Louisville basketball fans are eagerly awaiting the 2026-27 season to start, as Pat Kelsey has this Cards squad looking like a real Final Four contender for the second straight season. Now, last year Louisville didn’t have the outcome many had hoped for in the preseason, but this year the Cardinals' fans have a different feeling, as Kelsey completely rebuilt this roster and landed the No. 1 overall Transfer Portal class.
Milan Momcilovic breaks Louisville basketball hearts by picking the enemy instead
Kelsey went all-in this offseason, including 5-star transfer Milan Momcilovic. The Iowa State transfer ultimately committed to Kentucky over Louisville, as Mark Pope and the Wildcats offered him an eye-popping offer north of $6.5 million. And with the 5-star ultimately committing to Kentucky over Louisville, the Cardinals and the Wildcats are trending as two top 20 teams, making these two fans count down for the massive showdown in Lexington in December.
Louisville fans have one date circled after Kentucky landed Milan Momcilovic
Louisville fans aren’t sure what their non-conference schedule looks like just yet, but one game they do know is the rivalry showdown with Kentucky on December 12. This game is almost always a must-watch for college basketball fans, but with Kentucky landing Momcilovic, this is quickly emerging as one of the top non-conference games of the year.
It is safe to say Louisville fans and Kentucky fans don’t like one another, and now, after the 5-star commitment, these two fan bases are eyeing December 12 and circling this game. Louisville and Kentucky each had a successful portal offseason, with the Cards landing six transfers, including the No. 1 overall transfer, Flory Bidunga. Right behind them is Kentucky with the No. 2 portal class after landing six transfers, including Momcilovic, who ranks No. 2 overall in the portal.
So, Pope and Kelsey had a busy offseason, and the fans can’t wait for the showdown. And to add a bit of motivation and fuel for Louisville and Kelsey for this rivalry game, after Pope landed Momcilovic, he posted on social media, holding a couple of cards in his hands, including a king, which certainly felt like a jab at Louisville, who also go by “Cards”.
So, Louisville vs Kentucky on December 12 is a game fans already had on their radar, but with Momcilovic committing to Kentucky and Pope throwing jabs at Louisville, Cardinals fans are eagerly awaiting this showdown.
It should be a fun and thrilling college basketball game, as Louisville was recently ranked No. 11 in Athletic’s recent rankings and Kentucky was ranked No. 20. So, this has a chance to be an intense rank vs rank rivalry game on the road for Louisville, as the Cardinals will look for their first back-to-back wins over the Wildcats since the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons.
Also read: Louisville's lineup even without Milan Momcilovic should still have fans dreaming big
For all the latest news and updates on Louisville basketball's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.
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