Pat Kelsey provides Mikel Brown Jr. injury update that fully leaves everyone guessing

Louisville basketball just earned its 10th win of the season, dominating Montana 94-54. Louisville fans were quite impressed with Sananda Fru and his stacked stat line: 18 points on 82 percent shooting, eight rebounds, two blocks, and one steal. Louisville's 40-point win was impressive, but it forced the Cardinals to step up, as they were without key guard Mikel Brown Jr. for the second game in a row and backup point guard Kobe Rodgers.

After Louisville's loss to Tennessee, Pat Kelsey gave a gray answer on their 5-star guard, by stating, “You’d have to ask the medical people in that.” Well, with Brown missing his second consecutive game, Kelsey was asked again about his star guard, and fans are guessing when he will be back.

Related: Pat Kelsey gives gray injury update on Mikel Brown Jr. after Louisville loss

Pat Kelsey comments on Mikel Brown Jr. returning after holiday break

Louisville finished its nonconference schedule 10-2, and the Cardinals are now turning the page to their ACC games. Louisville will have a nice holiday break, with 10 days off, and won't return to action until Dec. 30 against Cal. Which, for Louisville, might be nice, as the fans and the team will hope that is enough time to get Brown healthy again.

Kelsey was asked whether that was enough time for Brown to get healthy, and his answer will not give Louisville fans confidence and will have them guessing whether he will return against Cal.

"I have no idea," Kelsey stated on whether Brown will return against Cal. "I'm not God, so we are hoping that time off will allow him to heal, and from a medical standpoint, I don't know the answers."

Brown's last game was Dec. 13 against Memphis, meaning he will have 17 days of recovery by the time the Cal game comes up. Brown is obviously a key piece on this Cardinals team, but his health is crucial for their postseason run. A back injury is nothing to play around with, and with how important he is to this team, it is important for Louisville not to rush their star guard back.

Kelsey saying he hopes the holiday break is enough time to heal gives Cardinals fans some hope he might return for the Cal game, but if he is unavailable for that game, their next game is in 2026 on Jan. 2 against Stanford. It is also worth noting that, depending on the severity of the injury, Louisville has its massive ACC showdown with Duke on Jan. 6 at KFC Yum! Center.

While Louisville, of course, wants Brown back as soon as possible, it will be crucial that he is available for the top-15 showdown, as the Blue Devils are ranked No. 6 nationally.

For all the latest news and updates on Louisville basketball's 2025-26 season and recruiting, stay tuned.