Louisville basketball schedule 2024-25: What to know about slate for Pat Kelsey’s Cards

Louisville men’s basketball head coach Pat Kelsey has made it clear from Day 1 that he isn’t concerned with the past.

No, one of the sport’s 15 winningest programs is not broken, he said, after it went 12-52 across Kenny Payne‘s two seasons at the helm. It’s “ready to rock.”

“We all know where we want to go,” Kelsey said during his introductory news conference. “It’s about getting to work and getting after it — the next thing.”

Now that Kelsey and his staff have completely overhauled the Cardinals’ roster, signing 12 players through the NCAA transfer portal and one from the high school ranks, their focus shifts to preparing for the 2024-25 season.

Considering fans were subjected to more losses by 20-plus points than victories during Payne’s tenure, the bar is low for what qualifies as a successful Year 1 under this new regime.

Kelsey, however, is approaching the rebuilding process with a mindset of, “The standard is the standard.” Reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019 would be a good place to start on U of L’s journey back to national prominence.

The Courier Journal is keeping tabs on Louisville’s 2024-25 schedule as it continues to take shape.

Bookmark this page and check back in for future updates.

Here’s what we know so far:

Louisville basketball’s 2024-25 nonconference schedule

Louisville will tip off the 2024-25 campaign against Morehead State on Monday, Nov. 4, at the KFC Yum! Center, according to a signed contract between the two schools obtained via an open records request. The Eagles, who reached last season’s NCAA Tournament, will also have a new head coach making his debut — Jonathan Mattox.

Five days later, the Cards will host Tennessee on Saturday, Nov. 9, in the first leg of a home-and-home series spanning the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons. The Volunteers are coming off a run to the Elite Eight.

On Tuesday, Nov. 19, crosstown foe Bellarmine visits the Yum! Center for a third consecutive season, according to a contract obtained via an open records request. The Knights beat U of L in the first game of Payne’s tenure.

Three days later, Kelsey will take a trip down memory lane when the Cards face Winthrop, his first stop as a head coach, on Friday, Nov. 22, according to a contract obtained via an open records request. This will be the first meeting between the two programs, although Kelsey and the Eagles visited the Yum! Center in 2020-21 to compete against other opponents in the Wade Houston Tipoff Classic.

When Thanksgiving rolls around, Louisville will travel to the Bahamas to compete in the Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis, which runs Nov. 27-29, at the Atlantis Paradise Island resort. Matchups have not yet been announced, but the tournament field includes Arizona, Davidson, Gonzaga, Indiana, Oklahoma, Providence and West Virginia.

Upon returning home, a Dec. 3 game against Ole Miss at the Yum! Center awaits. It is part of the SEC/ACC Challenge and will be U of L’s first time facing the Rebels since 2008.

Another highlight on the schedule is the annual rivalry game against Kentucky. This year’s matchup will be the first meeting between Kelsey and new Wildcats head coach Mark Pope. According to an agreement between the schools’ athletics directors obtained by The Courier Journal, the game is set for Saturday, Dec. 14, at Rupp Arena. The Cards have lost five of the past six against UK and will go for their first win in Lexington since 2008.

Per a June 6 report from CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein, Louisville will host Eastern Kentucky on Dec. 28.

Louisville basketball’s 2024-25 ACC schedule

The ACC in February announced 2024-25 matchups for each team in the conference, which now includes California, SMU and Stanford.

Louisville drew the following ACC opponents for home-and-home series: Florida State, Pittsburgh and Virginia.

Its ACC home games will be against California, Clemson, Duke, Miami, North Carolina, Stanford and Wake Forest.

Its ACC road trips will be to Boston College, Georgia Tech, N.C. State, Notre Dame, SMU, Syracuse and Virginia Tech.

The 2025 ACC Tournament will be played March 11-15 at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The top 15 teams in the conference’s final regular-season standings will earn spots in the field.

This story will be updated as more opponents are revealed.

Reach Louisville men’s basketball reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville basketball schedule 2024-25: Path for Pat Kelsey in Year 1