Louisville basketball lost its second game of the 2025-26 season as the Cardinals fell 83-62 to the Tennessee Volunteers last night. The Cardinals' four-game stretch is over, and it is clear the fans are a bit underwhelmed after Louisville went 2-2 and lost handily to Arkansas and Tennessee. There is a lot to take away from last night's loss, but one concern for fans moving forward is the health of their star point guard, Mikel Brown Jr.
Brown missed his first game of his freshman season last night, as just minutes before tipoff, the Cards fans learned they would be without their superstar. Not many knew before warm-ups that Louisville could play without Brown, and after the game, Kelsey made it sound like Brown will be day-to-day as the Cardinals prepare for Montana.
Pat Kelsey comments on Mikel Brown Jr.'s injury
Brown missed last night's game with a lower back injury. When Kelsey asked about Brown and his injury, the Cardinals' head coach revealed that Brown was in pain leading up to the game and was limited in practice.
“He was in pain the last couple of days,” Kelsey stated on Brown missing last night’s game. “Limited him the last couple of days in practice, and tried to get him going pregame to see how he felt, but by the time the game started, he just wasn’t able to go.”
The Cardinals fans are now hoping it isn’t an injury that sidelines Brown for the future, and that he will be back on the court shortly, but when Kelsey was asked about Brown and his injury timeline, the fans didn’t get much of an answer.
“I don’t know,” Kelsey stated on if Brown is day-to-day. “You’d have to ask the medical people in that.”
Here's Pat Kelsey on Mikel Brown Jr.... doesn't give a return timeline... certainly feels day to day. @WHAS11 pic.twitter.com/lfTycQG5Da
— Kent Spencer (@WHAS11Kent) December 17, 2025
Media and Louisville fans, of course, don’t have access to ask medical staff for a timetable on Brown's injury, so they'll have to wait until Kelsey’s next press conference to see if he will be available. Louisville’s next game is December 20 against Montana, and then they start ACC games on December 30 against Cal. So, it will be interesting to see if they sit Brown on the 20th to give him a few days of extra rest and get healthy before the conference games begin.
If he doesn’t play against Montana, that would be two weeks of rest, hopefully enough time to heal and get healthy for the conference games starting up on the 30th. Kelsey’s update certainly doesn’t make it seem like Brown will be out for a long time, but for now, the fans are left without a definitive timeline.
For all the latest news and updates on Louisville basketball's 2025-26 season and recruiting, stay tuned.