No. 11 Louisville will wrap up its preseason schedule on Wednesday, October 28, hosting Mercyhurst at the KFC Yum! Center with tip-off set for 7:00 p.m. ET, broadcasting live on the ACC Network Extra.
Cardinals Eyeing Final Tune-Up After Kansas Victory
Head coach Pat Kelsey’s squad enters the matchup following an 89-83 exhibition win at No. 17 Kansas. In that test, Jackson Shelstad paced the Louisville offense with 23 points, while freshman Obinna Ekezie chipped in 16 points. Wednesday night gives the Cardinals one last chance to iron out rotation details before regular-season action tips off.
The Cardinals sit at No. 11 in the AP Poll, No. 17 in KenPom, No. 19 in the NET rankings, and No. 9 according to Torvik metrics. Meanwhile, Mercyhurst arrives in Louisville unranked by the AP, holding a KenPom rating of 311, a NET ranking of 274, and a Torvik spot at 286.
Mercyhurst Brings a Slow-Down Style to Louisville
Transitioning smoothly to Division I ahead of the 2024 season, Mercyhurst is already making noise in its new conference home. After posting a 17-17 record last year, the program was picked to finish second in the 2026-27 NEC Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll, earning recognition for junior guard Jake Lemelman and senior guard/forward Tennessee Rainwater on the Preseason All-NEC Team.
UofL associate head coach Sean Dixon broke down the tactical challenge during a Monday press conference.
They play a different style that’s going to test you defensively, your defensive concepts and how you guard, and they do it for the extent of the possession. So you’re going to have to stay disciplined throughout every possession for 30 seconds. They definitely test you with how they play your defensive principles for 30 seconds each time down the court.
That deliberate pace forces defenses to stay locked in long past the typical collegiate breakdown point.
Cardinals Guards Earn Preseason Accolades
Individual accolades continue to stack up for the Cardinals’ backcourt. Senior guard Jackson Shelstad secured a spot on the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Preseason Watch List, while fifth-year guard Seth Trimble was named to the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Preseason Watch List.
Beyond individual awards, Kelsey manages a remarkably diverse locker room. The roster features players hailing from six different states—Kentucky, Florida, Wisconsin, Oregon, Alabama, and North Carolina—alongside five different countries, including the United States, the Democratic Republic of Congo, China, Nigeria, and Spain. That geographic spread puts Louisville among just 29 Division I programs boasting five or more nationalities on a single roster.
How to Follow the Action
Fans looking to track the game on Wednesday evening have multiple ways to tune in. Kent Taylor will handle play-by-play duties alongside analyst Larry O’Bannon on the ACCNX broadcast stream. On the radio side, Nick Curran and Bob Valvano will call the action live over the Louisville Radio Network, anchored locally by 93.9 FM.
Once the final buzzer sounds at the KFC Yum! Center, the calendar flips quickly. Louisville opens its regular season against Chattanooga on Monday, November 2. Mercyhurst travels north to face Marquette on the exact same date to kick off its own regular-season campaign.
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