Mikel Brown Jr. has missed the last four games for the Louisville Cardinals, including the ACC Tournament loss against the Miami Hurricanes, due to a back injury. With a 23-10 overall record, the Cardinals have made it to the NCAA Tournament, but Brown’s injury is a major point of concern.
The 19-year-old was last seen on the court in an 85-70 loss to the Clemson Tigers on Feb. 28. He played for 21 minutes and added just five points, an unusual decline from his regular productivity.
Brown is averaging 18.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.2 steals. He is shooting 41% from the field. Not having him in the rotation would leave a huge void in the Cardinals’ game plan.
The Cardinals will play their tournament opener on March 19 against the South Florida Bulls at KeyBank Center in Buffalo. Coach Pat Kelsey is unsure if the star point guard would be ready for the game.
“He made great progress last week,” Kelsey said. “We’ll see how the next couple of days of practice go.”
Brown missed eight games earlier in the season due to the same injury, which he reaggravated against North Carolina a week before the Clemson game.
UPDATE
Earlier today, on March 18, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that Mikel Brown Jr. will miss the game against South Florida. If Louisville advances, Brown Jr. will miss the next game as well.
Mikel Brown Jr. Shared an Injury Update
Getting Brown back in the rotation could be huge for the Cardinals. However, rushing him back on the court could also do more harm than good for his career.
Last Wednesday, Brown Jr. had a brief interaction with reporters and detailed his progress.
“I’m slowly progressing; I’m slowly doing more day in and day out, just trying to get a feel for it. But, obviously, like coach said, the plan is: I’ll come back when I’m 100%,” he said.
Interestingly, when asked if he was confident about his return for the NCAA Tournament, Brown said that he was only focused on his rehab at the time.
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