Louisville freshman guard Mikel Brown will miss the entire ACC Tournament as he continues to recover from an ongoing back issue, per a release. The Cardinals hope extra healing time will allow him to compete in the NCAA Tournament starting next week.

The ACC Tournament run will start on Wednesday, when Louisville faces SMU at 2:30 pm ET on ESPN or ESPNU. With a win, the Cardinals would advances to face Miami. From there, they land on the same side of the bracket as Virginia and NC State, both among the possible semifinal matchups.

Head coach Pat Kelsey provided a statement on the program’s decision to hold out Brown.

“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,” Kelsey said. “He’s close and chomping at the bit to be out there with his teammates.”

Brown has already missed time during the regular season with this injury. He first missed an eight-game stretch starting in mid-December, then reaggravated it in late February. The five-star phenom missed the final two games of the regular season as well.

This season, Mikel Brown is averaging 18.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists in 21 appearances. He is shooting 41-percent from the field and 34.4-percent from the 3-point line, helping keep him in the mix as a top 2026 NBA Draft prospect.

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Louisville has put together a strong season in Year Two under Pat Kelsey, finishing the regular season with a 22-9 overall record and an 11-7 mark in ACC play. The Cardinals enter the conference tournament as a 6-seed, but are one of four teams from the conference which currently rank inside the AP Poll Top 25.

Their NCAA Tournament resume is secure, currently projecting as a 6-seed in On3’s latest bracketology update. They have plenty room to make a rise up the board with a strong ACC Tournament showing, in a close race with North Carolina for a 5-seed nod.

However, the difference between a 5-seed and a 6-seed is likely not great enough to risk the health of a star player. This decision reflects the program’s commitment to bringing the healthiest roster possible into March Madness, where the season can extend or end in a moment.