Mikel Brown Jr. helps No. 23 Louisville down Virginia Tech

Mikel Brown Jr. returned to the lineup after a six-week absence for No. 23 Louisville and the Cardinals cruised past visiting Virginia Tech 85-71 on Saturday in Atlantic Coast Conference play.

In eight games without Brown, Louisville was just 4-4. But Brown's 20 points helped Louisville resemble the team that was 9-1 before his injury and absence.

Brown aggravated a lower back injury in a win over Memphis on Dec. 13 and had been out of action since, but the freshman point guard helped...