Mikel Brown Jr.’s breakout proves Louisville basketball has an unsolvable problem

Louisville basketball's 5-star commit Mikel Brown Jr. is currently representing Team USA in Switzerland at the U19 FIBA World Cup. The Stars and Stripes are 2-0 as of right now, and the Cardinals' incoming freshman is the name everyone is talking about.

Sunday afternoon, Team USA dominated France, earning a 108-77 victory. Brown put on a performance to remember, scoring 24 points and earning four assists, one rebound, and one block while shooting 73 percent from the floor and 67 percent from beyond the arc.

Brown's performance blew up all over X, and one thing that became clear to experts, college basketball fans, and Louisville fans is that his dominant performance proves Louisville basketball has an impossible problem they must solve before the 2025-26 season starts.

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Mikel Brown Jr.’s breakout proves Louisville basketball has an unsolvable problem

The Cardinals brought in three elite guards from the transfer portal and will, of course, get Brown on top of all of that. Head coach Pat Kelsey had one of the best transfer classes in college basketball and created the best backcourt in the nation.

One thing is for certain, and that is Brown will start. After that, it is nearly impossible to try and pick who is going to start. Louisville added Isaac McKneely, Ryan Conwell, and Adrian Wooley, making it clear that one of these three transfers is going to come off the bench.

Kelsey loves his small-ball offense, so it is made known that a guard will play up at the small forward position, and that will either be McKneely or Conwell. However, the fact that either Wooley, McKneely, or Conwell is coming off the bench is, well, a "first-world problem," according to Isaac Trotter.

Wooley is a 5-star transfer with elite athleticism, already generating some 2026 NBA Draft stock. He averaged 18.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 42 percent from beyond the arc. The 6-foot-5, 180-pound player is an elite two-way player who can finish through contact as well as be lethal from downtown.

Wooley appears to be the favorite to start at shooting guard, but then, fans start to think that McKneely is one of the best shooters in the nation, and he has the potential to be dominant playing alongside Brown and a center like Aly Khalifa. The 6-foot-4 3-point specialist made 182 threes on 43.3 percent from beyond the arc over the last two seasons. McKneely splashed 101 threes last season while shooting 42.1 percent from the 3-point line, making it nearly impossible to put him on the bench.

Lastly, Louisville will have Conwell, a 4-star transfer from Xavier, who earned Second Team All-Big East honors after averaging 16.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.5 assists while shooting 45 percent from the field and 41.3 percent from beyond the arc. The 6-foot-4 shooting guard appears to be the frontrunner to start at small forward, but after running through these three players, how are only two of them supposed to start?

This is a fun game to keep playing in June for Louisville Cardinals fans, and it's a good problem to have. Brown's dominant 24-point performance proved that Louisville is going to be a force to be reckoned with next season, and no matter who starts and who comes off the bench, the Cardinals' backcourt will be one of the best, if not the best, backcourts in the nation. That said, Kelsey has a nearly impossible job deciding who will start and who will be his six-man.

Related: Way-too-early starting five projection for the Louisville Cardinals 2025-26 season

For all the latest on Louisville basketball's offseason, stay tuned.