Louisville basketball is coming off one of its biggest wins of the season as Pat Kelsey led this Louisville squad to a 100-49 win over the Pitt Panthers. The Cards shot the ball exceptionally well, splashing 15 3-pointers at 52 percent from downtown and earning their fifth 100-point game of the season, tying the second-most in program history.
The Cardinals fans are hoping this 41-point win was the end of their midseason skid, as Louisville started their ACC schedule 3-3, already earning more losses in conference play this season than last. Entering the season, Louisville had one of the highest expectations nationwide, with the sixth-highest odds at +2000. The Cardinals brought in elite talent from the portal and the 2025 recruiting class, and many thought this was going to be the year Louisville didn’t just snap its eight-year drought without an NCAA Tournament win, but also its 12-year drought without a trip to the Final Four.
The Shooters Shoot podcast just broke down the harsh reality for Louisville fans and said the quiet part out loud that if Mikel Brown Jr. is healthy, then the sky is the limit, but without Brown, Louisville is a “good” team that will just make the tournament.
CBB analyst says quiet part out loud about Louisville basketball
Brown has been sidelined for quite some time now as the former 5-star recruit hasn’t played since December 13 against Memphis. Louisville was 9-1 at that point, ranked No. 11 in the nation, and averaging nearly 95 points per game. However, Brown has been out ever since, and the Cardinals have been without their engine for eight games and now for 39 days.
Recently, on The Shooters Shoot podcast, Randolph Childress was asked if Louisville can win the National Title, and he said the quiet part out loud on Louisville’s National Title chances as of January 20.
“Healthy? Yes,” Randolph Childress stated on Louisville basketball National Title chances. “Until I see Mikel Brown back in a uniform, and he is healthy, then they are back to a yes. If they don’t have him, then their ceiling drops. They go from an Indianapolis Final Four potential run to just a good team. They will make the tournament, and that’s it. He has to get back. He has to get in uniform, and he has to be back on Louisville for a long run.”
It is hard to disagree with Childress, as when the Cardinals had Brown, they defeated No. 9 Kentucky and No. 22 Indiana and were among the top teams in the nation. Louisville was averaging 94.3 points while shooting nearly 48 percent from the field and 38 percent from beyond the arc in their first 10 games with Brown.
Without Brown in the lineup, Louisville is averaging 80 points per game and is shooting 33.6 percent from beyond the arc. Louisville is 4-4 in its eight games without the 5-star and projected NBA lottery pick, including 3-3 in ACC play, and 0-3 against ranked teams by an average loss of 13.7 points.
The Cardinals' ceiling with Brown is a trip to Indianapolis and a shot at hanging a banner up inside KFC Yum! Center. However, without Brown, The Shooters Shoot podcast is saying the quiet part out loud, and that’s this team’s ceiling drops significantly, and Louisville is a tournament team, but they likely won’t win six straight.
Brown announced on his social media that he is “one step closer” to returning and is resuming practice this week. Louisville plays Virginia Tech at home Saturday, and then on the road in Durham against No. 5-ranked Duke.