Card Chronicle - All PostsDenny Crum's 6th Favorite Websitehttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48327/cardchronicle_fave.png2024-03-18T14:31:28-04:00http://www.cardchronicle.com/rss/current/2024-03-18T14:31:28-04:002024-03-18T14:31:28-04:00Three Louisville basketball players hit the transfer portal
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<figcaption>Photo by Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The transition to the next era of Cardinal basketball continues. </p> <p id="kkzmDC">It’s the first official day of transfer portal season, and to the surprise of no one, we already have multiple Louisville players who have made public their desire to play elsewhere next season. </p>
<p id="4ubKl2">I’m sure this list will expand in the near future, but as of the moment of this posting, we have three Cardinals officially in the portal:</p>
<p id="D6RA3j">Freshman forward Kaleb Glenn</p>
<p id="vHKO1E">Freshman guard Curtis Williams</p>
<p id="vaVVfA">Junior guard Koron Davis</p>
<p id="VuNLkV">If you were setting odds on the first player to hit the portal, I’d have to imagine Glenn — a Louisville native who spent his first three years of high school at Male — would have been fairly low on that list, but here we are. </p>
<p id="5BaYW9">I wish nothing but the best for all the players who will choose to exit the program in the days and weeks ahead. If some eventually want to return, cool. If the new head coach decides that the stench of losing currently attached to the program is too strong to have anything carry over from the last regime to the new one, I’m ok with that too. </p>
<p id="CvZDMb">It’s going to be a different kind of madness around these parts this March. Hopefully 12 months from now is a different story. </p>
https://www.cardchronicle.com/2024/3/18/24105018/three-louisville-basketball-players-hit-the-transfer-portalMike Rutherford2024-03-18T00:22:24-04:002024-03-18T00:22:24-04:00CC Podcast: Coaching search madness
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<p>The search is officially official. </p> <p id="PJl8X7">The Louisville basketball head coaching search is officially on. Let’s break it down. </p>
<p id="VAXhuW"><a href="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/card-chronicle-for/episodes/Coaching-Search-Madness-e2h7ehu">Direct link here. </a></p>
<p id="OqFzXj">Thanks for listening. </p>
<div id="wQ7YvT"><iframe src="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/card-chronicle-for/embed/episodes/Coaching-Search-Madness-e2h7ehu" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></div>
https://www.cardchronicle.com/2024/3/18/24104568/cc-podcast-coaching-search-madnessMike Rutherford2024-03-17T20:19:30-04:002024-03-17T20:19:30-04:00Louisville women earn 6-seed for 2024 NCAA tournament
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<figcaption>Clare Grant/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK</figcaption>
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<p>The Cards are headed to Baton Rouge to start their 2024 run. </p> <p id="MH2LQE">The Louisville women’s basketball team has earned the No. 6 seed in the Albany 2 Region for the 2024 NCAA tournament. The Cards will begin their tournament run in Baton Rouge against Middle Tennessee. </p>
<p id="A0a5B6">Should U of L advance, the Cardinals will likely face reigning national champion and third-seeded LSU. The Tigers, of course, feature former Louisville star Hailey Van Lith, who made national news last summer when she announced that she was leaving the program and joining the “super team” in Baton Rouge. </p>
<p id="us32Da">Here’s a full look at Louisville’s region, which is headlined by Caitlin Clark and top-seeded Iowa, the team that ended U of L’s run in the Elite Eight last season:</p>
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<p id="8vh3g5">Louisville is 13-0 in NCAA tournament first round games under head coach Jeff Walz. The Cardinals have advanced to at least the Sweet 16 in six straight tournaments, and are the only program in America that has been to the Elite Eight in each of the last five seasons. </p>
<p id="iUE9Lw">U of L has failed to advance to the second weekend of the NCAA tournament just twice since Walz took over at the program in 2007. </p>
<p id="cyOY0R">A complete look at the full NCAA tournament bracket will be available shortly. </p>
https://www.cardchronicle.com/2024/3/17/24104382/louisville-women-earn-6-seed-for-2024-ncaa-tournamentMike Rutherford2024-03-17T17:08:03-04:002024-03-17T17:08:03-04:00Virginia Tech powers their way to series win over Louisville
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<figcaption>Photo by Chris Carter (Louisville Athletics)</figcaption>
