Louisville basketball defeated SMU this afternoon in the second round of the ACC Tournament, and the Cardinals will now advance to the quarterfinals, where they will face Miami for the second time in five days. Louisville was led by Ryan Conwell as he splashed a clutch 3-pointer to take the lead under 90 seconds, and he was Louisville’s leader with 16 points.
Pat Kelsey gives gut-wrenching Mikel Brown Jr. injury update ahead ACC Tournament
The Cardinals will need a big tournament from Conwell, as Louisville announced 5-star freshman Mikel Brown Jr. will be out for the entire ACC Tournament. Pat Kelsey stated in the injury statement that the Cards plan to wait until he is 100 percent, and after Louisville’s win over SMU, Brown spoke to the media for the first time since the injury update, and the All-ACC guard gave a promising update on his status for the NCAA Tournament.
Mikel Brown Jr. gives Louisville fans March Madness optimism with latest update
Brown’s status remains unknown heading into the quarterfinals, and with the first round tipping off just a week away, Louisville fans are anxiously awaiting to see if he will play. Brown spoke to the media today after the Cardinals' win, and he gave Louisville fans optimism that he could play in the NCAA Tournament.
“Absolutely,” Brown stated on Wednesday on whether he thinks there is a chance he plays in the NCAA Tournament. “I’m starting to get there. I’m slowly progressing. I’m slowly doing more day in and day out. I am just trying to get a feel for it. But, obviously, like coach said the plan is I’ll come back 100 percent and when I feel great.”
Kelsey stated in the injury report that Brown wants to play in the ACC Tournament, but Louisville’s plan is to have him 100 percent for the first round. Brown has missed 11 games, including this afternoon’s, with the Cardinals now having a 7-4 record when Brown is out.
The 5-star freshman missed eight games in the middle of the season across 42 days with back discomfort and spasms, and in the Cardinals' loss to UNC, he reinjured his back and has now missed three games straight. By this time next week, he will have been out for 19 or 20 days, depending on what day Louisville’s first-round showdown is.
Cardinals fans are anxiously awaiting his update on the NCAA Tournament, but with today’s statement, the 5-star freshman sounds positive and optimistic as he progresses toward 100 percent.
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