Mikel Brown Jr. Making 'Steady' Improvement in Rehab, Aiming for NCAA Tournament Return

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville men's basketball program's first postseason game wasn't without some drama.

Tasked with facing SMU for a third time, this time in the second round of the ACC Tournament, the Cardinals had to make a last-minute push to be able to take down the Mustangs. Thanks to some clutch buckets from Ryan Conwell, they were able to capture a gritty 62-58 victory, and punch their ticket to the semifinals for a rematch with Miami.

What made Louisville's win against SMU even more impressive is that it came without their most talented player at their disposal. In fact, he won't even be available for against the Hurricanes, or even later this week if UofL goes on an extended run in the ACC Tournament.

The night before Louisville's ACC Tournament opener vs. SMU, the program announced that star point guard Mikel Brown Jr. would not only be sidelined for the game against the Mustangs, but that he would be out for the entire ACC Tournament, with "the goal of being ready for the NCAA Tournament."

"Mikel wants to play in the ACC Tournament, but we believe it is best to have him continue his path of improvement and have him 100% for the first round of the NCAA Tournament," head coach Pat Kelsey said in a statement. "He’s close and chomping at the bit to be out there with his teammates.”

Brown has been dealing with a nagging lower back injury, which was re-aggravated in Louisville's game against at North Carolina on Feb. 2. He tried to play through it in the next game at Clemson, but had a minimal impact, and has since been sidelined for the last three games.

Including an eight-game stretch earlier in the season when he first dealt with this injury, as well as Louisville's upcoming rematch with Miami, Brown will have missed 12 games so far this season. While he admitted it's been "very difficult" dealing with this injury luck, he'd dedicated to getting back to full strength.

"Obviously, not how I envisioned it before I stepped on campus," Brown said in the locker room following Louisville's win over SMU on Wednesday. "But man, I am just following God's plan and trusting it every single day.

"It's hard to be on the sidelines and watch those guys go out there and battle, and just go through the grind. ... Basketball gave me everything. To be able to sit from the sideline, it's a learned lesson at the same time, but like I said, I'm working my behind off to try and get back 100 percent."

In his previous game at Clemson, it was very clear that his back injury had flared back up to the point where he had to sit. Not only did not start against the Tigers, but he finished with just five points, four assists and two rebounds in 21 minutes.

But since that game, Brown believes he has made "steady" and "constant" improvement, primarily because he dedicated himself to exploring every avenue possible to expedite his recovery.

"It's been very, very steady," he said. "(I've had) constant improvement since that game. Obviously, I just wasn't myself in that game. You could see it, and I felt it as well. After that game, I just made an emphasis to just do extra treatment, do whatever you can, whatever is available to you, take advantage of it. Just try to get back 100 percent."

Regardless of how far Louisville goes in the ACC Tournament, they are still a lock to make the NCAA Tournament, which is fast approaching. Selection Sunday is only three days away, and the Cardinals could start their run in the Big Dance as soon as next Thursday depending on their draw.

When asked if he believes there is a chance he will be able to suit up for Louisville's start to their NCAA Tournament run, Brown gave an update that is sure to be music to Cardinals' fans ears.

"Absolutely. Absolutely," he said. "I am starting to get there. Like I said, I'm slowly progressing, I'm slowly doing more and more day in and day out, just trying to get a feel for it. Obviously, like coach said, the plan is I'll come back when I'm 100 percent and when I feel great."

Sixth-seeded and AP-ranked No. 24 Louisville will take on Miami later today at 2:30 p.m. EST from the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C.

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