CHARLOTTE, NC — It pained Mikel Brown Jr. to not be out there with his Louisville basketball teammates, going through “the grinder” that is the ACC Tournament.
You could tell by how engaged the Cardinals’ starting point guard was on the bench during UofL’s two games this week at the Spectrum Center. “He’s always there,” sophomore forward Khani Rooths said, “even if he’s not on the court.”
“It’s not how I envisioned it before I stepped on campus,” Brown told The Courier Journal on Wednesday, after missing his third consecutive game due to a reaggravated back injury. “I just try to do what I can: constant communication with the guards, constant communication with the bigs and the wings — just trying to keep them connected.”
“… It’s definitely tough,” the freshman added. “Basketball gave me everything.”
After sixth-seeded Louisville’s 78-73 loss Thursday to No. 3 Miami in the quarterfinal round of the conference tournament, all eyes will be on the projected NBA lottery pick’s status for the March Madness.
Louisville announced Brown was ruled out for the entirety of the ACC Tournament in a statement released Tuesday night. A team spokesperson told The Courier Journal that decision was made Monday afternoon, several hours after coach Pat Kelsey held a news conference to preview the trip to Charlotte, North Carolina.
“He’s doing fine,” Kelsey told reporters during the media availability. “We’re excited about getting him out there; and he’ll be out there soon.”
Monday evening, Brown became the first Louisville player since Jae’Lyn Withers (2020-21) to be named to the ACC’s All-Rookie team. However, the 6-foot-5 Orlando, Florida, native slipped from the preseason all-conference first team to third-team status — due in large part to the back injury causing him to miss 10 games.
“We believe it is best to have him continue his path of improvement and have him 100% for the first round of the NCAA Tournament,” Kelsey said in the statement released Tuesday night. “He’s close and (champing) at the bit to be out there with his teammates.”
After the Cards’ 62-58 win over SMU on Wednesday, Brown was asked, “Are you 100% positive that you’ll be back for the NCAA Tournament?” He replied, “Right now, I’m just focused on my rehab more than anything. When the time feels right, I’m going to talk to the coaching staff; and we’re going to come to an agreement.”
“I’m starting to get there,” Brown later added. “I’m slowly progressing; I’m slowly doing more day in and day out, just trying to get a feel for it. But, obviously, like coach said, the plan is: I’ll come back when I’m 100%.”
“When somebody is out, that’s sports; that’s life,” Kelsey added after Thursday’s loss. “Stuff happens; you face adversity. We make no excuses — and we give no explanations. “It’s simply a next-man-up mentality; and I’m really proud of the guys (for) stepping up into different roles and things like that.”
After having just enough without Brown to beat the Hurricanes on their home court in the regular-season finale, UofL could have used him Thursday — especially when its offense was sputtering to start the second half. Kelsey’s team made only four field goals scattered across the first 10:19 of the period, during which Miami turned a 38-37 deficit into a 57-49 lead.
“We started to settle offensively,” Sananda Fru told The Courier Journal. “But our defense was even worse.”
The Hurricanes shot 46.6% (27 for 58) from the field, 38.5% (5 for 13) from 3-point range and 64% (16 for 25) at the rim.
“They rammed the ball at the rim constantly,” Kelsey said. “… It’s one of the things that make them really good; because they are attacking you and driving you even when nothing is there.”
You know who’s really good at doing that for the Cards? Brown, who finished the regular season as the team’s No. 2 scorer with 18.2 points on 41% shooting (34.4% from 3) and a team-high 4.7 assists (against 3.1 turnovers) across 29 minutes per game. Per CBBAnalytics.com, his 74.5% conversion rate at the rim (on 2.4 attempts per game) entering Thursday was second to only Fru’s 83.5% and ranked among the 92nd percentile nationally.
Brown finished the regular season as UofL’s No. 2 scorer with 18.2 points on 41% shooting (34.4% from 3) and a team-high 4.7 assists (against 3.1 turnovers) across 29 minutes per game. His nine outings with 20 or more points are the most by a freshman during a single season in program history. He also tied Ryan Conwell for the team lead in steals, 1.2 per contest.
“(Not having) Mikel was definitely detrimental,” Rooths said.
“We’ve just got to be able to pick up where he left off,” Adrian Wooley added. “Just keep maintaining and working together as a team.”
As Rooths pointed out, though: UofL “didn’t flinch” when Miami bolted out in front to start the second half. After falling behind 61-52 at the 8:21 mark, Kelsey’s team went on a 16-8 run that brought it within a point, 69-68, with 1:23 on the clock. That spurt proved to be too little, too late, however, on an afternoon that saw Louisville commit 13 turnovers leading to 17 points for the Hurricanes.
“Our bubblegum card says we’re good in terms of our assist-to-turnover ratio,” Kelsey said. “(We’ve) just got to value the ball more and make better decisions. We’ll clean that up.”
The Cards enter the NCAA Tournament with a 7-5 record with Brown on the bench vs. a 16-5 record when he plays. They’ve had enough time to form an identity without him; and just last week, they gutted out a three-point win over this same Miami team on its home court. But Thursday’s loss highlighted the issues the projected NBA lottery pick can mask — in addition to those that have persisted throughout his two extended absences.
“The only thing we can do is learn from this, get better from it and be a completely different team in March Madness,” Isaac McKneely said.
Reach Louisville men’s basketball reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville basketball score vs Miami, Mikel Brown Jr. injury update