New Headline: Mikel Brown Jr. Takes Knockout Blow in NBA Playoffs!
If the Cards win their first NCAA Tournament game since 2017, they’ll have done so without their star point guard.
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - JANUARY 13: Mikel Brown Jr. #0 of the Louisville Cardinals reacts bavi at KFC YUM! Center on January 13, 2026 in Louisville, Kentucky.
(Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) | Getty Images U of L has released the following statement on the status of star freshman point guard Mikel Brown Jr. : University of Louisville freshman guard Mikel Brown Jr. (back) will be out for Louisville’s NCAA Tournament Round of 64 game on Thursday against South Florida and would remain out the rest of this week should the Cardinals advance to the Round of 32.
Going into the ACC Tournament, the goal was to have Mikel available for the NCAA Tournament, unfortunately that is not the case. So, that sucks. It’s not unexpected, but it still really, really sucks.
South Florida is legitimately the perfect opponent to have Mikel available for, and not having him makes the challenges the Bulls present that much more of a problem. Find a way.