2-0 with two notable wins and has everyone’s attention.
The Tigers are 2-0, including two impressive wins, as they defeated No. 18 Iowa State at home, 80-76, then beat VCU, 89-88. Everyone knew Louisville’s matchup vs. Memphis would be Kelsey’s first test with this new-looking Cardinals, but few expected the Tigers to be ranked and undefeated heading into the second week of the season.
Memphis entered the Iowa State game as 13.5-point underdogs, but Jayden Reid finished with 26 points, and Luke Almodovar added 18, leading the Tigers to a huge upset victory. They then beat VCU, which made the NCAA Tournament last year, and Reid led the way again with 32 points, including two game-winning free throws with 5 seconds remaining.
This Tigers game will be a crucial test for Louisville, and Kelsey knows it, as he said after Louisville’s win on Saturday.
“We are going to walk into a hostile environment next week,” stated Kelsey about their game against Memphis. “Coach Hardaway’s team at Memphis just beat Iowa State, which is a top 10 team in the country. That is an unbelievable fan base there. Playing in an NBA arena against a really, really high-level team.”
Memphis has one last test before facing Louisville, as they travel to No. 22 Vanderbilt on Tuesday. As for the Cardinals, they will have the week to prepare for their first true test, and as Kelsey said, this is going to be a big road test for Louisville.
The Cards and Memphis face off on Sunday, Nov. 15 at 1 p.m. local time.
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