What happened to Mikel Brown Jr? How injury is impacting Louisville's NCAA Tournament run

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What happened to Mikel Brown Jr? How injury is impacting Louisville's NCAA Tournament run originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Louisville Cardinals will take on the Michigan State Spartans in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament, but will have to do so without one of their best players. 

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Freshman guard Mike Brown Jr. had dominated during the regular season. Even as a true freshman, he played in 21 games and averaged 18.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists. Brown missed about a month of the regular season due to a lower back injury, and he re-aggravated the injury in the Cardinals' loss to the North Carolina Tar Heels on February 23. 

Brown suited up against Clemson in Louisville's next game but was clearly hindered by the injury. He was shut down for the remainder of the regular season in hopes that he could return for the ACC tournament. Brown missed the tournament, and once again, Louisville hoped that he would be ready for the NCAA Tournament. The guard did not recover as quickly as was hoped, and he was ruled out for the first weekend of the tournament, with a new hope that he would be ready if the Cardinals made the Sweet 16. 

Here is more on Brown's injury status and why it has kept him from the start of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. 

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Why is Mikel Brown Jr. not playing?

The Louisville guard isn't playing against No. 3 Michigan State on Saturday because he is dealing with a lingering back issue. Brown sustained the injury in the regular season but was able to return for about a month of action. Then, he re-aggravated his lower back injury and missed the end of the Cardinals' regular season and their ACC Tournament run. The hope was that Brown would be able to return, but he hasn't recovered as hoped and remains sidelined. 

When the first injury report came out ahead of the Louisville-Michigan State matchup, it was no surprise that he had been ruled out. After missing the ACC Tournament and once it became clear he wasn't recovering as hoped, Brown was ruled out for the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament. 

What is Mikel Brown Jr.'s injury?

Brown is dealing with a lower back injury. He had missed eight games from mid-December to late-January due to the back injury and re-aggravated it against North Carolina on Feb. 23. Brown tried to play through it against Clemson on Feb. 28, but Louisville opted for him to focus on his healing with the hope that he could be back by the NCAA Tournament. That didn't happen, and the hope for Brown is that the Cardinals make it to the next weekend, and he can join them for the Sweet 16. 

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How long has Mikel Brown Jr. been out?

Brown last played on Feb. 28 against Clemson, with a season-low five points. He missed Louisville's end to the regular season and missed the ACC Tournament. The hope was that Brown would be able to return for the NCAA Tournament, but the school announced that he is not progressing as hoped and will miss the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. 

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Mikel Brown Jr. stats

Brown is a true freshman for Louisville. He played in 21 games during his first season with the Cardinals and started 19 of them. Here are his per-game stats from his freshman year. 

SeasonGamesMinutesPointsReboundsAssistsStealsFG%3FG%FT%2025-262129.218.23.34.71.241.0%34.4%84.4%

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