No. 24 Louisville, high-scoring Mikel Brown Jr. visit SMU

Louisville looks to extend winning streak to six games as freshman Brown aims to build on historic performances

Published on Feb. 17, 2026

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No. 24 Louisville will stay in the Lone Star State as the Cardinals return to Atlantic Coast Conference action Tuesday to face SMU in Dallas. Attention will be on freshman Mikel Brown Jr., who scored 29 points in Louisville's win over Baylor and tied a school record with 45 points in a victory over NC State. SMU is coming off a tough 79-78 loss at Syracuse, with freshman Jaden Toombs leading the Mustangs with 19 points. The game will feature the conference's top two offenses, with Louisville averaging 86.9 points per game and SMU at 86.2.

Why it matters

This game could have implications for seeding in next month's ACC tournament, as Louisville is one game back of fourth-place Miami for the last double bye, while SMU sits eighth but has several teams right behind them vying for the final two single byes.

The details

Louisville's Mikel Brown Jr. has been on a tear, tying a school record and breaking the ACC freshman mark with 45 points against NC State. He followed that up with 29 points in a win over Baylor. SMU is coming off a tough loss to Syracuse, where they led for most of the game before surrendering the lead late. The game will feature the top two offenses in the ACC, with Louisville averaging 86.9 points per game and SMU at 86.2.

  • On Feb. 9, Brown tied Wes Unseld's school record and broke the ACC freshman mark with 45 points in a win over NC State.
  • On Feb. 11, Brown scored 29 points in Louisville's 82-71 victory over Baylor.

The players

Mikel Brown Jr.

A 6-foot-5 freshman point guard for Louisville who has been on a scoring tear, tying a school record and breaking the ACC freshman mark with 45 points in a win over NC State.

Jaden Toombs

A 6-foot-10 freshman center for SMU who led the team with 19 points off the bench in their loss to Syracuse.

Boopie Miller

The ACC's sixth-best scorer at 18.9 points per game for SMU, though he was limited to 11 points in the loss to Syracuse.

Ryan Conwell

A senior guard for Louisville who leads the ACC in 3-pointers made per game, though he has struggled from beyond the arc in his last five games.

Jaron Pierre Jr.

A senior guard for SMU who ranks ninth in the ACC in scoring at 17.4 points per game and has been shooting well from 3-point range lately.

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What they’re saying

“He's been affecting the game in so many ways outside of scoring. We all know in our program, from head to toe ... he's been the quarterback on the floor.”

— Pat Kelsey, Louisville coach (statenews.net)

“It's a hard loss for us because we did a lot of things well. A lot of second-chance points and more transition points.”

— Andy Enfield, SMU coach (statenews.net)

What’s next

Tuesday's game will have implications for seeding in next month's ACC tournament, with Louisville looking to improve its position and SMU trying to hold onto a single-bye spot.

The takeaway

This matchup between two of the ACC's top offenses features several talented players, including Louisville's Mikel Brown Jr. who has been on a historic scoring tear, and could have a significant impact on the conference tournament seeding.