It only took 5 minutes for Mikel Brown Jr. to remind Louisville what it was missing

Louisville basketball got a huge boost this afternoon when its former 5-star recruit and elite starting point guard, Mikel Brown Jr., made his highly anticipated return. Brown has been on the sideline since mid-December with back discomfort and spasms. In that stretch, Louisville was averaging nearly 15 points less per game and went 4-4 underwhelmingly.

There was no debate that this Cardinals team is better with Brown in the lineup, but that became even clearer this afternoon. Brown earned a start in his return, and in the first few moments of the game, the former 5-star immediatley made his presence felt.

Louisville's Mikel Brown Jr. quickly made his presence felt

Cardinals fans were eager to see what Brown would look like, as it was his first game since Dec. 13, when he scored 16 points against Memphis in a blowout victory. Well, it took just 51 seconds for Brown to show how valuable he is to this Louisville squad as he splashed a 3-pointer on his first attempt from the field.

The 6-foot-5, 190-pound guard is an elite shooter, as shown in the clip, but his presence was felt well beyond his scoring ability. Brown immediatley showcased his playmaking abilities, creating open shots for others and running the show for Pat Kelsey’s Cardinals.

While the Cardinals didn’t score points off these opportunities, it certainly wasn’t Brown’s fault. The former 5-star splashed his 3-pointer, and on the next play, the Cardinals ran an effective pick-and-roll with Sananda Fru, creating a lob opportunity for the Cardinals' center. Fru wasn’t able to gather the pass and the Hokies secured the steal, but Louisville fans immediatley saw Brown’s ability to run an effective offense with the big man and create open shots for his teammates.

Another opportunity generated by Brown in the first few minutes was when the 5-star point guard displayed his ability to break down his defender and drove in the paint, forcing the Hokies center to step up, and Brown made a beautiful pass to Aly Khalifa. Brown gave Khalifa a wide-open look, but the center didn’t put a shot up, missing a prime opportunity for two points.

But the main thing to take away from these two sequences is Brown’s immediate impact on the floor. It was obvious he is the engine of this team, but in just the first five minutes of his return, it is night and day how valuable he is for this team.

Brown even got active on defense, contesting shots early, and played excellent defense on Ben Hammond, standing tall and forcing a tough shot. Brown went out for the first time, and immediatley the Cardinals turned the ball over, gave up a 3-pointer, and it was clear that Louisville was missing their star on the floor.

Brown is immediatley showing how good this team can be when he is on the floor. Louisville was 9-1 with wins over Kentucky and Indiana when he was healthy. When the Cards are without Brown, they are 4-4 and are losing by an average of 12.5 points. The Cardinals fans are pleased with Brown's performance so far, and they are beginning to see the dominant team that was once ranked as high as No. 6 in the country

For all the latest on Louisville basketball's 2025-26 season and recruiting, stay tuned.