Mark Pope: 'Blame Louisville' for matchup vs. Kentucky being so early in season

Last Wednesday, Kentucky men’s basketball announced that its annual rivalry game against Louisville will be on Nov. 11, 2025; the earliest in a season the rivalry game has ever been played. During an offseason press conference on Tuesday, Wildcats head coach Mark Pope shifted the blame for the oddly early date.

“I heard there was a push that people wanted it in December. Is that right?,” Pope said, per KSR’s Jacob Polacheck. “Blame Louisville for that.”

It’s been a lopsided affair in recent years. Since 2010, Kentucky is 14-3 against the Cardinals and has won the teams’ last three meetings. Most recently, the Wildcats defeated Louisville 93-85 in Rupp Arena on Dec. 14, 2024.

It was Mark Pope’s first win in the historic rivalry as Kentucky’s head coach. In his two years as a player at Kentucky, Pope went 1-1 against the Cardinals. While the in-state feud is still considered one of the best rivalries in college basketball, Louisville head coach Pat Kelsey knows the Cardinals need to do their part to keep the never-ending tug-of-war competitive.

“Rivalries are rivalries because one team wins sometimes and the other team wins sometimes. We (Louisville) got to start doing our part,” Kelsey said during an appearance on The Backyard Pod.

The showdown against Louisville is only another grueling non-conference game on Kentucky’s schedule. The Wildcats also already have announced games against Michigan State, Gonzaga and St. John’s, along with a preseason exhibition against Purdue.

Kentucky and Louisville are each expected to be one of the top teams in the country next season. The Wildcats have the No. 2 class in On3’s 2025 Team Transfer Portal Rankings, and are adding star freshmen Jasper Johnson and Malachi Moreno.

Louisville’s been successful in the transfer portal as well this offseason, hauling in three of the top available guards in the country. To pile on, Louisville is returning J’Vonne Hadley and Kasean Pryor, who each averaged just over 12 points per game last season.

The Wildcats finished last season with a 24-12 record while Louisville posted a 27-8 mark. Alas, the Cardinals’ superior record didn’t help them in the NCAA Tournament when they fell to Creighton in the first round. Kentucky lost to Tennessee in the Sweet Sixteen.

Fans should expect this year’s meeting between the two storied programs to be one of the most highly-anticipated non-conference showdowns of the year. Kentucky will travel to Louisville and play in the KFC Yum! Center this year.