2015-16 University of Louisville Men's Basketball Schedule

[Cardiotonic]

Jeff Greer 5:29 p.m. EDT September 2, 2015



Oct. 3 - Red-White scrimmage

Oct. 17 - Red-White scrimmage

Nov. 1 - Bellarmine

Nov. 9 - Kentucky Wesleyan

Regular season

Nov. 13 - Samford

Nov. 17 - Hartford (Brooklyn Hoops Classic)

Nov. 21 - North Florida (Brooklyn Hoops Classic)

Nov. 24 - St. Francis (NY) (Brooklyn Hoops Classic)

Nov. 28 - Saint Louis (Barclays Center, Brooklyn), 8 p.m.

Dec. 2 - at Michigan State (Big Ten/ACC Challenge), 7:15 p.m., ESPN

Dec. 5 - Grand Canyon

Dec. 12 - Eastern Michigan

Dec. 16 - Kennesaw State, 7 p.m., ESPNU

Dec. 19 - Western Kentucky, 12 p.m., ESPNU

Dec. 22 - UMKC (Billy Minardi Classic)

Dec. 23 - Utah Valley (Billy Minardi Classic), 7 p.m., ESPNU

Dec. 26 - at Kentucky, 12 p.m., CBS

Jan. 3 - Wake Forest, 8 p.m., ESPNU

Jan. 7 - at NC State, 7 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2

Jan. 10 - at Clemson

Jan. 14 - Pittsburgh, 9 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2

Jan. 20 - Florida State, 9 p.m., ESPNU

Jan. 23 - at Georgia Tech, 4 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2

Jan. 27 - at Virginia Tech

Jan. 30 - Virginia, 1 p.m., CBS

Feb. 1 - North Carolina, 7 p.m., ESPN

Feb. 6 - Boston College

Feb. 8 - at Duke, 7 p.m., ESPN

Feb. 13 - at Notre Dame, 4 or 9 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2

Feb. 17 - Syracuse, 7 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2

Feb. 20 - Duke, 12 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2

Feb. 24 - at Pittsburgh

Feb. 27 - at Miami

March 1 - Georgia Tech

March 5 - at Virginia, ESPN/ESPN2



If the University of Louisville basketball team wants to finish as strong as it has in previous seasons, it'll have to do so against a gauntlet of the ACC's best teams in February and March.
U of L released its full 2015-16 schedule on Wednesday, and in addition to difficult nonconference road games at Michigan State and Kentucky, the Cardinals must navigate a conference stretch from Jan. 30 to March 5 that includes two games each against Duke and Virginia, home games against North Carolina and Syracuse and road trips to Notre Dame, Miami and Pittsburgh.

In all, at least 17 of Louisville's 31 games are set to be broadcast on national television, with several more likely to get that billing, too.

"We realize that, with almost a new team, we have our work cut out for us, but that’s the excitement of this type of schedule," said U of L coach Rick Pitino in a prepared statement. "We have to get ready early and we know from our summer trip what we need to work on. Our freshmen are going to have to develop early, and we feel they have the ability to do so. We’re very excited about our schedule and look forward to the challenge."

The early part of the schedule reflects how the coaching staff felt about its team before this summer's additions of graduate transfers Damion Lee and Trey Lewis. Louisville lost its top four scorers from last season and 82.5 percent of its scoring. The Cards have 11 freshmen and sophomores on their 2015-16 roster and seven newcomers.

On several occasions, Pitino said he was concerned about having a "rebuilding" year, but getting a top-10 signing class and Lee and Lewis, two of the top fifth-year players available, gave him new confidence that his team could be primed for a late-season run.

Louisville's week-long exhibition series in Puerto Rico reinforced his belief, even with five losses in seven games. The Cards, Pitino said in August, discovered their strengths and weaknesses as individuals and as a team.

They returned home on Aug. 17 and returned to school a week later. They've since begun individual workouts, and team practices start in October. Louisville's intrasquad Red-White scrimmages are set for Oct. 3 and 17.

Exhibitions against Bellarmine (Nov. 1) and Kentucky Wesleyan (Nov. 9) are set for the KFC Yum! Center, followed by the Nov. 13 season opener against Samford, which is coached by Pitino's former UK player, Scott Padgett.

Saint Louis (Nov. 28 in Brooklyn), at Michigan State (Dec. 2), WKU (Dec. 19) and at Kentucky (Dec. 26) are the most intriguing nonconference games for the Cards, who play 10 non-league games at home, two on the road and one at a neutral site.

Their ACC opener is set for 8 p.m., Jan. 3, at the Yum! Center against Wake Forest. That game, a repeat of last year's league opener for the Cards, will be carried by ESPNU.

Four days later, on Jan. 7, Louisville will play at NC State in its first conference road game. The 7 p.m. matchup will be broadcast by ESPN or ESPN2, and it pits the Cards against the team they beat in the Sweet 16 last season. Beyond that story line, NC State signed coveted wing Maverick Rowan this summer. Rowan was long considered U of L-bound, but he spurned the Cards after he reclassified to the 2015 class.

