As soon as the Longhorns' season was wrapped up, head coach Sean Miller was busy in the transfer portal, and he did a lot of great work for Texas, bringing in the No. 4 portal class in the country.
However, even with five blue-chip transfers coming to Austin, Miller and the Horns were edged by three other teams in the national rankings: the Tennessee Volunteers, the Kentucky Wildcats, and the Louisville Cardinals.
Well, Texas just got the perfect opportunity to put those rankings to the test.
The Longhorns are now scheduled to play none other than Louisville, which brought in the No. 1 transfer portal class, in the SEC/ACC Men's Basketball Challenge.
Texas men's basketball vs. Louisville is a test of transfers
Louisville head coach Pat Kelsey was also busy during the offseason, landing six commitments out of the transfer portal for the Cardinals.
That group includes five-star center Flory Bidunga from Kansas, four-star point guard Jackson Shelstad from Oregon, four-star small forward Karter Knox from Arkansas, four-star shooting guard De'Shayne Montgomery from Dayton, four-star power forward Alvaro Folgueiras from Iowa, and three-star center Gabe Dynes from USC.
Bringing in that group of transfers cost Kelsey and the Cardinals a little more than pocket change, with Louisville spending upwards of $10 million on the roster, according to some reports.
headed to the ‘Ville 🤘#AlwaysCompete | #HookEm pic.twitter.com/Xn789lLwT2
— Texas Men’s Basketball (@TexasMBB) June 5, 2026
Don't let that star power deter you from thinking that the Horns could stand a chance against Kelsey's rebuilt roster, because Miller has one of his own.
Texas's No. 4 transfer portal class features four-star small forward Elyjah Freeman from Auburn, four-star power forward David Punch from TCU, four-star shooting guard Amari Evans from Tennessee, four-star point guard Isaiah Johnson from Colorado, and four-star combo guard Mikey Lewis from Saint Mary's.
ESPN announces matchups & dates for the 4th annual @SEC/@theACC Men's & Women's Basketball Challenges
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) June 5, 2026
🏀 Dec. 1-2 | #NCAAMBB
🏀 Dec. 2-3 | #NCAAWBB
📺 Times & networks to be announced at a later date
More: https://t.co/3NmdKOfGdJ pic.twitter.com/wuT4RjmMFx
The Longhorns and the Cardinals are scheduled to tip off on Tuesday, Dec. 1, and the best part? The women's basketball teams of the two programs are scheduled to face each other, as well.
The Texas women are scheduled to play Louisville the following day, pitting the Horns' fan favorite Sarah Graves against her sister, Rebekah Graves, who plays for the Cardinals.
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