Louisville basketball recently lost by 31 points on the road to the Duke Blue Devils in dominant fashion. The Cards will look to get back in the win column tomorrow afternoon as they take on the 15-5 SMU Mustangs in a crucial Saturday showdown.
Louisville will try to earn a resume-boosting victory tomorrow, as the Mustangs may not be ranked at the moment, but they have been in the past and are trending toward making the NCAA Tournament after their impressive win over North Carolina. The Cardinals recently got their star player back, Mikel Brown Jr., after he missed eight games, during which the Cardinals went 4-4.
Despite missing eight games, Brown is second on the team in points per game while leading the team in assists per game. Brown has been one of the best players in college basketball when he is on the floor, but against Duke, he had a bit of an off night, leading many college basketball fans to forget just how talented he is.
Mikel Brown Jr.’s return unlocks Louisville basketball’s true ceiling
Mikel Brown Jr. is due for a breakout game after Duke performance
Brown went on to shoot just 1-of-13 from the field and 1-of-7 from the 3-point line. He was the first Cardinal to shoot 7 percent from the field with at least 12 field goal attempts since 2000, per ESPN. Brown finished with just seven points in his highly anticipated matchup against Duke led some fans to forget how special the former No. 1 overall point guard is.
I be trying to buy in on Mikel Brown Jr but I just can’t . In a world where Flemmings & Acuff are frying everything idk how he sits as top 2 PG
— Dirt Angle (@DirtyIke_) January 27, 2026
Brown has taken a lot of criticism after his performance against Duke, but the reality is that it was just one game. The former 5-star has lightning-quick speed and can split the defense and find open shooters at any moment. Brown is mature and professional for someone his age, and with him projected as a top-10 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, he is certainly due for a massive performance.
While Brown was healthy, he was clearly one of the best players in college basketball, averaging 16.6 points and 5.1 assists, including a dominant performance against Kentucky, where he scored 29 points while shooting 50 percent from the field.
The freshman point guard returned from his injury against Virginia Tech and showed why he is a projected lottery pick, scoring 20 points and six assists while shooting 64 percent from the field and 50 percent from the 3-point line.
Another notable performance came against Arkansas, where he scored 22 points, grabbed five rebounds, and dished out three assists. While the Cardinals may have lost to the Razorbacks, he showed off his explosiveness with a viral dunk that highlighted him soaring through the air.
So, while some may want to criticize Brown, the reality is that he is still one of the best players in college basketball, and he will prove that Saturday afternoon. Brown is hungry to have a breakout game like that Kentucky performance, and with Louisville in dire need of a big-time win, tomorrow opens up as a game the former 5-star will take over.
SMU has struggled against the quality teams to defend guards, as Malik Thomas shot 7-of-14 in Virginia’s win over SMU, Isaiah Evans shot 4-of-8 from downtown in Duke’s win over SMU, and Tyler Tanner shot 10-of-14 from the field in Vanderbilt's win over SMU. All guards finished with 20 points or more in the win over the Mustangs, and all shot a combined 59 percent from the field and 41 percent from downtown.
While Brown's shooting splits are a bit lower than he would like at 37 percent from the field and 27 percent from downtown, he is known for having a limitless range as he can shoot it well beyond the arc. He is also someone who can score in many ways, whether it's him twitching through the lane or using his explosiveness to attack and finishing through contact at 6-foot-5, 190 pounds.
Brown is due for a breakout game after his Duke performance, and in SMU's key losses, opponents' guards have had huge games. So, the signs lead to Brown having a field day tomorrow, and this Louisville Cardinals team will be back on track and hopefully gain momentum in their final 11 games before the ACC Tournament begins.
For all the latest on Louisville basketball's 2025-26 season and recruiting, stay tuned.