Louisville Cardinals forward Sananda Fru (13) slams down two points in the second half as the Cards roll past South Carolina State 104-45 at the KFC Yum! Center Monday night, Nov. 3, 2025. Matt Stone/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Preview: Louisville's Rivalry Matchup vs. Cincinnati

Originally posted on Louisville Cardinals on SI
By Matthew McGavic | Last updated Nov 20, 2025 2:00 PM ET

10 days removed from taking down arch rival Kentucky, the Louisville men's basketball will have the opportunity to knock off another long time rival, as they will take on Cincinnati in a neutral-court showdown.

Year two under head coach Pat Kelsey has gotten off to a rousing start, as the Cardinals are 4-0 for the first time since the 2019-20 season. They opened up the year with a pair of beatdowns over South Carolina State and Jackson State, then proceeded to snap a three-game losing streak against the Wildcats with a convincing 96-88 win. UofL most recently faced Ohio, earning a 106-81 victory.

Several players are off to electric starts to the new hoops season. True freshman point guard Mikel Brown Jr. is averaging 19.3 points and 6.8 assists, while Xavier transfer shooting guard Ryan Conwell is putting up 19.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.

As for the Bearcats, they are also off to a 4-0 start in year five under head coach Wes Miller. They have blowouts over Western Carolina, Georgia State and Mount St. Mary's, as well as a solid win over in-state foe Dayton. Per KenPom, UC has the No. 2 defense in all of college basketball.

Former FSU and FAU forward Baba Miller is off to a red-hot start to the season for Cincinnati, averaging 15.8 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. Three additional players for Cincy are also averaging double figures scoring.

This will be the 101st all-time meeting between the two former longtime conference rivals, with the Cardinals holding a 56-44 edge. However, the Bearcats won the last matchup: an 81-62 decision on Nov. 23, 2022 in the Maui Invitational. UofL will be looking for their first win over UC since the meeting prior to last - a 58-57 victory on Feb. 22, 2013 at Fifth Third Arena.

It also marks the first leg of a two-year neutral site series with Cincinnati. The "return trip" for the 2026-27 season will be held at Freedom Hall at a to-be-determined date.

Cincinnati Bearcats (4-0, 0-0 Big 12) vs. No. 6 Louisville Cardinals (4-0, 0-0 ACC)

Date/Time: Friday, Nov. 21 at 6:30 p.m. EST
Place: Heritage Bank Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.
TV: ESPNU - Play-by-play and analyst TBD.
Channel (Louisville)/Live Stream: Spectrum: 514; Dish: 141; DirecTV: 208.
Radio (Louisville): 93.9 FM - Paul Rogers (play-by-play) and Bob Valvano (analyst).