2. The Mikel Brown Jr. situation
As the numbers show, Louisville is simply a better team with Mikel Brown Jr. on the floor. His impact goes far beyond free throws. Brown Jr. was the team’s second-leading scorer, its primary ball handler, and a guard who relied more on efficient two-point scoring than most of his backcourt counterparts.
In all but two games this season, Brown Jr. was either Louisville’s leading scorer or leading assist man. He was the straw that stirred the drink offensively. Without him, the offense has looked stagnant and predictable. If Louisville wants any chance to compete at a high level this season, they need Brown Jr. back—and producing at the level he was before the injury. That is where things get complicated.
Brown has missed five straight games from a back injury. The injury was initially reported as occurring in the weight room earlier this season. However, earlier this week, Brown tweeted that the injury actually happened before the Memphis game and was later aggravated. Now, the Cardinals are 2-3 in their five games without their starting point guard and wait for his return.
With losses piling up early in the season, you would think that if Brown Jr. could play, he would. It’s hard to believe he wouldn’t want to be on the floor for a game like Duke earlier this week. Jeff Goodman reported that Brown is hopeful of returning against Boston College this Saturday or against No. on Tuesday. 23 Virginia.