Highlights, Photos and Notes: Louisville 118, NC State 77.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville men's basketball program put together one of their most dominating performances in recent memory against NC State, walloping the Wolfpack for a 118-77 Cardinals victory on Monday night.

The Atlantic Coast Conference put together a highlight tape of the matchup, which you can see here:

Team Notes:

UofL used the starting lineup of Mikel Brown Jr., Isaac McKneely, Ryan Conwell, J’Vonne Hadley and Sananda Fru for the 13th time this season. The group is now 11-2 together.
KEY FIRST HALF RUN: The Cards opened the game on a 20-7 run before NC State scored five straights points to begin chipping away at its deficit. After the two teams traded baskets back-and-forth, Louisville pulled away with back-to-back field goals and forced the Wolfpack to burn a timeout with 5:00 remaining. NC State was held to three field goals in the final minutes of the period with Louisville taking a 56-36 lead into the break.
KEY SECOND HALF RUN: Out of the locker room, the barnburner continued for the Cards as they pushed their lead continuously throughout the frame. Louisville never lost its momentum, claiming a 118-77 victory, the most scored in a game this season.
Louisville shot 60.0% (39 of 65) from the field, 60.0% (18 of 30) from deep and 81.5% (22 of 27) from the free-throw line. The last time the Cards shot 60% from three was on March 8, 2018, in their 82-74 win over Florida State where they shot 62.5%.
Louisville’s 17 3-pointers are the most NC State has ever given up against an opponent.
118 total points is the most scored in a game since Dec. 6, 1995, when Louisville defeated Morehead State by a score 119-61.
The Cards tallied 62 points in the second half, which was the first time they scored 60 or more points in a period since Dec. 12, 2015, when they defeated Grand Canyon.
Mikel Brown Jr. and Ryan Conwell each put up 30-point performances, marking the first time the Cards have had two 30-point scorers in program history and combining for 76 points. It was the first time since Dec. 28, 2016, that an ACC team had two players score 30+ points in a single game. Pittsburgh’s Jamel Artis and Mike Young did so against Marshall. It was the first time an ACC did it against another ACC team since Marcus Paige and Brice Johnson of UNC did it at Florida State on Jan. 4, 2016. It was the first time one of the two players in the duo had 40+ since Feb. 8, 1998, when Antawn Jamison and Shammond Williams of UNC did it at Georgia Tech in a double overtime game.

Player Notes:

Mikel Brown Jr. had a career-night, breaking a plethora of records and cementing his name in the record book. Brown totaled 45 points in the game, tying the program’s single-game scoring record. Wes Unseld scored 45 on Dec. 1, 1967 against Georgetown College. The guard now holds the single-game scoring record by a freshman in the Atlantic Coast Conference after breaking Cooper Flagg of Duke’s record of 42 points in January of 2025. The Florida native broke LaBradford Smith’s freshman single-game scoring record, surpassing Smith’s 32-point efforts, which he did twice. The freshman tied Louisville’s program record in three-point field goals with 10, held alongside Reyne Smith who broke the record on Jan. 21, 2025 at SMU. In addition to his new career-high in points and three-point field goals, he earned a new career-high in rebounds with nine and tied his career-high in steals with three. He is the first Louisville player to score 20 points in half since he did it himself on Nov. 11, 2025, against Kentucky. His 24 points in the second half was the second-most ever in a half by a Louisville freshman, behind only LaBradford Smith who had 25 in the second half against Indiana on Dec. 19, 1987. His 45 points was the most NC State has ever given up to an individual opponent. His 10 3-pointers were the second most 3’s NC State has ever given up to an individual opponent.
Ryan Conwell had an impressive performance in the game, tallying 31 points, seven rebounds, six assists, a block and a steal. Conwell earned his 10th 20-point game at Louisville and the 35th of his collegiate career. The senior tied his career high in assists with six and was one point shy of his season-high point total of 32.

Gallery:

Photos courtesy of Jamie Rhodes (Imagn Images) and Matt Stone (Courier Journal).

louisville nc state — Louisville Cardinals guard Mikel Brown Jr. (0) looks to drive during the Cards win overt NC State 118-77 at the KFC Yum! Center in downtown Louisville February 9, 2026. Brown Jr. tied Louisville legend Wes Unseld's game record. | Matt Stone/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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