Longtime men’s basketball foes Louisville and Cincinnati will clash in The Hoops Classic in partnership with CareSource, a two-year, neutral-site series beginning with a Friday, Nov. 21 matchup at Heritage Bank Center in downtown Cincinnati. Both schools along with veteran event promoter, bdG Sports, announced the series Thursday. The second game will take place at Freedom Hall in Louisville during the 2026-27 campaign, marking the Cardinals’ first return to the venue since they moved to the KFC Yum! Center.

 

Start time and television information for the 2025-26 meeting will be announced later.

 

The atmosphere inside Heritage Bank Center will be electric with the two fan bases well represented within the neutral site arena. Tickets go on sale to the public starting Thursday, Aug. 28 at 10 a.m. ET, at HeritageBankCenter.com, Ticketmaster.com or through the Ticketmaster app.

 

Louisville and Cincinnati have met on the hardwood 100 times in series history with the Cardinals owning a 56-44 advantage. The teams have split the last 10 meetings, with UC earning an 81-62 victory in the last matchup at the 2022 Maui Invitational.

 

Dating back to 1921, the rivalry is the longest in program history for Louisville and second-longest for Cincinnati, behind only a 132-game series with Miami (Ohio). Through the years, the schools were league rivals during stints in the Missouri Valley Conference, Metro Conference, Conference USA, Big East Conference and the American Athletic Conference.

 

“Adding a neutral-site game against Cincinnati was just another great piece in our scheduling puzzle,” said Louisville head coach and Cincinnati native Pat Kelsey. “There is great history between our two programs as we were rivals for many years. I sense the fan bases on both sides are excited. I grew up going to the Riverfront Coliseum which is now Heritage Bank Center. In fact, it was the first place that I saw Coach Crum’s Louisville Cardinals play live – I’m excited to coach the 2025-26 edition of the Cards in the same venue.” 

 

Louisville should enter the 2025-26 campaign ranked among the nation’s Top 15 teams, according to many preseason listings. Newcomers for Kelsey’s second squad include portal additions Isaac McKneely (Virginia), Ryan Conwell (Xavier) and Adrian Wooley (Kennesaw State) along with highly touted freshmen Mikel Brown and Sananda Fru. The Cardinals continue to build momentum after a rebirth a year ago that saw the program advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019. Louisville posted a 27-8 overall mark while tying for second place in the Atlantic Coast Conference at 18-2.

 

“We’re excited to renew our historic rivalry with Louisville at Heritage Bank Center,” UC head coach Wes Miller said. “It’s a great early season test against a tough opponent, and I know our fans will create an incredible environment. We’ve put together a challenging non-conference schedule to help us grow as a team, and this is another opportunity to compete at a high level and prepare us for Big 12 play.”

 

Miller gathered a Top 20 class through the portal this offseason for Cincinnati, including Moustapha Thiam (UCF), Jalen Celestine (Baylor), Kerr Kriisa (Kentucky), Sencire Harris (West Virginia) and standout incoming freshmen Shon Abaev and Keyshuan Tillery. Those newcomers join returning guard Day Day Thomas. The Bearcats have sights set on their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2019, after back-to-back NIT appearances and a showing in the College Basketball Crown over the past three seasons.  

 

Cincinnati has played a game at Heritage Bank Center each of the past two seasons, taking on in-state rival Dayton in the “Hoops Classic.” The Flyers won the 2023 meeting, 82-66, before the Bearcats earned a 66-59 victory in a matchup of Top 25 teams last season.

 

As part of their support for the game, CareSource will host a donation drive benefiting a local nonprofit organization. Fans will be encouraged to bring items to the game for a chance to win prizes. Additional details will be announced soon. This initiative reflects CareSource’s ongoing commitment to the communities it serves. Each year, CareSource and its employees support over 470 community-based organizations focused on crucial areas such as food security, access to healthcare, maternal and infant health, housing and mental health.