MBB: Cards Set To Open 2026 at Stanford

Mark BlankenbakerJanuary 1, 2026

Louisville men’s basketball will seek to stay undefeated all-time against Stanford when it takes on the Cardinal in Maples Pavilion at 8 p.m. ET on Friday evening. The game will be broadcast on ACC Network.

The Cardinals opened ACC play with a 90-70 victory at California on Tuesday night. Stanford fell to Notre Dame 47-40 on the same evening to start off their league slate.

Louisville is an undefeated 4-0 all-time against Stanford, including two back-to-back wins over the Cardinal in Pat Kelsey’s inaugural year as UofL’s head coach. The two teams have never met in California.

With a win, it would be the first time Louisville has started 2-0 in conference play since 2021-22. It would also be Kelsey’s 300th career victory as a head coach.

CARDINAL NOTES

Louisville head coach Pat Kelsey is 168-63 all-time in conference play as a head coach. Kelsey is 79-38 in road league games.
Louisville is one of five DI teams with at least four victories of 40 points or more this season, joining Michigan, Illinois, Kentucky and High Point.
The late great Junior Bridgeman is the sixth player in Louisville men’s basketball history to have their jersey number retired.
Against Memphis on Dec. 13, Louisville had four different players with at least 3FG apiece for the first time since Nov. 22, 2010 when the Cards played Chattanooga. It was the second time in program history that six different players made at least 2FG, the first time being at WKU on Dec. 22, 2010.
Senior guard Ryan Conwell is the only DI men’s basketball player since at least 2010-11 to log at least 32 points, nine rebounds and six assists in 24 minutes or less, according to Sports Reference. He notched that stat line against NJIT on Nov. 26.
Louisville has had four games of at least 24 assists, the first time since 2010-11 that the program has had multiple games of 24+ assists; the Cardinals had five games of at 24+ assists that season.
Louisville is 38-0 under Kelsey when leading with five minutes to play.
A pair of Cardinals represent Louisville on the Naismith Trophy Player of the Year Watch List, Oscar Robertson Trophy Preseason Watch List and the Wooden Award Preseason Watch List; both Ryan Conwell and Mikel Brown Jr. were named to the esteemed lists. Conwell is also on the Lute Olsen Early Season List.
Louisville netted 20 3-pointers against NJIT on Nov. 26, the second-most made 3’s in a single game in program history. It’s just the second time ever the Cardinals have made at least 20 3’s in a game. UofL was the third team in DI this season to make at least 20 3-pointers against another DI team.
Freshman guard Mikel Brown Jr. was named to the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award Preseason Watch List while senior guard Ryan Conwell was named the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award Preseason Watch List.
There were 14 players returning to DI this season that had made at least 175 3-pointers with a career 3-point field goal percentage of 38% or more; Ryan Conwell and Isaac McKneely are two of those 14.