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The college basketball season is almost upon us and the Louisville men's and women's teams will kick off the start of the 2024-25 season with the revival of their popular tipping event, Louisville Live.

These are exciting times for both teams. On the men's side, new head coach Pat Kelsey has breathed new life into a program that went 12-52 during Kenny Payne's disastrous two-year tenure. On the women's side, coach Jeff Walz leads the way with a top-10 high school recruiting class and a core group of returnees poised to improve from last season's first-round exit from the NCAA Tournament the 18th grade at the top.

Both teams begin their new seasons on November 4th – exactly one month after Louisville Live. The men host Morehead State and the women travel to Paris to face UCLA in the Aflac Oui-Play event.

Ready for some roundball? Here's what you need to know about Louisville Live:

Louisville Live begins Friday at 8 p.m. with hosts Bruce Dougherty and Ari Waller.

On the program: performances by both teams, an intra-team three-on-three competition, a 3-point shootout and a dunk competition.

The KFC Yum! The center is hosting Louisville Live for the first time. Doors open on Friday at 7 p.m.

“Every time you go in there and look around and see those 22,000 seats, it’s impressive,” Kelsey said Monday. “Obviously the vision is to have the back ends sitting in all of those seats – to create one of the best atmospheres in college basketball. If it's true, that's it; and it will be great to get that energy on Friday.”

Before the Yum! The center will open its doors, there will be activities on the plaza in front of the arena, including giveaways while supplies last, and a pep rally on the block of Washington Street between First and Second streets. The block will be closed to vehicle traffic around 5 p.m

Previously, Louisville Live took place at Fourth Street Live! (2018-19), Churchill Downs (2021) and Louisville Slugger Field (2022).

All Louisville Live tickets are general admission, seat-only tickets. They cost $15 – or $10 for men’s and/or women’s basketball season ticket holders.

To purchase tickets, click here.

U of L students have free admission.

Louisville Live will not be televised or broadcast on live streaming platforms.

Kelsey built his first Louisville squad from the ground up. Every scholarship player from Payne's last team entered the NCAA transfer portal after his fall.

Kelsey has said several times since taking office that the key to success in college today is to “get old and stay old.” That explains why he signed 12 transfers – eight entering their final year of eligibility; two are taking medical redshirts this season – and only one is a player from the high school ranks.

Combined, the players set to play for the Cardinals in 2024-25 have already logged 19,989 Division I minutes. According to statistician Kelly Dickey, this is the most experienced U of L team in this regard since the program began tracking stats full-time in 1977. Kelsey will be available for games against Tennessee, Indiana, Ole Miss, Duke and Kentucky in the first two months of the season.

We got a look at all of Louisville's new faces during a dominant two-game exhibition tour in the Bahamas over the summer, but here's another look at the roster. Click on a player's name to learn more about them:

Louisville's staff for the 2024-25 season will be the exact opposite of what it was a year ago. While Walz drafted older players into the portal for the 24-10 team last year, eight of this season's 15 players are true freshmen – in addition to redshirt freshman Eseosa Imafidon and sophomore Elif Istanbulluoglu.

It is one of the youngest squads Walz has had since the 2010-11 season. The team featured six freshmen, including guard Shoni Schimmel. That year, the Cards posted a 23-13 record and reached the Sweet 16. Two years later, the group was instrumental in leading a magical run to the national championship game.

U of L has a long way to go before considering the NCAA Tournament this year. The non-conference schedule features four teams that made ESPN's top 25 way too early – UConn (No. 3), UCLA (No. 5), Oklahoma (No. 13) and Kentucky (No. 25). ). Walz made the roster to prepare the young Cards for what lies ahead in the ACC, which has expanded to include a program that has won multiple national championships at Stanford as well as at SMU and California.

Walz also went to the portal to improve the team's defense, signing Miami transfer Ja'Leah Williams, who he called one of the best defenders in the conference. Despite all the newcomers Louisville has, it returns a solid group of veterans who are expected to help the younger players quickly adjust to the college level.

Here's a look at the 2024-25 roster. Click on a player's name to find out more about them:

Reach Louisville men's basketball reporter Brooks Holton at [email protected] and follow him on X at @brooksHolton. Reach Louisville football, women's basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at [email protected] and follow her on X at @Alexis_Cubit.

On By John Fenwick

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