The most challenging stretch of Louisville's schedule comes three weeks later, when the Cards play Virginia, UNC, at Duke, at Notre Dame, Syracuse and Duke again in a 21-day span. Boston College, which is expected to struggle this season, is also in that run of games.

The road game at Duke will be the first time Pitino has ever coached, or even visited, the Blue Devils' famous Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Louisville then plays at Pittsburgh, at Miami, home vs. Georgia Tech and at Virginia in the regular-season finale.

If the early predictions about the ACC's power are accurate, that run could include nine games against NCAA tournament-quality teams over five weeks, including three against serious Final Four contenders, Duke, UNC and Virginia, in 10 days.

The ACC tournament tips off in Washington, D.C., on March 8, with the title game set for March 12 at the Verizon Center.

 

[Cue Card]

The OOC schedule is weak sauce but that conference schedule is brutal. I guess we now better understand why the OOC schedule is so weak.

 

[Cardiotonic]

The schedule except for Mich. St. (Dec.2), WKU (Dec.19) and maybe St. Louis ( the Barclays Center in Brooklyn Nov.28) is pretty soft until after the first of the year when we begin conference play with Wake Forest (Jan.3).

 

[Cats Gone Wild]

February is going to be an absolute beast for the Cards this year. Good news is Rick always has his teams clicking that deep into the season.

 

[Blue Power Cat]

Very weak schedule overall. The conference makes up for it a little bit but not much.

 

[Cue Card]

Very weak schedule overall. The conference makes up for it a little bit but not much.

Not overall. Just the majority of the non conference schedule is weak. The conference schedule makes up for it though. The exact opposite will hold true for UofK. The OOC schedule will be better than UofL's, but UofK's conference schedule will be weak sauce as usual.

 

[Cats Gone Wild]

Tom Jurich is calling this the year of the fan and rewarding the loyal fans from the smartest fan base in college basketball with a wonderful non-conference schedule loaded with intriguing Match ups.

 

[Bardman]

The OOC schedule is weak sauce but that conference schedule is brutal. I guess we now better understand why the OOC schedule is so weak.

Michigan St., UK, WKU, St. Louis. Then St Francis and N Florida I believe we're both in the tourney last year.

 

[Cardiotonic]

Tom Jurich is calling this the year of the fan and rewarding the loyal fans from the smartest fan base in college basketball with a wonderful non-conference schedule loaded with intriguing Match ups.

"Michigan St., UK, WKU, St. Louis. Then St Francis and N Florida I believe were both in the tourney last year." ( Bardman )

 

[Cardiotonic]

Tom Jurich is calling this the year of the fan and rewarding the loyal fans from the smartest fan base in college basketball with a wonderful non-conference schedule loaded with intriguing Match ups.

Much unlike the great job (what's his name?) the AD is doing at uk with rupp "run down" arena, "buy a ticket sit on a number on a concrete bench" commonwealth football field . To say nothing about uk's OOC football schedule and then the almighty SEC basketball schedule..... Yeah great job ("what's his name") uk AD, great job !! LOL

 

[Omega22]

The schedule is strong thanks to two matches with Duke and a game with unc. Also playing at Michigan state helps out strength of schedule as well.
I think Louisville beats them all. Also the cards will beat UK easily and send them to the NIT! Our backcourt owns their backcourt easily!

 

[Cardiotonic]

Michigan St., UK, WKU, St. Louis. Then St Francis and N Florida I believe we're both in the tourney last year.

Correct

 

[zipp]

Very weak schedule overall. The conference makes up for it a little bit but not much.

This from a fan of a team that plays an SEZ basketball schedule every year.

"Elite program", my a$$...

 

[zipp]

Tom Jurich is calling this the year of the fan and rewarding the loyal fans from the smartest fan base in college basketball with a wonderful non-conference schedule loaded with intriguing Match ups.

LPT finished with ONE opponent ranked in the Sagarin Top Ten last year. That's in AND out of conference.

Now, what has Jurich done?

"Elite program", my a$$...

 

[Blue Power Cat]

This from a fan of a team that plays an SEZ basketball schedule every year.

"Elite program", my a$$...

SEC is getting stronger and stronger every year....better coaches...better players...better teams. SEC has had more recent Champs than the Big 10 or Big 12 lately. SEC might be a little behind ACC but that still doesn't excuse the chump ooc sched that ul has this season does it??

 

[Cardiotonic]

SEC is getting stronger and stronger every year....better coaches...better players...better teams. SEC has had more recent Champs than the Big 10 or Big 12 lately. SEC might be a little behind ACC but that still doesn't excuse the chump ooc sched that ul has this season does it??

A little behind the ACC ? LOL The "chump schedule" is SEC basketball.