-
Alaina Getzenberg
Close
Alaina Getzenberg
ESPN
- Alaina Getzenberg covers the Buffalo Bills for ESPN. She joined ESPN in 2021. Alaina was previously a beat reporter for the Charlotte Observer and has also worked for CBS Sports and the Dallas Morning News. She is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley.
Multiple Authors
Louisville star freshman Mikel Brown Jr. is out for the Cardinals’ first-round game against South Florida, the school announced Wednesday, with mixed messaging about his availability for a potential second-round game.
The school announced that Brown would “remain out the rest of this week should the Cardinals advance to the Round of 32,” but coach Pat Kelsey would not comment on Brown’s status beyond him not playing in Thursday’s first-round game, and Brown said it was “possible” he could play over the weekend.
“There’s a possibility,” Brown said. “I don’t know how, I don’t know if it’s completely 100%. Like I said, man, this thing is just taking its slow, precious time and I’m leaning on my medical staff every single day to do any type of treatment, anything to try to get me back healthy.”
When asked what Brown might need to see or feel in order to suit up in a potential second-round game, Brown reiterated that it was “possible.”
“Shoot, it’s like I said, it’s taking its precious time, so I really don’t have a gauge on if I’ll be able to play on Saturday,” he said. “Obviously, I do pray that I’m able to play on Saturday. But like I said, man, I’ve never been trained to go half-speed in any type of shape or form in anything that I do. And that’s the only speed I can go at right now.”
Brown has missed the last four games with a back injury, the same injury that kept him out of eight games earlier this season. When on the court, Brown was one of the most dynamic freshman guards in college basketball, averaging 18.2 points and 4.7 assists. The projected NBA lottery pick has produced some outstanding individual performances since initially returning from injury, including a 45-point, nine-rebound game against NC State in which he made 10 3-pointers. He also had 29 points in back-to-back games against Baylor and SMU.
Before the December injury, Brown had one of the statement early-season performances, scoring 29 points and handing out five assists in a win over rival Kentucky.
Louisville opened the season with nine wins in its first 10 games before Brown was sidelined for more than a month. The Cardinals went just 4-4 without Brown. Once he returned, they rattled off six wins in seven games before dropping three of Brown’s final four games. They had a better understanding of how to play without Brown the second time around, beating Syracuse, Miami and SMU in three straight games before falling to Miami in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament.
Former Kennesaw State transfer Adrian Wooley has started every game that Brown has been sidelined this season. Wooley is averaging 8.5 points and 4.0 rebounds on the season, but those numbers rise to 11.0 points in 14 games as a starter. He has scored at least 14 points in three of his last five games.
Six-seed Louisville opens the NCAA tournament against 11-seed South Florida on Thursday and would play the winner of Michigan State vs. North Dakota State if it beats the Bulls.
