Louisville basketball earned the No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and unlike last year’s Selection Sunday, the Cardinals got the seed many expected. The Cardinals face the 11-seed USF Bulls in the first round, and Louisville is quickly on upset watch.
Pat Kelsey's Mikel Brown Jr. injury update is exactly what Louisville fans want to hear
Louisville has many questions entering the NCAA Tournament, but the biggest is about their 5-star freshman, Mikel Brown Jr. The Cards have been without Brown for the past four games, including their two games in the ACC Tournament. With Brown’s uncertainty, former Auburn Tigers head coach and current CBS Sports college basketball analyst Bruce Pearl immediately put Louisville on upset alert as he went as far as to pick the Bulls over Louisville.
Bruce Pearl puts Louisville basketball on upset alert heading into NCAA Tournament
Pearl coached at Auburn for 11 years, during which he made the Tigers one of college basketball’s powerhouses. Auburn went to two Final Fours, won multiple SEC Titles, and won 246 wins with the Tigers alone and 477 total in his coaching career.
He is now an expert on CBS and was part of the media team on Selection Sunday, and when the East region was released, Louisville was quickly put on upset watch from Pearl.
"I look at health," Pearl stated after the East region was announced "At the top of the bracket, Mikel Brown, what is his health status? And of course, the 6-11, that's always a very interesting matchup to pick the underdog. I like the South Florida Bulls."
Louisville opens up as 6.5-point favorites over USF, but Pearl brings attention to the 6-11 matchup. In the NCAA Tournament, the 6-11 matchup and the 5-12 matchup are the two that always stand out to experts and fans for their fun, exciting upsets.
An 11-seed has upset a 6-seed in the first round of March Madness in every NCAA Tournament since 2005, including 2024, when three 11-seeds upset the 6-seed. Louisville has done well against unranked teams, which makes many believe they can win if Brown is healthy.
The latest update Louisville fans have received on their 5-star freshman comes from Kelsey, who said they want him to be 100 percent and that he is “really close” to coming back.
Related: 3 Louisville Cardinals who must step up after Mikel Brown Jr.'s injury update
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