Preview Louisville Faces SMU to Start ACC Tournament Run

The Cardinals take on the Mustangs a third time to start their time down in Charlotte.

Feb 17, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; SMU Mustangs guard Jaron Pierre Jr. (5) looks to move the ball past Louisville Cardinals forward Vangelis Zougris (53) and guard Mikel Brown Jr. (0) during the second half at Moody Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

ACC Tournament Second Round | No. 6. Louisville Cardinals (22-9, 11-7 ACC) vs. No. 11 SMU (20-12, 8-10 ACC)

- Tipoff: Wednesday, Mar. 11 at 2:30 p.m. EST
- Location: Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C.
- How To Watch: ESPN
- How To Listen: 93.9 FM
- Betting Favorite: Louisville -6.0
- All-Time Series: Louisville Leads 10-3
- Last Meeting: SMU won 95-85 on Feb. 17, 2026 (Dallas, Tex.)

Projected Starting Lineups

Louisville

• G Adrian Wooley (6-4, 200, So.)
• G Isaac McKneely (6-4, 195, Sr.)
• G Ryan Conwell (6-4, 215, Sr.)
• F J'Vonne Hadley (6-7, 210, 6th)
• F/C Vangelis Zougris (6-8, 240, Jr.)

SMU

• G Boopie Miller (6-0, 175, Sr.)
• G Jaron Pierre Jr. (6-5, 210, Sr.)
• F Corey Washington (6-6, 190, Sr.)
• C Jaden Toombs (6-10, 230, Fr.)
• 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

• ACC Tournament Hub: Schedule, Bracket Predictions
• How the ACC Tournament Could Impact Louisville's NCAA Tournament Seed
• Two Cardinals Earn 2025-26 All-ACC Honors
• Post-Regular Season Louisville MBB NCAA Tournament Projections
• Injury Report: Will Mikel Brown Jr. Play vs. SMU?

Game Notes

Louisville

• Senior guard Ryan Conwell was named Second Team All-ACC while freshman Mikel Brown Jr. was named Third Team All-ACC and tapped to the All-Rookie Team, the league announced Monday afternoon.
• 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 one of three teams 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.
• 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 March 8, 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.
• As of March 8, Mikel Brown Jr. is one of 11 players in DI this season to score 45 points, and one of eight to do it in a regulation length game.
• Louisville is one of four programs that has logged at least three games of 18+ made 3's as of March 8, joining Cornell (5 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 17 teams in 2025-26 as of Feb. 27 to have five games or more of at least 24 assists.
• Louisville has had 11 games of 20+ assists, also one of 22 teams in the nation to do so.
• Louisville shot 60% from the 3-point line against the Wolfpack on Feb. 9. It was the best the Cards have shot from the arc, since shooting 62.5% in an 82-74 victory over Florida State on March 8, 2018.
• As of March 8, Louisville is fourth in the nation in three-pointers per game (11.9), fifth in three point attempts per game (32.7), 16th in scoring margin (13.4), 17th in scoring offense (85.8), 18th in effective field goal percentage (.568) and 20th in assists per game (20). Ryan Conwell is seventh in three-point attempts (288) and 13th in three-pointers per game (3.4). 

SMU

• SMU has five players averaging double figures in scoring: Boopie Miller (19.4, 5th ACC, 48th NCAA), Jaron Pierre Jr. (17.5, 8th ACC), B.J. Edwards (12.7, 31st ACC), Corey Washington (11.3, 44th ACC) and Samet Yigitoglu (11.0, 49th ACC). SMU has had at least four double-figure scorers in 26 of 31 games and at least five in double figures nine times. (As of March 8, 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, 7th ACC), Boopie Miller (5, 11th ACC), Corey Washington (3, 19th ACC), B.J. Edwards (2 - both triple-doubles), Jaron Pierre Jr. (1) and Jaden Toombs (1). Edwards is the one of three players in the nation with multiple triple-doubles.
• Yigitoglu is leading the Mustangs in blocks (1.4, 9th ACC), rebounds (7.8, 7th ACC, 86th NCAA) and offensive rebounds (3.6, 1st ACC, 17th NCAA).
• Boopie Miller leads in assists (6.6, 2nd ACC, 13th NCAA) with a 2.44 assist-to-turnover ratio (6th ACC, 84th NCAA) and is second on the team in steals (1.5, 11th ACC).
• B.J. Edwards is averaging 4.9 assists (7th ACC, 68th NCAA), 5.9 rebounds (19th ACC) and 2.3 steals (1st ACC, 11th NCAA) with a 2.56 assist-to-turnover ratio (4th ACC, 68th NCAA).
• From three-point range, Corey Washington 40.8% (42-103), Jermaine O’Neal Jr. 39.7% (23-58), Boopie Miller 42.4% (59-139), B.J. Edwards 37.2% (42-113) and Jaron Pierre Jr. 37.7% (69-183).
• The Mustangs are near the top of the ACC in scoring offense (85.0, 2nd ACC, 20th NCAA), assists (17.1, 3rd ACC, 30th NCAA), fastbreak points (12.2, 1st ACC, 87th NCAA), field-goal percentage (49.3%, 3rd ACC, 22nd NCAA), 3-point percentage (37.8%, 2nd ACC, 23rd NCAA) and free-throw percentage (74.2%, 5th ACC).
• B.J. Edwards missed the last three games of the regular season due to an injury. The Mustangs are 17-8 this season (8-6 ACC) with the starting lineup of Edwards, Boopie Miller, Jaron Pierre Jr., Corey Washington and Samet Yigitoglu.
• SMU went 1-1 in its first ACC Tournament (2025) defeating Syracuse 73-53 in the second round before falling 57-54 to [10/10] Clemson in the quarterfinal. The Mustangs have won three conference tournament titles (1988 Southwest, 2015 American, 2017 American).
• Head coach Andy Enfield has a 15-12 conference tournament record, including a 1-1 mark at SMU in the ACC Tournament. He led Florida Gulf Coast to the 2013 A-SUN Tournament title en route to the NCAA Sweet 16. He also led FGCU to the tournament title game in 2012 and USC to the Pac-12 title game in 2018.
• Senior guard Boopie Miller was named All-ACC Second Team and senior guards B.J. Edwards and Jaron Pierre Jr. both earned All-ACC Honorable Mention, the ACC announced on Monday. Edwards was also selected to the ACC All-Defensive Team and earned votes for Defensive Player of the Year and Most Improved Player.

(Photo of Vangelis Zougris, Mikel Brown Jr., Jaron Pierre Jr.: Jerome Miron - Imagn Images)

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