For the first time in the 2023-24 season, the No. 19 Texas Longhorns are set to face a Power Five opponent with Sunday’s matchup against the Louisville Cardinals at Madison Square Garden in the Saatva Empire Classic, the first of two games for the Longhorns in the Big Apple.
While Texas is off to a solid start with three double-digit wins to open the season, the Louisville season started in crisis mode under second-year head coach Kenny Payne after the Cardinals went 4-28 last season, the program’s worst record in modern history. In preparation for the current campaign, Louisville played an exhibition game against Division II Kentucky Wesleyan and lost 71-68 after shooting 34 percent from the field.