Louisville basketball is taking on USF this Thursday at 1:30 p.m. in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Cardinals and the Bulls play similar basketball, as both teams like to play fast, get out in transition, and shoot a lot of 3’s. This is one game many analysts and fans are circling as a potential 11-6 upset, and a lot of that has to do with the uncertainty surrounding Mikel Brown Jr.
Pat Kelsey gives latest injury update on Mikel Brown Jr. before the NCAA Tournament
The Cardinals still don’t know if Brown is going to return for the NCAA Tournament first-round matchup after missing the last four games. However, Ryan Conwell spoke with the media yesterday, and when the Cardinals star guard was asked if it is hard to integrate Brown back into the flow, Conwell made his answer perfectly clear.
Ryan Conwell reveals why Louisville is better with Mikel Brown Jr.
Chemistry is an important aspect of basketball, and Conwell’s answer about Brown makes it perfectly clear that Louisville understands that when Brown is on the floor, the Cardinals are simply a better team. And while Brown has been banged up a bit more than a lot would have liked, if Brown is ready to go for Thursday, this Cardinals team won’t skip a beat, and the 5-star freshman makes everyone better on the floor.
“Mikel is a great player. He makes it easier on all of us to be honest," Conwell stated yesterday at the press conference. "He pulls so much gravity towards him. Every team he is at the top of the scouting report, so we love having him on the court, and then we also know that we still got to take care of business even if he is not on the court, but no matter what, we always have his back.”
When Brown is on the floor, Louisville’s ceiling is much higher. The 5-star freshman is projected to be an NBA lottery pick this summer, and with the potential of being a top 10 pick in the NBA Draft, that type of talent isn’t hard to get the chemistry back to where it was before he got injured.
The 6-foot-5, 195-pound guard is second on the team in scoring with 18.2 points. Before the Clemson game, when he was limited by the injury, he was averaging 29.2 points while shooting 52 percent from the field and 54 percent from 3-point range.
Pat Kelsey stated last week he was “really close” to returning, and yesterday the Cardinals' head coach said he is making “great progress” and will be evaluated over the next couple of practices leading up to the game.
Louisville is looking for its first win in the NCAA Tournament since 2017, and if Brown is good to go, the Cards will feel much more confident to avoid an upset and a first-round exit.
Related: Mikel Brown Jr. delivers promising update with his NCAA Tournament status unknown
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