Louisville basketball’s season came to an end Saturday afternoon, and the Cardinals will now turn their attention to the Transfer Portal. Louisville had an up-and-down season in 2025-26, and a major reason was Mikel Brown Jr.'s unavailability.
5 Louisville basketball players who definitely won’t be back for the 2026-27 season
The 5-star freshman had incredibly high expectations entering the season, and Donovan Mitchell even went as far as to say Brown is the best Cardinals freshman “ever” before the season even started. However, Brown’s season didn’t go as planned, as back injuries spoiled it and forced him to miss the NCAA Tournament, and some Cardinals fans are a bit frustrated with Brown and his availability.
However, with some fans upset that Brown was unavailable for 14 games, including games against four ranked teams, the ACC Tournament, and the NCAA Tournament, Mitchell isn’t facing the hate towards the Cardinals' freshman.
Donovan Mitchell had a blunt response to criticism of Mikel Brown Jr.
Mitchell has consistently supported Louisville since entering the NBA Draft. He has been back for multiple games, practices, and even football games. The 7-time NBA All-Star is one of the best Cardinals in program history, and when it comes to supporting Brown, he isn’t shying away.
Many Louisville fans are pretty upset with Brown and his unavailability this season. But Mitchell was quick to step up and support Brown with a simple tweet today, telling former Louisville football player GG Robinson to “Stop it” after Robinson said, “Man gets paid millions and misses every important game of the year. Gotta be some type of regulations to this stuff.”
Stop it G
— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) March 22, 2026
Brown was the second-highest commit in program history, and Louisville fans have a reason to be upset he didn’t play in the postseason. But the 5-star freshman was clearly upset after yesterday's loss. When he was on the floor, he gave everything he had; when he was out, he stood up to coach the team and was as involved as he could be.
Brown’s Louisville career is likely over as the Cardinals' 5-star freshman is trending to be a lottery pick in the 2026 NBA Draft and is projected as high as No. 6 in Sports Illustrated’s latest mock draft.
Related: Mikel Brown Jr. leaves door open for Louisville return immediately after NCAAT loss
For all the latest news and updates on Louisville basketball's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.