Louisville basketball is taking on the 15-5 SMU Mustangs this afternoon in a crucial ACC matchup. After the Cardinals lost by 31 points against Duke on Monday night in Durham, this showdown quickly became a game many fans are labeling as a must-win.
Louisville is 0-5 against ranked teams, and while the Mustangs aren’t ranked at the moment, they are receiving votes in both the AP and Coaches Polls. So, with the Mustangs trying to make a jump into the top 25 and the Cardinals trying to bounce back from their embarrassing performance on Monday, this has quickly become a huge matchup on a Saturday afternoon inside KFC Yum! Center. Center.
Last night, Louisville fans got a huge update on the injury report, as the Cardinals' key role player and former 4-star commitment, Khani Rooths, was not on it for the first time in four games.
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Louisville basketball's latest injury update on Khani Rooths
Louisville has desperately missed Rooths' height, length, physicality, and athleticism over the last four games. The 6-foot-10, 215-pound forward has missed the last four games with an illness, but last night, when the initial injury report came out, it appears Rooth is set to make his return, as his name was nowhere to be found on the report.
Khani Rooths isn’t on the initial injury report for Louisville vs. SMU tomorrow afternoon.
— Brooks Holton (@brooksHolton) January 31, 2026
The sophomore forward has missed the last four games due to an illness. pic.twitter.com/bs2Am27njW
Rooths brings a huge spark to this frontcourt, as he is energetic and extremely active on both ends of the court. He is someone Kelsey loves to use as a cutter to the basket and can soar to the rim for a monster slam, and on the defensive side, his length and athleticism help him cause havoc.
Kelsey stated earlier in the week that Rooths returned to practice on Wednesday and planned to ramp him up closer to gameday. And now, with gameday here, it appears the elite forward plans to make his highly anticipated return.
The former 4-star recruit is averaging 6.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game while shooting 43.6 percent from the floor. Louisville needs to get back in the win column this afternoon to gain some momentum in the final 11 games before the postseason, and with Rooths likely to return, it is a major boost for the Cardinals.
For all the latest on Louisville basketball's 2025-26 season and recruiting, stay tuned.