Brown scores 45, sets ACC frosh single-game scoring mark, ties Unseld's record for No. 24 Cardinals

Mikel Brown Jr. eclipsed the previous ACC freshman record of 42 points, set last season by Duke's Cooper Flagg.

Feb. 9, 2026 at 11:31pm

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Mikel Brown Jr. had 10 3-pointers and scored an Atlantic Coast Conference freshman single-game record 45 points as No. 24 Louisville routed N.C. State 118-77 on Monday night. Brown's 45 points also tied Hall of Famer Wes Unseld's single-game Louisville scoring mark, set on Dec. 1, 1967, against Georgetown College.

Why it matters

Brown's record-breaking performance highlights the rising talent in the ACC, with the conference producing some of the top young basketball players in the country. His ability to set a new freshman scoring mark and tie a longstanding school record demonstrates the impact he is making in his first season with the Cardinals.

The details

After up-and-down scoring outputs in five games since returning from a lower back injury, the heralded freshman guard had 21 points with five 3s by halftime before erasing LaBradford Smith's school freshman mark of 32 midway through the second. Brown finished 14 of 23 from the field with a career-best 10 of 16 from beyond the arc, topping his previous best of 29 points against rival Kentucky in November.

  • On Monday night, February 10, 2026, Mikel Brown Jr. set the ACC freshman single-game scoring record.
  • Brown's 45 points also tied the single-game Louisville scoring mark set by Wes Unseld on December 1, 1967.

The players

Mikel Brown Jr.

A heralded freshman guard for the Louisville Cardinals who set the ACC freshman single-game scoring record with 45 points.

Wes Unseld

A Hall of Famer who held the single-game Louisville scoring record that Brown tied with his 45-point performance.

Cooper Flagg

The Duke freshman who previously held the ACC freshman single-game scoring record with 42 points.

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What’s next

Louisville will take on Baylor on Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas as they look to build on Brown's historic performance.

The takeaway

Mikel Brown Jr.'s 45-point game not only set a new ACC freshman single-game scoring record, but it also tied a longstanding Louisville school record held by a Hall of Famer. This performance cements Brown as one of the top young talents in college basketball and a rising star in the ACC.