Louisville basketball has a massive showdown inside KFC Yum! Center once again in January as the Cardinals will take on the No. 16 Virginia Cavaliers. The Cardinals will look to build on their undermanned win over Boston College and secure their 13th win of the season.
The Cardinals enter the top 20 matchup ranked No. 20 in the nation and 12-4 on the season. Louisville is 2-3 on the season against ranked opponents, with their wins coming against Kentucky and Indiana, who aren’t ranked anymore. Virginia is 14-2 on the season, with their two losses coming to Butler and Virginia Tech, and hasn’t played a ranked opponent once this season.
So, with a big-time game being played inside KFC Yum! Center in mid-January, the Cardinals fans were hoping to hear some good news on their starting point guard. However, Louisville fans received disappointing news about Mikel Brown Jr. and learned that the Cardinals must find a way to win without their star guard.
Louisville basketball gets Mikel Brown Jr. and Ryan Conwell injury update
Brown has been on the sideline for a month now as the Cardinals' starting point guard is set to miss his seventh game in a row. The Cardinals' point guard has been dealing with back spasms and discomfort since the Memphis game on December 13, leaving Louisville without their former 5-star point guard.
The Cardinals received good news on their starting shooting guard and scoring leader, Ryan Conwell, who is listed as probable. Conwell missed his first game of the season last game with a knee injury.
The initial injury report for Louisville vs. Virginia tomorrow night, featuring three scholarship players:
— Brooks Holton (@brooksHolton) January 13, 2026
Ryan Conwell (knee) is probable.
Mikel Brown Jr. (lower back) is out.
Khani Rooths (illness) is questionable . pic.twitter.com/kVkrRFPkYx
Pat Kelsey addressed Brown and his injury Monday afternoon, but didn’t provide a lot in his update.
“In terms of Mikel, he wants to be out there really, really, really bad,” Kelsey stated Monday afternoon.
“He's working extremely hard to get back out there. When he's ready, we'll give you guys more information, but I don't have any other update right now other than he's working really hard, making progress, and we fully expect him to be back out there this season at some point. When that is, I don't know right now, but that's where it stands as of today."
Brown is second on the team in points per game, behind Conwell. The Xavier transfer leads the team, averaging 19.9 points per game, giving the Cards a massive boost with Brown out against the Cavaliers. As for Brown, he averages 16.6 points per game and leads the team with 5.1 assists per game.
For all the latest on Louisville basketball's 2025-26 season and recruiting, stay tuned.