News broke Tuesday evening that Mikel Brown Jr. will miss the entire ACC Tournament, leaving head coach Pat Kelsey without his star player. This decision was made to ensure he is “good to go” for the NCAA Tournament, giving him an extra week without games to do so. Though the net of this decision may ultimately be positive, Louisville basketball fans were not happy to hear the news.
3 Louisville Cardinals who must step up after Mikel Brown Jr.'s injury update
Louisville has already played 10 games this season without Mikel Brown Jr., including its final two of the regular season. In the eight-game stretch he missed earlier in the year, the Cardinals went just 4-4. In games played without Brown against Power Four teams that finished the regular season with a winning record, the Cards went just 2-4. Louisville’s only substantial win without Mikel Brown Jr.—and maybe even their most substantial win since December—was at Miami in the regular season finale.
Winning the ACC Tournament, or even making a run to the championship game, does not necessarily prove anything, as Card fans learned with last year’s team. The bigger concern is that without Brown, Louisville could lose its first game of the season today against SMU. The larger question is what exactly this team looks like without Brown Jr. running the point.
So, here are three crucial stats that prove Louisville could be in big trouble.