Louisville Faces Pitt Without Mikel Brown Jr. for Eighth Straight Game
Louisville heads into tonight’s matchup against Pitt still searching for answers - and still without their star point guard. Mikel Brown Jr., the Cardinals’ floor general and projected NBA lottery pick, will miss his eighth consecutive game due to lingering back spasms. It’s been over a month since Brown last suited up, and the impact of his absence has been felt across the board.
The Cardinals dropped their third ACC game earlier this week in a 79-70 loss to Virginia, falling to 2-3 in conference play. That loss wasn’t just another tally in the “L” column - it underscored just how much this team is missing its leader. With Brown sidelined, Louisville is 3-4 in their last seven games, and the offense has taken a clear step back.
Let’s break that down: Before Brown’s injury, Louisville was averaging a scorching 94.3 points per game. Without him?
That number’s dropped to 77. The shooting percentages tell a similar story.
The Cardinals have dipped from 47.9% from the field and 37.5% from three to 43.4% and 29.3%, respectively. That’s not just a slump - that’s a team trying to rewire its identity on the fly.
Brown’s value goes well beyond the box score, but even the numbers tell a compelling story. He’s averaging 16.6 points and 5.1 assists per game, and Louisville is 9-1 when he’s on the floor.
His ability to control pace, create for others, and knock down shots makes him the engine of this Cardinals team. Without him, Louisville has looked disjointed - a team with talent, but without its compass.
Head coach Pat Kelsey has remained optimistic, noting that Brown is eager to return and working hard to get back. But as of now, there’s still no clear timeline.
There was hope he’d be back for Boston College or Virginia, but that didn’t materialize. Now, it’s been 35 days since his last appearance, and the wait continues.
And it’s not just Brown. Louisville will also be without 6-foot-10 forward Khani Rooths for the second straight game.
Rooths has been a reliable contributor off the bench, averaging 6.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. His absence further thins the Cardinals’ rotation, especially in the frontcourt.
So tonight, inside the Petersen Events Center, Louisville faces a Pitt team that’s always tough at home - and they’ll have to do it without two key pieces. The Cardinals are in a stretch where every ACC game matters, and the margin for error is shrinking. Until Brown returns, it’s going to take a collective effort, sharper execution, and maybe a bit of grit to keep pace in the conference race.
For now, the Cardinals are still searching - not just for wins, but for the version of themselves that looked so promising when their star point guard was leading the charge.