Louisville men’s basketball non-conference schedule released for 2023-24

Though it had unofficially been making the rounds for weeks, the Louisville men’s basketball program officially released its 2023- 24 non-conference schedule on Thursday afternoon.

Here’s what it looks like:

Quick thoughts:

—No Lenoir-Rhyne is probably a smart move, but if the game against Simmons is remotely competitive it will be a huge red flag Chris Mack’s first Cardinal team beat the Falcons by 50, and it could have been way worse.

—The games against non-power conference teams are really bad non-power conference teams, which is also probably smart. Playing those teams is bad for your computer rankings, but let’s be real, we’re trying to stack wins in November and December this year.

—Final Ken Pom ratings from last year for these opponents:

UMBC: #252

Chattanooga: #184

Coppin State: #338

Texas: #5

New Mexico State: #187 (canceled its season)

Bellarmine: #262

DePaul: #135

Arkansas State: #287

Pepperdine: #188

Kentucky: #27

—If Louisville is going to overachieve in a manner that makes all of us happy this season, there definitely should not be more than four non-conference losses this season. If they’re going to be anything resembling a legitimate threat to make the NCAA tournament, there shouldn’t be more than three.

—Please beat DePaul.