Brown’s Unbelievable 45-Point Triumph Shatters ACC Record and Rivals Legendary Unseld—Can No. 24 Cardinals Ride This Wave?

Every once in a while, a performance comes along that just knocks the socks off everyone watching—and Monday night in Louisville was one of those times. Mikel Brown Jr., Louisville’s gifted freshman guard, went on an absolute tear, draining an eye-popping 10 triples and piling up 45 points, smashing the previous ACC freshman single-game record. That wasn’t just a flash in the pan either; the 24th-ranked Cardinals steamrolled past N.C. State 118-77, with Ryan Conwell chipping in a solid 31 points as Louisville lit up the scoreboard with a scorching 60% shooting clip. The buzz was palpable as Brown not only set a new standard for ACC freshmen but also tied a scoring legend’s mark for Louisville—a feat that’s been untouched since 1967. It was like watching a masterclass unfolded on hardwood, reminding you just why basketball is such a thrilling spectacle. Intrigued yet? LEARN MORE.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — 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.

Ryan Conwell added 31 and the Cardinals (18-6, 8-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) shot 60% for the game.

Brown eclipsed the previous ACC freshman record of 42 points, set last season by Duke’s Cooper Flagg. The 45 points also tied Hall of Famer Wes Unseld’s single-game Louisville scoring mark, set on Dec. 1, 1967, against Georgetown College.

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’s record-tying 3 came with 2:09 remaining, bringing a huge cheer from a white-clad crowd of 14,389 eager to see if he’d approach Unseld’s school mark.

He 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. That had ranked fourth-best all time among Louisville freshmen coming in.

Louisville started off hot and didn’t cool off much, shooting 58% in the first half and finishing 39 of 65 overall. The Cardinals’ total included 18 3-pointers on 30 attempts, tying their second-highest output this season.

Ven-Allen Lubin had 20 points and Tre Holloman 19 for N.C. State (18-7, 9-3), which had won six in a row and entered 6-0 in ACC road games. The Wolfpack shot 41% and made just 18% from deep.

Conwell hit 10 of 14 shots and 5 of 6 from behind the arc.