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<p>The Hokies hit 5 home runs on Sunday to beat the Cards 8-1</p> <p id="kq8oj4">After splitting the first two games of the series, Virginia Tech (14-4, 5-1 ACC) hit five home runs on Sunday afternoon to seal the series over Louisville (13-7, 1-2 ACC), taking the rubber match 8-1. The Hokies were one home run shy of matching the Cardinals in total hits for the game.</p>
<p id="xbgPyK">Dating back to last season, Louisville has now lost 7 straight ACC series in which they have a combined record of 4-17. Yikes. </p>
<p id="UQWflj">Sunday was the Carson DeMartini (3-4, 3 HR, 3 RBI) show, belting 3 home runs after hitting 2 on Saturday. The Hokies hit 10 home runs in the three-game series, outscoring Louisville 26-16.</p>
<p id="4wF4IB">Freshman Zion Rose (2-4, HR, RBI) was the lone bright spot at the plate, who hit his second career home run. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">B6 | Second of the year for <a href="https://twitter.com/zionrosebball4?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@zionrosebball4</a>.<br><br> <a href="https://twitter.com/accnetwork?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@accnetwork</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoCards?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoCards</a> <a href="https://t.co/UTTrLzu6oW">pic.twitter.com/UTTrLzu6oW</a></p>— Louisville Baseball (@LouisvilleBSB) <a href="https://twitter.com/LouisvilleBSB/status/1769422797309452716?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2024</a>
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<p id="VVbRMo">During the 19 game home-stand, Louisville showed glimpses of putting last season behind them, but this weekend was very reminiscent of the 2023 Louisville Cardinals that missed both the ACC and NCAA Tournaments. Pitchers were unable to get batters out. Base running mistakes. Lack of timely hitting. Way too many strikeouts (27 in three games.) </p>
<p id="0Ss4dt">The pitching staff has a 5.02 ERA and many of the games played so far are against teams that will likely finish 200+ in the RPI. </p>
<p id="UHI6FX">That being said, it’s a long season. The offense was hitting on all cylinders Friday evening against a Hokies starting pitcher who was dominant in his four starts to begin the season. This Louisville team has the talent, but the schedule isn’t getting any easier. </p>
<p id="f8d7xo"><strong>Looking Ahead</strong></p>
<p id="a8Rs6w">The Cards lengthy home-stand comes to an end Tuesday as they host Bellarmine (1-19) at 5:00 PM before making the trip to Winston-Salem to take on one of the best teams in the country next weekend. </p>
<p id="aRj68K"></p>
https://www.cardchronicle.com/2024/3/17/24104212/virginia-tech-powers-their-way-to-series-win-over-louisvilleMattSefcovic2024-03-17T11:54:59-04:002024-03-17T11:54:59-04:00Hoopaholic’s Gazette: Selection Sunday
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<p id="B9agjw"><em>Warning: This was posted before Sunday’s conference finals.</em></p>
<p id="Q3A4Gp">Let the madness commence.</p>
<p id="fjJk8X">Oh yeah, it already has. </p>
<p id="ydhvRE">But first, a didactic riff on my annual admonition.</p>
<p id="1YfKt6">I had the opportunity the other day to advise a friend of Seedy K’s College Hoops Post Season Rule #1.</p>
<p id="2U1mrS">At our regular weekly lunch on Wednesday, Mike mentioned how he’d already set his DVR to record Kentucky vs. Tennessee in the SEC title game.</p>
<p id="sw9zLr">At which instant, after a spit take, it was time to set him straight.</p>
<p id="k5sUfU">Understand this fellow knows his basketball. He played in HS, and claims to have gotten the best of Wes Unseld, once anyway, which he shares with sort of a wink. He was a senior. Wes was still learning how to play early in his first varsity year.</p>
<p id="lEGXbg">What gives a scintilla of credence, if that, to my pal’s claim is he owns that a couple of months later Unseld turned him over under sideways down.</p>
<p id="8lukO8">My guy also played collegiately, albeit in the Ivy League.</p>
<p id="UAxtBh">But I digress. (As those of my ilk are inclined to do these days as we anxiously await the announcement that Coach X will be coaching the now coachless University of YouKnowWhomI’mTalkingAbout next season.)</p>
<p id="nVEzE6">As much as my buddy knows hoops, he’s not a hoopaholic, like oh somebody who watched so much basketball one day last week, while obsessively munching popcorn, he had to scurry to the neighborhood drug store for some Pepto Bismol.</p>
<p id="pe6x58">Gulp. True. Gulp.</p>
<p id="uG29OL">OK, my point, what I advised said friend was this: Rule Numero Uno:</p>
<p id="Rw7Jwc">It’s the time of year when you only play whom you play.</p>
<p id="OgEJvO">As both the Vols and Cats were reminded. Oh, so too the Flyers.</p>
