Louisville star freshman Mikel Brown Jr. (back) won’t play at Cal

Field Level Media|published: Tue 30th December, 21:42 2025

Dec 3, 2025; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Mikel Brown Jr (0) drives against Arkansas Razorbacks guard D.J. Wagner (21) as head coach John Calipari watches during the second half at Bud Walton Arena. Arkansas won 89-80. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

Louisville downgraded freshman guard Mikel Brown Jr. from probable to out just before the No. 16 Cardinals tipped off at Cal on Tuesday night.

Brown missed Louisville's loss at then-No. 20 Tennessee and win over Montana earlier this month with a lower back issue. According to the Louisville Courier-Journal, Brown took part in warmups before the Cal game while wearing a back brace.

The five-star freshman sits second on the team in scoring (16.6 points per game) and leads the Cardinals in assists (5.1 per contest).

Louisville (10-2) started Adrian Wooley in Brown's place for the third straight game. It was the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams.

--Field Level Media

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