The official 2025 non-conference schedule for Louisville basketball has been officially announced, and the fans are smiling from ear to ear. While at first glance some may get overwhelmed and panic, fear quickly leaves the body, and fans are left excited and pumped up for the 2025-26 season.
Louisville Cardinals' non-conference schedule might be the most challenging out-of-conference schedule in the nation, and certainly the hardest non-conference schedule for the program in a long time. The Cardinals face 13 teams not in the ACC, and Louisville found out it all starts on November 3 from KFC Yum! Center.
The Cardinals conference is a gauntlet, but wow, is it going to be fun to watch with Pat Kelsey's roster. The Cardinals certainly did not duck the smoke, and they just gave the fans exactly what they have been craving for over 10 years.
Related: Pat Kelsey's fiery message just set the tone for Louisville's championship push
Louisville basketball's non-conference schedule screams revenge
The Cardinals fans learned today that their season will tip off with South Carolina State on November 3 at KFC Yum! Center, and followed by Jacksonville State on November 6, also on the Cardinals' home court. Louisville then gets four days off to prepare for the earliest Louisville-Kentucky showdown in rivalry history on November 11. Then, to conclude this four-game home stretch to start the season, they play Ohio on November 15.
The full non-con is HERE 🙌
— Louisville Men's Basketball (@LouisvilleMBB) August 25, 2025
Details: https://t.co/m7dIVZCuR4#GoCards pic.twitter.com/NOZLXRZ8CA
The Cardinals starting at home for the first four games, including their blockbuster showdown with Kentucky, is perfect for this upcoming season and what the fans want. Louisville gets Kansas in the preseason, plus Kentucky in the first month. While many want that game in December, it gives the Cardinals a massive opportunity to beat the Wildcats and spark their National Title push.
The Cardinals will be battle-tested from their nightmare four-game stretch, which includes at Arkansas on December 3, then at Indiana on December 5, home against Memphis on December 13, and at Tennessee on December 16. Louisville will have an uphill battle in that stretch, but Kelsey has made it clear he wanted to send the NCAA a message, and he definitely got his point across.
Five of the 13 teams made the 2024 NCAA Tournament, and three of them reached the Sweet Sixteen. Louisville renewed two historic rivalries in Cincinnati and Memphis, and will play the fanbase's most-hated coach in John Calipari, who now coaches at Arkansas.
Louisville's non-conference schedule concludes against Montana on December 20, and then it will start ACC play, but it will play one more non-conference team, the Baylor Bears, on February 14.
While the Cardinals have one of the best rosters in the nation, last year, when they got disrespected for no reason, Kelsey made sure he didn't want that to happen again. If Louisville can finish with double-digit wins from this non-conference schedule and steamrolls the ACC, the NCAA will have to give them the seed and the respect they deserve.
Louisville opens up as one of the top teams to win the 2026 National title with +2000 odds, according to FanDuel. This bold schedule is a fiery and loud message to the NCAA from Kelsey, letting them know that the Cardinals are not playing around, and they will play their game and will get their respect. The Cards were given a disrespectful 8-seed last year, but after this schedule Kelsey put together Louisville sets their sights on a top seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
Related: Pat Kelsey strikes gold with Louisville’s latest non-conference additions
For all the latest on Louisville basketball's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.