Preview: Louisville Heads to Dallas for Rematch vs. SMU

The Cardinals remain in the Lone Star State for a chance to pull off the regular season sweep of the Mustangs.

Louisville Cardinals guard Ryan Conwell (3) celebrates after hitting a three-point goal against NC State at the KFC Yum! Center in downtown Louisville February 9, 2026. | Matt Stone/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

No. 24 Louisville Cardinals (19-6, 8-4 ACC) vs. SMU Mustangs (17-8, 6-6 ACC)

- Tipoff: Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 7:00 p.m. EST
- Location: Moody Coliseum in Dallas, Tex.
- How To Watch: ESPN2
- How To Listen: 93.9 FM
- Betting Favorite: Louisville -2.0
- All-Time Series: Louisville Leads 10-2
- Last Meeting: Louisville won 88-74 on Jan. 31, 2026 (KFC Yum! Center)

Projected Starting Lineups

Louisville

• G Mikel Brown Jr. (6-5, 190, Fr.)
• G Isaac McKneely (6-4, 195, Sr.)
• G Ryan Conwell (6-4, 215, Sr.)
• F J'Vonne Hadley (6-7, 210, 6th)
• F/C Sananda Fru (6-11, 245, Jr.)

SMU

• G Boopie Miller (6-0, 175, Sr.)
• G B.J. Edwards (6-3, 200, Sr.)
• G Jaron Pierre Jr. (6-5, 210, Sr.)
• F Corey Washington (6-6, 190, Sr.)
• C Samet Yigitoglu (7-2, 270, So.)

Comparison

See how the Cardinals stack up against the Mustangs, and who the statistical models favor: Tale of The Tape, Predictions: Louisville vs. SMU

Additional Coverage

• Watch: Louisville Head Coach Pat Kelsey Previews SMU
• Louisville Rises in Associated Press Top 25 Poll
• Mikel Brown Jr. Named National Player of the Week

Game Notes

Louisville

• Freshman guard Mikel Brown Jr. tied Louisville's single-game scoring record with 45 points against NC State on Feb. 9. He tied the legendary Wes Unseld who was the lone owner of the record since Dec. 1, 1967. Brown also broke the ACC freshman single game scoring record, previously set by Cooper Flagg at 42 points.
• Louisville had two 30-point scorers in one game for the first time in program history as Mikel Brown Jr. scored 45 and Ryan Conwell scored 31 against NC State on Feb. 9. UofL is just the second team in DI this season to have a game with two 31+ point scorers. The duo became the first pair of ACC players to drop 30+ each against another ACC team since Marcus Paige and Brice Johnson of UNC did it at Florida State on Jan. 4, 2016
• Freshman Mikel Brown Jr. was named ACC Player and Rookie of the Week on Feb. 16 in addition to Naismith Trophy Player of the Week.
• According to OptaSTATS, Mikel Brown Jr. and Ryan Conwell are the only DI teammate duo in the last 30 seasons to combine for 75+ points, 15+ rebounds and 15+ threes made in a game. Only one NBA duo has ever done it: Damian Lillard and Nassir Little during Lillard's 71-point game on Feb. 26, 2023. Mikel Brown Jr. is the only DI player since at least 2010-11 to record 45 points, nine rebounds, two assists and three steals in 34 minutes or less in a single game. He did so against NC State on Feb. 9.
• As of Feb. 15, there are 23 players in DI shooting 41.5% or above from 3-point range in their career. No one in that group has made or attempted more 3-pointers than senior guard Isaac McKneely, who has made 302 on 728 attempts. He is 81 makes and 211 attempts ahead of the next closest player, Milan Momcilovic of Iowa State.
• Louisville is one of three DI teams with at least six victories of 40 points or more this season, joining Michigan (7) and High Point (6). The six 40+ point wins are the most UofL has ever had in a single season.
• Mikel Brown Jr. is one of seven players in DI this season to score 45 points, and one of five to do it in a regulation length game. He joins Dennis Parker Jr. of Radford (53), Dominique Daniels Jr. of California Baptist (47, OT), Javontae Campbell of Bowling Green (47, OT), Paul McNeil Jr. of NC State (47), Keaton Wagler of Illinois (46) and Dontae Horne of Prairie View A&M (46)/
• Louisville is one of four programs that has logged at least three games of 18+ made 3's, joining Cornell (4 games), Charleston Southern (3) and VMI (3).
• Louisville has had five games of at least 24 assists, the first time since 2010-11 that the program has had multiple games of 24+ assists; the Cardinals had five games of at 24+ assists that season. Louisville is one of 13 teams in 2025-26 as of Feb. 15 to have five games or more of at least 24 assists. Louisville has had 10 games of 20+ assists, also one of 18 teams in the nation to do so.
• Louisville's 118 points against NC State on Feb. 9 were the most points scored in a game by the Cardinals since UofL defeated Morehead State 119-61 on Dec. 6, 1995.
• Against Memphis on Dec. 13, Louisville had four different players with at least three 3-pointers apiece for the first time since Nov. 22, 2010 when the Cards played Chattanooga.
• Louisville is one of three DI teams with at least six victories of 40 points or more this season, joining Michigan (7) and High Point (6). The six 40+ point wins are the most UofL has ever had in a single season.
• Ryan Conwell’s stat line against NC State is one of just four instances since at least 2010-11 where a DI player logged at least 31 points, seven rebounds and six assists in 29 minutes or less. He did it one other time this year, and his teammate Adrian Wooley did it at a previous stop with Kennesaw State.
• Freshman Mikel Brown Jr. has logged seven 20-point games, the most ever in a single season by a Louisville freshman.
• Both Ryan Conwell and Mikel Brown Jr. represent Louisville on the preseason Naismith Trophy Player of the Year Watch List. Conwell is also on the Lute Olsen Early Season List while Brown is on the Midseason List for the John Wooden Award.
• There are 14 players who returned to DI this season that started the season with at least 175 made 3-pointers with a career 3-point field goal percentage of 38% or more; Ryan Conwell and Isaac McKneely are two of those 14 players.

