Louisville basketball takes on USF tomorrow afternoon in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, as the Cards look to earn the program's first March Madness win since 2017. The Cardinals and the fans have been anxiously awaiting one update leading up to the showdown with the Bulls, and that is about their star guard, Mikel Brown Jr.
Pat Kelsey gives latest injury update on Mikel Brown Jr. before the NCAA Tournament
Unfortunately, Louisville fans just received an update on Brown, and it is even worse than they could have imagined. The Cardinals fans were praying the 5-star freshman would be ready for the first round, but they just learned a moment ago from Joe Tipton that Brown isn’t just out for the matchup with USF, but he is out for the weekend.
Louisville will be without star guard Mikel Brown Jr. for their first round NCAA Tournament game against South Florida, the school announced.
— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) March 18, 2026
He will remain out the rest of the week if Louisville advances. https://t.co/3fx0UOyQ6E pic.twitter.com/KdE6j0Hhv8
Mikel Brown Jr injury update every Louisville basketball fan is anxiously awaiting
Brown will be out with his back injury, which forced him to miss the ACC Tournament and the final two regular-season games. The Cardinals' path to the Final Four just took a huge hit, as Brown was considered the engine of this team, averaging 18.2 points, 4.7 assists, and 1.2 steals per game.
The Cards' crushing update on Brown has Louisville fans stunned, as leading up to today, Pat Kelsey has stated Brown is “really close” and is making “great progress,” but now, just nearly 24 hours until tipoff, the 5-star freshman wouldn’t be available until the Sweet Sixteen, at the earliest.
The 6-foot-5, 195-pound guard has missed 12 games leading up to the NCAA Tournament, including the last four games and eight straight games in December and January. In Louisville’s 12 games, the Cardinals are without Brown; they have a 7-5 record, are averaging nearly eight points fewer, and shooting nearly five percent lower from beyond the arc.
The Cards are 1-4 against ranked teams when they play without Brown, and with Louisville in one of the toughest brackets, the Cardinals fans' dreams of making any sort of noise in March just took a massive blow. If Louisville beats USF tomorrow, they will face the 3-seed, Michigan State, in the Round of 32 on Saturday, and without Brown, that will be a tough challenge for these Cardinals.
But for right now, Louisville will try and take it one game at a time and beat USF tomorrow without its All-ACC guard.
Related: Ryan Conwell knows Mikel Brown Jr. is the missing link to Louisville's NCAA Tournament run
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