It’s been a long time since we saw the Louisville Cardinals on the floor. Returning after a gap of more than a week, they are vying to make history. The program hasn’t won a road game against an SEC member since beating archrival Kentucky in 2008, at Rupp Arena. Now, they face Arkansas at the Bud Walton Arena. Incidentally, John Calipari will now prepare to beat his favourite opponent. As a Kentucky coach, he went 13-3 against Louisville across his 15 seasons. Despite that record, he enters this game as the underdog. Let’s look at how both teams fare ahead of the ACC/SEC Challenge.

How to watch Arkansas Vs Louisville?

Date: Wednesday, December 3, 2025.​

Time: 6:00 p.m. CT / 7:00 p.m. ET 

Venue: Bud Walton Arena, Fayetteville, Arkansas.​

TV: ESPN.​

Streaming: ESPN app, YouTube TV, DirecTV, Fubo

Arkansas Vs Louisville: Injury Report

Louisville’s Kasean Pryor missed his second consecutive game, sitting out of their 104-47 win over NJIT. “He seems like he’s doing well and recovering well,”  Pat Kelsey said at the time. “I don’t have an update on where he’s at right now. We’re hoping (he returns) soon.” It’s been a week off for the team, so he is questionable for this Arkansas matchup. The team has no further injuries. On the other hand, Arkansas has its entire squad fit with no reported injuries yet. 

Arkansas Vs Louisville: Projected Line-Ups

Arkansas

Darius Acuff 

Trevon Brazile

DJ Wagner 

Karter Knox

Nick Pringle

Louisville

Ryan Conwell 

Mikel Brown Jr. 

Isaac McKneely 

Sananda Fru 

J’Vonne Hadley 

Arkansas Vs Louisville: Preview And Prediction

Arkansas will need to shrug off its jitters. John Calipari’s side is coming off an 80-71 loss to No. 4 Duke on Thanksgiving at the United Center in Chicago. They led 60-53 with 9:34 to play in regulation, but failed to close the game against a top team. Louisville is arguably as good an opponent as Duke, coming into this game as the 9th best team in the country according to KenPom. They have the second-best offense, scoring 125.9 points per 100 possessions (per KenPom adjusted metric). Let’s look at how the two teams fare head-to-head. 

Stat Comparison:

Even if the on-paper comparison seems lopsided, this could be a better match-up for Arkansas than their previous two losses. Both Michigan State and Duke beat Calipari with their power-packed front court. Freshman forward Cam Ward made eight of his 13 shots from the field for 18 points with 10 rebounds. 

Coen Carr totaled up 15 points and 7 rebounds with three assists. Michigan State shot 41% from the field and made just one of its 14 three-point attempts. Against Duke, it was Cam Boozer dominating around the rim with 35 points and 9 rebounds. On the other hand, Louisville has all its 3 top scorers as guards.

Namely Ryan Conwell (20.1 points/game ), Mikel Brown Jr. (17 points), and Isaac McKneely (12.3 points). While they are among the top board crashers, it’s more of a team effort, as no player averages more than 6 per game. If Trevor Brazille and Karter Knox can find a way to own the paint, Arkansas will have a significant advantage. 

Both sides like to play fast and push the tempo. Louisville has a True Tempo of 72.3 while Arkansas isn’t far behind at 72.1. The game could come down to who handles the ball better. Louisville has had more turnovers per game, but Arkansas has struggled with it against quality teams. They have had 26 combined turnovers in their two previous ranked matchups. 

With their balanced offense and defense, Louisville is the favourite against a team that has yet to win against a ranked team. According to ESPN Analytics, the Cardinals have a 74.1 % chance of winning against the Razorbacks. Louisville has a BPI rating of 22.7 (2nd overall), whereas Arkansas has a BPI rating of 13.2 (36th overall). Prediction: Louisville wins 80-75.