Miami already had reason to think the ACC tournament might open up a little after Duke lost Caleb Foster and Patrick Ngongba II for this week. Now another contender on the Hurricanes' side of the bracket is dealing with a major loss.
Louisville announced Tuesday that freshman guard Mikel Brown Jr. will miss the entire ACC tournament as he continues to recover from a back injury, with the goal of being ready for the NCAA tournament.
NEWS: Louisville freshman guard Mikel Brown Jr. will be out for the entirety of the ACC Tournament with the goal of being ready for the NCAA Tournament, per the school.
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) March 11, 2026
Miami must take advantage of ACC tournament opportunity
Brown was named third-team All-ACC and to the conference's All-Rookie Team this week. He finished the regular season averaging 18.2 points, 4.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds in 21 games. Brown is the Cardinals' second-leading scorer and top assist man.
The Hurricanes earned the No. 3 seed and a double bye, and they will open Thursday against the winner of Wednesday's Louisville-SMU game. Louisville is the No. 6 seed, so Brown's absence directly affects one of the most likely quarterfinal matchups Miami could see right away.
Now, it should be noted that the Cardinals just beat Miami 92-89 in Coral Gables on March 7 without Brown, who sat out because of the same recurring back issue. Louisville got 24 points from Ryan Conwell and the late game-winner from Adrian Wooley. So while Brown being out for the whole tournament helps Miami on paper, Louisville has already showed it can still be dangerous without him.
Brown's injury also gives SMU a more realistic path to knock Louisville out before the Hurricanes ever see the Cardinals. And if SMU is the team that advances, the feel of that game is a lot different than a Louisville rematch. Miami already went to Dallas on March 4 and beat the Mustangs 77-69, with Tre Donaldson scoring 17 points and Malik Reneau posting a double-double.
Louisville and SMU split their two regular-season meetings. Louisville won the first one 88-74 at home on Jan. 31, but SMU answered with a 95-85 win in Dallas on Feb. 17. The Mustangs also immediately handled Syracuse 86-69 in the first round Tuesday, with Boopie Miller scoring 25 points, Jaron Pierre Jr. adding 21, and Jaden Toombs finishing with 16 points and 11 rebounds.