Louisville's Carlik Jones Unavailable vs. Wisconsin

The Cardinals' first road game of the season will be played without their top player.

(Photo of Carlik Jones: Michael Clevenger/Courier Journal via Imagn Content Services, LLC)

MADISON, Wis. - When the No. 23 Louisville Cardinals take the floor for the first time in nearly three weeks, they will be doing so without their top player.

Prior to the tipoff between them and the No. 12 Wisconsin Badgers at the Kohl Center as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, the program announced that graduate transfer guard Carlik Jones would be unavailable for the contest.

The university did not specify the reason for his absence, but it is presumed to be COVID-19 related. This past Thursday, head coach Chris Mack revealed that about "seven or eight" scholarship players would be available against the Badgers, partially due to the virus.

"We didn't return as a whole unit when we began practicing this past Saturday," Mack said. "We're still in the process of getting players back at various stages, I'll leave it at that."

Coming over as a graduate transfer from Radford during the offseason, Jones has been as good as advertised so far in the young season. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound guard and reigning Big South Player of the Year is averaging 17.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists through four games, leading the Cardinals in points and assists, and is second in rebounding behind redshirt freshman forward Jae'Lyn Withers' 7.3 per game.

While he will not be suiting up against the Badgers, Jones did warm up during the pregame shoot-around. Reason being is, per guidelines set by both the ACC & Louisville's medical advisory group, he must complete a "graduated return to play process" before playing again, and had yet complete enough of that process.

Louisville (4-0, 0-0 ACC) had to pause all team-related activities back on Dec. 3 "due to a positive COVID-19 test and accompanying contact tracing measures among individuals within the program", and resumed them seven days later on Dec. 10.

The pause caused Louisville's Dec. 4 game vs. UNC Greensboro to be canceled, and their Dec. 9 matchup vs Wisconsin to get postponed to today.

The Cards' ACC opener vs. NC State, originally slated for Dec. 16, would also have to get postponed because of the virus due to a lack of available players. Louisville has not played since downing Western Kentucky 75-54 back on Dec. 1.

Despite heading into their first road trip of the season with a limited amount of players, Louisville's shorthanded status is not all a product of COVID-19. Out of the twelve scholarship players on the roster, only nine of them have been readily available.

Forward/center & co-captain Malik Williams is out 12 weeks with a foot injury, guard Charles Minlend is out for six with a knee injury, and guard Josh Nickelberry has been out indefinitely following arthroscopic knee surgery.

Tipoff between the Badgers & Cardinals is set for 12:00 p.m. EST on ESPN2.

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