March 18, 2026, 11:13 a.m. ET
- Louisville’s basketball team has been without their starting point guard, Mikel Brown Jr., for the last four games due to a recurring back injury.
- When questioned Monday about Brown’s availability for the upcoming March Madness game against South Florida, coach Pat Kelsey stated, “He showed significant improvement last week. We will observe how practice sessions unfold over the next couple of days.”
- Will the Cardinals see their potential NBA lottery pick return for Thursday’s 1:30 p.m. showdown against the Bulls? Here’s the most recent information.
BUFFALO, NY — Mikel Brown Jr. will not participate in Louisville basketball’s NCAA Tournament opener this Thursday afternoon against South Florida, as confirmed by the team in a statement released Wednesday morning.
The team’s announcement also indicated that Brown would remain unavailable should Louisville advance to the second round this weekend.
The freshman guard, who is anticipated to be an NBA lottery selection later this year, has been out of action for the Cardinals’ last four games, totaling 12 absences this season, owing to a re-aggravated back issue.
Brown concluded the regular season as UofL’s second-highest scorer, averaging 18.2 points with 41% shooting (34.4% from three-point range) and a team-best 4.7 assists (offset by 3.1 turnovers) across an average of 29 minutes per game. His nine performances scoring 20 points or more represent a program record for a freshman in a single season. He also shares the team lead for steals per game (1.2) with Ryan Conwell.
Louisville heads into March Madness with a 7-5 record when Brown is not playing, compared to a 16-5 record when he is on the court. According to CBBAnalytics.com, the team scores 6.4 fewer points per 40 minutes (88.1 vs. 81.7) and their three-point shooting percentage drops by 4.8% (38.2% vs. 33.4%) in his absence.
Kelsey explained that Brown’s back injury, which initially emerged in mid-December, was re-aggravated after he took several hard falls during a February 23 loss to then-No. 19 North Carolina. The freshman’s last game was a February 28 loss against Clemson, where he recorded five points on 2-for-10 shooting, four assists, two rebounds, and two steals over 21 minutes coming off the bench. Since then, efforts have focused on his complete recovery.
“He showed significant improvement last week,” Kelsey remarked on Monday in Louisville. “We will observe how practice sessions unfold over the next couple of days.”
Brown informed reporters at the ACC Tournament that he was “starting to make progress. I am gradually improving; I’m slowly increasing my activity day by day, just trying to regain my feel for the game. But, as coach mentioned, the strategy is: I will return when I am fully recovered.”
When questioned, “Are you absolutely certain you’ll be back for the NCAA Tournament?” He responded, “Currently, my primary focus is on my rehabilitation above all else. When the timing feels appropriate, I will consult with the coaching staff, and we will reach a mutual decision.”
Last week, Brown was recognized as the first UofL player to be selected for the ACC’s All-Rookie team since Jae’Lyn Withers (2020-21). However, the 6-foot-5 Orlando, Florida, native fell from his preseason all-conference first-team projection to third-team status, largely attributable to the back injury that caused him to miss 10 regular-season games.
The match between the sixth-seeded Cardinals and the No. 11 Bulls will be broadcast on TNT.
You will also have the option to stream the game through services such as Sling TV.
This report will be continuously updated.
Contact Louisville men’s basketball reporter Brooks Holton at [email protected] and connect with him on X via @brooksHolton.