Louisville basketball will look to earn its first win on the road over a ranked opponent this afternoon against the Miami Hurricanes. As of now, the Cardinals have struggled mightily against quality teams on the road.
Louisville and Pat Kelsey have an easy Mikel Brown Jr. injury decision to make
The Cardinals are 3-7 on the road, with a 1-7 mark against teams at or above .500 and 0-4 against ranked teams. Initially favored by 1.5 points, Louisville became the underdog after news broke that Mikel Brown Jr. would miss his second straight, and tenth overall, game, causing Vegas oddsmakers to shift the line in Miami's favor.
Vegas flips Louisville-Miami odds after Mikel Brown Jr. ruled out
Late last night, the first injury report came out for Louisville and Miami, and the Cardinals were dealt a huge blow as they will have to travel to Watsco Center to face the No. 22 Hurricanes without their 5-star freshman. It was reported that Brown will miss his second straight game with the same back pain that forced him to sit out eight games in the middle of the season when Louisville went on its midseason skid.
The Hurricanes are now the 1.5-point favorites over Louisville, and the over/under remains at 157.5, suggesting the oddsmakers expect a score around 80-78 in Miami's favor, according to FanDuel. Louisville is 5-4 in the nine games they have played without Brown, but 0-3 in the three games they have played ranked opponents without the 5-star freshman.
The Cards have lost by an average of 13.7 points per game in those three games, including a 21-point loss on the road against Tennessee, while the other two losses were at home at KFC Yum! Center. Louisville is trying to clinch that No. 6 seed this afternoon and earn a huge resume boost before the ACC Tournament, as it has yet to earn a Quad 1A win this season, with an 0-8 record in those games.
Brown's health for the ACC Tournament is unknown at the moment, as Louisville fans will hope to see the 5-star freshman return to the court in the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C. The Cardinals and Hurricanes will tipoff at 2 local time inside the Watsco Center.
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For all the latest on Louisville basketball's 2025-26 season and recruiting, stay tuned.