<p id="aLYyux">As well as the Blue Jays. And Blue Devils. </p>
<p id="Smuus3">So, yeah, sports fans, those of you fortunate enough to have your faves still caging, look past the next Retrievers of UMBC at your peril</p>
<p id="yL9hgp">It’s a game at a time from now on.</p>
<p id="pxOAMf">Despite how all the talking heads tonight after the reveal will be slobbering over possible Sweet Sixteen matchups.</p>
<p id="08iIEu"> * * * * *</p>
<p id="VRnYGi">As you might surmise, the kid is locked in, even though my team is nowhere to be found at this Dance.</p>
<p id="ZcNVDb">With an extra bottle of the pink stuff in his medicine chest.</p>
<p id="7ZqmUC">I haven’t a clue who might prevail?</p>
<p id="PDqcDI">Purdue lost in their league semi, when Matt Painter put Zack Edey on the inbounder in the last seconds of regulation with a side out by the Badgers. Which allowed a wide open layup sending the game to OT. Cheese prevailed.</p>
<p id="d68clP">Might purduing in college hoops be a thing = clemsoning in pigskin?</p>
<p id="LcHCjk">Houston was eviscerated in the Big 12 title tilt by the Cylones.</p>
<p id="bjnYQV">UConn was tested by Marquette, the Warriors — yeah, deal with it — playing without their best guy.</p>
<p id="CpaoEG">Florida looks feisty.</p>
<p id="yArk2P">Auburn finally won a game by single digits.</p>
<p id="BxTVfs">Pitino the Younger’s team is finally performing up to expectations.</p>
<p id="BZgAq2">Kevin Keatts found his inner Valvano and his State squad played like it was ‘83.</p>
<p id="wtB8FY">Can’t State lost to Akromonius in the MAC final, when a Golden Flasher, oblivious that his team had just taken the lead with seconds to play, fouled a Zip. Tsk, tsk. Time and score, due.</p>
<p id="TytuOh">Dan Monson, fired a week ago but allowed to coach until the end of the season, mentored his Long Beach State charges to the Big West auto bid. </p>
<p id="7PztNH">Antelope Valley is a school somewhere in Cali. Well, actually, it was a for profit school until it closed its doors just recently. But the NAIA still allowed the hoops squad play in its tourney even though there’s no university anymore.</p>
<p id="NlCTll">Is it gettin’ curioser and curioser or what?</p>
<p id="5eGXGh">Or what.</p>
<p id="pQIUPa">And today UAB and Temple will duke it out for the AAC bid instead of those favored Florida Directionals. The Blazers and Owls met recently, in a league tilt with strange betting patterns. Alerts abounded. Yet here they are again. </p>
<p id="3Ys19z">Yes, it’s gonna be wackamundo.</p>
<p id="9m16V4">Have a very Merry Unbirthday.</p>
<p id="AWvj5X">— c d kaplan</p>
<p id="0D8weh"> </p>
https://www.cardchronicle.com/2024/3/17/24103896/hoopoaholics-gazette-selection-sundaySeedy K2024-03-15T21:57:31-04:002024-03-15T21:57:31-04:00Napleton belts three home runs, Louisville wins ACC opener
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<figcaption>Photo by Chris Carter (Louisville Athletics)</figcaption>
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<p>The Cards beat the Hokies 9-6 on Friday evening</p> <p id="HexduU">Two transfers, Sebastian Gongora and Luke Napleton, led Louisville (13-5, 1-0 ACC) to a 9-6 victory over Virginia Tech in the Cards ACC opener on Friday night. </p>
<p id="zHGeQo">Napleton (3-3, 3 HR, 5 RBI, BB) blasted not one...</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">B2 | Oppo time on a Friday night.<br><br> ACCNX<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoCards?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoCards</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/lukenapes15?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@lukenapes15</a> <a href="https://t.co/Xt8WKRMzoP">pic.twitter.com/Xt8WKRMzoP</a></p>— Louisville Baseball (@LouisvilleBSB) <a href="https://twitter.com/LouisvilleBSB/status/1768767240143515693?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2024</a>
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<p id="hn3Ec5">Not two...</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">B5 | <a href="https://twitter.com/lukenapes15?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@lukenapes15</a> HAS DONE IT AGAIN‼️<br><br> ACCNX<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoCards?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoCards</a> <a href="https://t.co/xX6Neo7nsh">pic.twitter.com/xX6Neo7nsh</a></p>— Louisville Baseball (@LouisvilleBSB) <a href="https://twitter.com/LouisvilleBSB/status/1768782842903851350?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2024</a>
