Kenny Payne Louisville vs. Wake Forest 1-7-2023 Photo by William Caudill, TheCrunchZone.com

Red/White Scrimmage Wednesday 10/11 at Yum! Center

Mark BlankenbakerOctober 10, 2023

As the University of Louisville men’s basketball team approaches its 2023-24 season, fans will get their first look at this year’s roster Wednesday night in the annual Red and White Scrimmage at 7 p.m. ET at the KFC Yum! Center.

In addition to seeing the Cardinals in action on the court, the evening will also feature player introductions pregame and an autograph session with the players at the conclusion of the scrimmage.

Tickets, priced at $10 each for lower-level seating, are available here: https://uofl.me/3Zm8aWT. Tickets will also be available for purchase at the box office when doors open at the KFC Yum! Center at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

UofL head coach Kenny Payne said Monday that a crucial part of his evaluation of this year’s squad is whether or not they “pass the eye test” for Louisville fans and other spectators.

“I want the people that see them play for the first time to say, ‘Wow, this is totally different. They are connected, they are one, they are fighting, they are competitive,’ ” Payne said. “Doesn’t mean they win every game. They’re going to have highs and lows, but there should a connectedness with this group that jumps off after what we went through last year.”

Payne and the Cardinals welcome eight newcomers to the roster this season after signing a recruiting class ranked as high as No. 6 in the nation.

Those new additions include three Division I transfers in Skyy Clark (Illinois), Danilo Jovanovich (Miami) and Tre White (USC). The trio played for programs last year that went a combined 71-32 and all reached the NCAA Tournament.

UofL’s other new pieces include junior college transfer Koron Davis, as well as incoming freshmen Dennis Evans, Kaleb Glenn, Ty-Laur Johnson and Curtis Williams.

The Cardinals also have seven returning players, led by redshirt sophomore Mike James, the team’s leading returning scorer at 10.1 points per game in 2022-23.

Senior JJ Traynor is back for a fourth season in The Ville after taking a significant leap in production as a junior, as is junior Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, the team’s leading returning rebounder. They’re joined by seniors Zan Payne and Aidan McCool, junior Hercy Miller and sophomore Emmanuel Okorafor.

“We have a collective group of guys where there’s not a big jump from one to the other,” Payne said. “So the competition to get on the floor is going to be different. No one person can say, ‘If I don’t play, we’re losing.’ We can win with different styles, different players on the court. If a guy decides to not play hard and not bring it, another guy will come in and take over for him.”

Following Wednesday’s Red and White Scrimmage, the Cardinals will play their first exhibition game of the season against Simmons College on Oct. 18. They’ll officially open the regular season at home against UMBC on Nov. 6.

Season tickets and mini plans are now available for the 2023-24 Louisville Men’s Basketball season at GoCards.com/MBBtickets.