SMU

• Last time out: Nate Kingz had 13 and the game‑winning layup with two seconds remaining, and Syracuse edged SMU 79–78.
• Last game vs. Louisville: Mikel Brown Jr. scored 20 points off the bench, Isaac McKneely added 14 and No. 20 Louisville used a 10-0 second half run to rally past SMU 88-74.
• SMU has five players averaging double figures in scoring: Boopie Miller (18.9, 6th ACC, 57th NCAA), Jaron Pierre Jr. (17.4, 8th ACC), B.J. Edwards (13.2, 28th ACC), Corey Washington (11.3, 45th ACC) and Samet Yigitoglu (10.7, 49th ACC).
• SMU has had at least four double-figure scorers in 23 of 25 games and five in double figures eight times. (As of Feb. 12, SMU was one of 29 teams with five averaging 10+ points.) Six Mustangs have recorded at least one double-double this season: Samet Yigitoglu (6, 6th ACC, 78th NCAA), Boopie Miller (5, 9th ACC), Corey Washington (3, 18th ACC), B.J. Edwards (2 - both triple-doubles), Jaron Pierre Jr. (1) and Jaden Toombs (1). Edwards is the one of two players in the nation with multiple triple-doubles (Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State).  
• Yigitoglu is leading the Mustangs in blocks (1.4, 5th ACC, 93rd NCAA) and rebounds (8.0, 7th ACC, 72nd NCAA).
• Boopie Miller leads in assists (6.8, 2nd ACC, 12th NCAA) with a 2.72 assist-to-turnover ratio (4th ACC, 49th NCAA) and is second on the team in steals (1.8, 5th ACC, 88th NCAA).
• B.J. Edwards is averaging 5.0 assists (7th ACC, 68th NCAA), 6.1 rebounds (19th ACC) and 2.4 steals (1st ACC, 11th NCAA) with a 2.43 assist-to-turnover ratio (7th ACC, 95th NCAA).
• From three-point range, Corey Washington 42.0% (34-81), Jermaine O’Neal Jr. 40.5% (17-42), Boopie Miller 42.4% (46-111), B.J. Edwards 36.3% (37-102) and Jaron Pierre Jr. 36.8% (53-144).
• The Mustangs are near the top of the ACC in scoring offense (86.2, 2nd ACC, 19th NCAA), assists (17.6, 2nd ACC, 24th NCAA), fastbreak points (12.5, 1st ACC, 87th NCAA), field-goal percentage (49.5%, 3rd ACC, 23rd NCAA), 3-point percentage (37.8%, 2nd ACC, 25th NCAA) and free-throw percentage (76.2%, 5th ACC, 49th NCAA).
• Boopie Miller is on the Oscar Roberston Trophy Midseason Watch List, the Lute Olson Award Early Season Watch List and was named The Athletic Midseason All-America honorable mention after being selected preseason All-ACC second team.
• The Mustangs have at least received votes in eight of the past 13 weeks. In the Jan. 5 polls, SMU was No. 24 in the AP Top 25 and No. 25 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. That was the first time the Mustangs have been ranked since the final poll of the 2016-17 season.

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(Photo of Ryan Conwell: Matt Stone - Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

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