Thanks to an open records request from the Courier Journal’s Brooks Holton, we now know who the Louisville men’s basketball team will be facing during the first week of the 2026-27 season.
Pat Kelsey’s Cardinals will kick off the season on Monday, Nov. 2 with a home game against Chattanooga. Then, on Saturday, Nov. 7, U of L will host Morehead State. Both visitors will be paid $100,000 for their games.
Traditionally one of the better programs in the Southern Conference, Chattanooga is coming off of a disappointing
13-19 campaign in which it went 7-11 in league play and lost in the first round of the SoCon Tournament. Fifth-year head coach Dan Earl lost leading scorer Jordan Frison to the transfer portal and second-leading scorer Brennan Watkins to graduation, but returns guard Tate Darner who averaged 9.9 points and 4.4 rebounds per game in a promising freshman season.
Morehead State won 20 games last season and shared the Ohio Valley Conference’s regular season championship. Second-year head coach Jonathan Mattox saw his team get upset by eventual league champion Tennessee State in the OVC Tournament semifinals. Seven players from that team have hit the transfer portal, leaving junior guard Chase Dawson (8.3 ppg) as the team’s leading returning scorer.
With this news now known, here’s how Louisville’s non-conference schedule looks at the moment:
Nov. 2 — vs. Chattanooga
Nov. 7 — vs. Morehead State
Nov. 24 — vs. Texas Tech (Players Era Festival)
Nov. 26 — vs. St. John’s/Oregon (Players Era Festival)
Nov. 27 — vs. TBA (Players Era Festival)
Nov. 28 (Potentially) — Players Era Festival Championship Game
Dec. 1 — vs. Texas
Dec. 12 — At Kentucky
TBA — At Memphis State
TBA — vs. Cincinnati (at Freedom Hall)
TBA — vs. Baylor (Neutral Site)
