MEMPHIS, Tenn — The Louisville Cardinals are hungry to get back on the floor with the Memphis Tigers, according to members of the Louisville basketball staff.
Memphis and Louisville have not faced off against each other since 2017, when U of L beat Memphis 81-72, but the two teams have played each other 86 times. It's tied with Cincinnati for the most games Memphis has played with another opponent and the Tigers lead the all-time series 36-50, according to Sports Reference College Basketball. The two programs were conference foes in the Metro, Missouri Valley and Conference USA and American Athletic conferences.
The Cardinals hired Pat Kelsey as their next head coach in March. One of Kelsey's assistants, Brian Kloman suggests that Louisville is trying hard to renew the rivalry. Tuesday night, Kloman appeared in a Spaces discussion with X user Cardinal Companion and teased that a matchup could be coming in the future.
"(Athletic Director) Josh (Heird) and I are both working heavy on that game — starting a series with those guys for next year. No promises, but we are working towards it, for sure. We won't be the ones to back down. I promise you that."
Kloman said that a new series would go back and forth for four years and begin in 2025-2026. Penny Hardaway has welcomed renewing old rivalries before. He mentioned Louisville specifically in 2022 when the Cardinals were led by Kenny Payne.
The Tigers had great success against the Atlantic Coast Conference, where Louisville plays, in 2023-2024. They beat Clemson, 79-77, and Virginia, 77-54, in back-to-back games.