Mikel Brown Jr. provides awesome injury update with Louisville needing him back ASAP

Louisville basketball is coming off a monster win over Pitt, 100-59, from inside the Petersen Events Center. The Cardinals fans saw near-perfect basketball from Louisville as they shot 52 percent from beyond the arc and 63 percent from the field. The only thing missing was their 5-star point guard, Mikel Brown Jr.

Louisville has been without Brown since December 13, when he played in the Cardinals' win against Memphis. Ever since, he has been sidelined with back spasms and discomfort, and he hasn’t had a clear timeline for his return. Well, as Louisville fans wait for Brown to return, they got some good news from Brown himself as he announced on social media that not only will he be back soon, but he is also practicing.

Mikel Brown Jr. provides huge injury update

The Cardinals have struggled mightily without Brown, going 4-4 without their starting point guard, including 3-3 against ACC teams and 0-3 against ranked teams. Louisville also suffered a crushing loss on the road to an unranked 12-3 Stanford team.

So, to hear Brown provide this huge injury update that he is once again practicing and is “one step closer,” Louisville fans are now hoping Brown can be available for their huge showdown against Duke in Durham one week from today.

"One step closer," Brown stated on his social media post. "Been working extremely hard to get back as soon as possible and after great news, I will be practicing this week. See yall soon."

Brown is the engine of this team, and him starting to practice again is a huge step in the right direction. The Cardinals desperately need Brown back, as Louisville fans have quickly realized that without Brown, this team’s expectations are not nearly as high. The Cardinals' National Title odds have dropped from +2000 to +6500 during these eight games, and the stats say a whole lot as well.

Before Louisville’s blowout win over Pitt, the Cardinals averaged just 77 points per game, while shooting  43.4 percent from the floor and 29.3 percent from downtown. When Brown plays the Cards average 94.3 points per game while shooting 47.9 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from downtown.

And on top of that, key players like Ryan Conwell shoots 42 percent with Brown, and 29 percent without Brown from downtown, and Isaac McKneely shoots 41.1 percent with Brown and 33.3 percent without Brown from beyond the arc. So, the stats and the record prove this Cardinals team needs Brown back, and after today’s injury update, hopefully it is sooner rather than later.

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