LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville basketball could once again be without two key starters when it hosts No. 21 Virginia at the KFC Yum! Center on Tuesday night.
Head coach Pat Kelsey didn't provide firm updates on either guard Ryan Conwell or freshman point guard Mikel Brown Jr. during his Monday turn on the ACC coaches teleconference, but the language used around Brown hinted at a potentially longer absence than previously acknowledged.
"We fully expect him to be back out there this season at some point," Kelsey said. "When that is, I don't know right now."
That phrasing marked a subtle but significant shift from previous weeks, when Brown's return felt closer on the horizon. The freshman has missed six straight games with lingering back issues. Kelsey said all structural tests have come back clean, but the discomfort hasn't subsided.
Louisville | Kentucky | Indiana | Eric Crawford
Conwell, meanwhile, suffered a knee-to-knee collision in practice last week and missed Saturday's win over Boston College. Kelsey called it a "freak thing" and did not offer a timeline for his return.
"Ryan is super duper tough, wants to be out there," Kelsey said. "As the updates come out, as we get closer to the game, you'll see it."
With both sidelined, Louisville relied on what Kelsey described as a "gritty" team effort to edge the Eagles. One of the standouts was Sananda Fru, who provided physicality inside, cleaned the glass, finished through contact and even flashed his versatility in the open floor.
"He stepped up for us in a big way when we really needed him," Kelsey said. "He's much more than just an around-the-basket big. He rebounded it, pushed it, finished. He changed the game with his presence."
A defensive puzzle
Virginia enters ranked in the Top 25 in offensive and defensive efficiency in Ken Pomeroy's metrics, and featuring two elite shot-blockers who've combined for 81 rejections. Ugonna Onyenso, a transfer for Kentucky, has 41 of thoe blocks to rank No. 10 in the nation.
Kelsey said their system isn't built to force turnovers. It's designed to wear teams down.
"They make you work deep into the shot clock," he said. "They funnel the ball to their rim protectors and force you to make really sound decisions in the paint. They make it hairy."
The Cardinals will need clean execution and sharp decision-making to score against a defense that rarely beats itself.
Mutual respect, and a similar build
Kelsey was quick to praise first-year Cavaliers head coach Ryan Odom, a longtime peer in the coaching ranks who has rapidly rebuilt Virginia into an ACC contender.
"They've made a heck of an investment in men's basketball," Kelsey said. "They've got the right guy in charge … they're dangerous top to bottom."
He noted that both Louisville and Virginia have embraced similar philosophies in roster construction, analytics, and style, and credited Odom with instilling a hard-nosed culture quickly.
"You can have the right pieces," Kelsey said, "but if you don't have a freaking airtight, nasty culture, none of it matters. And he's got those guys playing really, really hard."
Tipoff is 7 p.m. Tuesday on ESPN2.
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