Long-running Kentucky-Louisville women’s basketball series to take a break in 2020-21

A 2020 sports calendar already blown to bits because of the COVID-19 pandemic delivered another surprise Friday evening.

The University of Kentucky’s annual women’s basketball rivalry game against the University of Louisville will not be played this season for the first time in the modern era of the sport.

The teams have played each other 56 times through the years, including at least one time each season beginning in 1974-75. The series also includes 16 meetings between 1912 and 1924.

Louisville announced its non-conference schedule Friday. In a normal year, U of L takes on about a dozen opponents outside of the Atlantic Coast Conference. This year, in a schedule limited in length because of coronavirus concerns, the Cardinals will play only five.

Louisville opens the season at Middle Tennessee on Nov. 25, then visits Cincinnati on Nov. 28.

The Cardinals host Eastern Kentucky on Nov. 29, visit Connecticut on Dec. 4 and host Bellarmine on Dec. 6.

The Atlantic Coast Conference is expected to announce its 2020-21 schedule in the coming weeks. Kentucky and the rest of the Southeastern Conference have not yet revealed conference or non-conference schedules for the coming campaign.

“We are excited to finally announce our non-conference schedule for the 2020-21 season,” Coach Jeff Walz said in a news release Friday that did not acknowledge the absence of a game against Kentucky for the first time in almost 50 years. “There were obvious challenges coming up with this year’s schedule, but we are thrilled to continue our rivalry with UConn and to get the opportunity to play the likes of Eastern Kentucky, Bellarmine, Cincinnati and Middle Tennessee.”

Kentucky leads the all-time series against Louisville 34-22. Louisville won the most recent meeting, 67-66, in Rupp Arena on Dec. 15, 2019.

Kentucky’s and Louisville’s men’s basketball coaches, John Calipari and Chris Mack, have publicly bristled at each other in recent weeks as the schools try to settle on a date for their game in 2020-21. Mack said this week that it’s his belief the game will be played Dec. 26, but neither school has officially announced a date.

This story was originally published October 16, 2020 at 7:14 PM.