The Kansas basketball team will kick off the 2025-26 season Friday with the first of two exhibitions. The Jayhawks will travel to play the Louisville Cardinals on the road in what is sure to be an exciting preseason matchup.
Louisville is ranked 11th in the AP preseason poll while the Jayhawks are 19th. Of course, these early polls are somewhat meaningless, but it does give an indication of where the expectations might be for each team. Both are expected to be good teams, so this should be a fun game.
Kansas has played a road exhibition against top competition in each of the last two seasons. In 2023, KU lost to Illinois, and last year, they fell to Arkansas, though that game was played without an injured Hunter Dickinson.
While exhibition games carry no weight on the season, they are a great way to allow the coaches to see where their teams might be against quality opponents. While KU’s usual exhibitions against Washburn, Pittsburg State, Fort Hays State, and Emporia State all can provide some insight into their teams, the stark difference in talent level doesn’t give a full picture of a team’s preseason progress.
Playing a practice game like this one against Louisville will better prepare the Jayhawks for their brutal upcoming non-conference schedule against schools like Duke, North Carolina, UConn, Missouri, Syracuse, Notre Dame, and North Carolina State.
Kansas vs Louisville exhibition: When and where
The exhibition game will take place at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky, on Friday, October 24, at 6:30 p.m. CDT. It will be played as a full-length, 40-minute game.
Kansas vs Louisville exhibition: Where to watch or stream
This preseason exhibition between the Kansas Jayhawks and the Louisville Cardinals will be aired on the ACC Network. It can be streamed on FuboTV with a subscription.
Kansas vs Lousiville exhibition: Betting odds
Since this is an exhibition game, lines and odds are provided.
Look for how each team competes in this matchup, but do not put too much stock in the results. The coaches will be working on very specific things, and they won’t be focused on winning the game as much as how the players perform in specific situations.
Consider this a tasty appetizer before the main course!
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