Louisville basketball has one of the most challenging basketball schedules in all of college basketball next season, but there is a massive upside in that, outside of being battle-tested. Kelsey explained on Wednesday that the Cardinals' schedule is to prove to the selection committee that they are going to make a statement this upcoming season and that they want to prove they aren't afraid of anyone.
Louisville is set to play Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Baylor, Cincinnati, Memphis, Indiana, and Duke twice. This schedule is going to be challenging, and it will position them for a deep March run, but the home games will also serve as massive recruiting pitches.
One of the best ways to win a recruit over is to bring them to a home game, and what is better than a packed KFC Yum! Center for a top 15 matchup. However, the biggest game for earning commitments might not be one of the ones listed above, but will be the exhibition match against Kansas.
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Pat Kelsey hidden agenda behind Louisville’s blockbuster Kansas matchup
The Cardinals will face the Kansas Jayhawks on October 24 at KFC Yum! Center. This blockbuster showdown will be a crucial recruiting game, as Louisville is likely to bring recruits to the game and give them a chance to experience what playing for the Cardinals could be like.
Scheduling Kansas in October for a preseason game is genius, and Kelsey spoke about how excited he is for that blockbuster showdown at his press conference on Wednesday.
"It is pretty cool and doesn't count on your record or anything like that," Kelsey stated on the matchup against Kansas. "Does that get you pretty fired up for an October game, against Kansas, at the Yum? What I am hoping for is about 20,000 people, pretty cool. Pretty cool to start the season."
A top 15 showdown in preseason, where nothing matters, is poised to be a massive recruiting weekend for Louisville. Louisville football will also host Boston College that weekend from L&N Stadium, making it a huge weekend for both programs.
The two programs will come together and bring football and basketball players to both KFC Yum! Center and L&N Stadium. Kelsey has an opportunity to pitch to 2026 and 2027 recruits that this program is on the rise and that Louisville fans are the best in the nation.
It will also come at the perfect time, as many 2026 recruits will be committing around that time. Most recruits prefer to commit before their senior year begins, and if they haven't committed yet, Kelsey can bring them to a blockbuster showdown in October and win them over with the environment.
When 20,000 show up for a preseason basketball game, he can argue what other fan base is doing that? What other program is scheduling a top-15 showdown in the preseason? Most programs play non-division one schools in October, but not Kelsey and Louisville. They are playing the Kansas Jayhawks to get this program fired up and ready for the 2025-26 season.
So when these recruits are scheduling last-minute visits, or still thinking about where they should commit to, and they visit Louisville, which has a packed arena for a preseason game against a top 15 team and a blue blood program, while Duke, Kentucky, Alabama, and other college basketball powerhouses are scheduling cupcakes with an empty stadium, it will be clear which program is the better fit.
The showdown with Kansas is designed to set the tone for the season and avoid a situation like last year, when the Cardinals lost by 30 points to Tennessee. However, it is clear that the University of Louisville is in for a big-time recruiting game and weekend, and Kelsey will try to win over multiple recruits before the regular season even begins.
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For all the latest on Louisville basketball's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.