Mikel Brown Jr.’s Big Monday debut was one to forget: seven points on 1-for-13 shooting across 34 minutes of Louisville basketball’s 31-point loss to then-No. 4 Duke on Jan. 26.
In the wake of that beatdown at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Brown said he and coach Pat Kelsey had a conversation that boiled down to, “Let the game come to you.”
Against N.C. State on Monday night at the KFC Yum! Center, the freshman point guard assisted Isaac McKneely on the first basket of what ended up being a 118-77 beatdown in favor of No. 23 Cardinals (18-6, 8-4 ACC). Then, he took over.
Brown’s 45 points tied Wes Unseld for the most in a single game by a UofL player. That record dates back to 1967. His 10 3-pointers also tied another single-game program record — set by Reyne Smith on Jan. 21, 2025, at SMU.
Up next for Louisville: a neutral-site nonconference game. The Cards will head to Fort Worth, Texas, for a 4 p.m. tipoff Saturday against Baylor at Dickies Arena.
This story will be updated.
Reach Louisville men’s basketball reporter Brooks Holton at [email protected] and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.