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<p id="7CQfQU">But three home runs...</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">B8 | ARE YOU SERIOUS, <a href="https://twitter.com/lukenapes15?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@lukenapes15</a>‼️ Number 3⃣ of the night.<br><br> ACCNX<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoCards?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoCards</a> <a href="https://t.co/RjHrGu4rMJ">pic.twitter.com/RjHrGu4rMJ</a></p>— Louisville Baseball (@LouisvilleBSB) <a href="https://twitter.com/LouisvilleBSB/status/1768805759448756609?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 16, 2024</a>
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<p id="ZIy70d">The transfer from Quincy University made quite the splash in his first appearance against an ACC opponent. Known for his power in the D2 ranks, Napleton hasn’t seemed to skip a beat making the move to D1. </p>
<p id="d0WtLD">He wasn’t the only one swinging a hot bat as the Cards totaled 13 hits on the evening. Along with Napleton, Zion Rose, Lucas Moore, and Isaac Humphrey each chipped in with multiple hits against Virginia Tech. </p>
<p id="W2jpys">Brett Renfrow (L, 4-1), the Hokies starting pitcher, entered the game with a 1.88 ERA but turned in his shortest outing of the season (3.2 innings) as Louisville also tied his season high with six hits. </p>
<p id="DwhkLo">Gongora (W, 3-0) twirled a gem against an offense that put up 52 runs over the last four games. He tossed 6.1 innings, allowing 3 runs (2 earned), on 6 hits while striking out 8 batters.</p>
<p id="XvHvON">If you’ve watched Virginia Tech over the last few seasons, you know that Coach Szefc’s teams do not go away quietly, and tonight was no different. Trailing 6-3 in the top of the 8th inning, the Hokies loaded the bases with no outs.</p>
<p id="hhrgHy">The Louisville coaching staff opted to stick with Riley Phillips and it paid off. Phillips sat the next three batters down in order by the way of a pop out, strikeout, strikeout, to leave the bases loaded. Fire me up!</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">M8 | Let it eat, <a href="https://twitter.com/rileyphillips02?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rileyphillips02</a>‼️ Bases loaded, nobody out and he gets out of it.<br><br> ACCNX<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoCards?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoCards</a> <a href="https://t.co/YAzqOcFiYh">pic.twitter.com/YAzqOcFiYh</a></p>— Louisville Baseball (@LouisvilleBSB) <a href="https://twitter.com/LouisvilleBSB/status/1768802368936923381?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 16, 2024</a>
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<p id="yxLUT4">Louisville would tack on three runs in the bottom of the 8th, two off the bat of Napleton’s third home run, which proved to be the game winner as the Hokies just would not go away. In the top of the 9th inning, Chris Cannizzaro sent his fifth home run of the season to the berm, a three run home run, bringing the Hokies within three runs. Kayden Campbell (S, 1) rolled a ground ball for the final out to seal the win. </p>
<p id="Avh2KC">Louisville will go for the series win tomorrow at 1 PM. LHP Evan Webster (2-0, 0.90 ERA) will square off against RHP Wyatt Parliament (2-0, 3.72 ERA)</p>
https://www.cardchronicle.com/2024/3/15/24102531/napleton-belts-three-home-runs-louisville-wins-acc-openerMattSefcovic2024-03-14T14:22:51-04:002024-03-14T14:22:51-04:00Thursday afternoon Cardinal news and notes
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<p>When men’s basketball season ends, sometimes the CCBM goes skiing. </p> <p id="51JCyh">—We’ll start with this: I believe folks from U of L are speaking with “Scott Drew proxies” (not Drew himself) today to make an initial pitch. I don’t have any gauge on Drew’s legitimate interest level, but I think ultimately Louisville would be willing to make him the third highest-paid coach in college basketball. </p>
<p id="gtKRIs">Also, expect Louisville to have an NIL pool of 3-4 mil to work with for next season. </p>
<p id="1TQsCn">—Speaking of, this year’s list of the highest-paid men’s basketball coaches is <a href="https://t.co/OIoauHeKKY">here</a>. </p>
<p id="7smfcX">—Latest coaching carousel news ...</p>
<p id="yBZUxo">Todd Golden <a href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-gators-todd-golden-contract-8236fe78a82d3f0355c2017b86855a23">extended</a> at Florida.</p>
<p id="VhqL8o">Chris Beard <a href="https://www.clarionledger.com/story/sports/college/ole-miss/2024/03/13/chris-beard-contract-ole-miss-basketball-coach-extension/72953381007/">extended</a> at Ole Miss.</p>
<p id="f5dLuO">Lamont Paris <a href="https://www.si.com/college/southcarolina/basketball/lamont-paris-reportedly-set-to-receive-raise-extension-from-university-of-south-carolina">extended</a> at South Carolina.</p>
<p id="UtemjH">Mike Boynton <a href="https://kfor.com/sports/mike-boynton-is-out-at-oklahoma-state-basketball/">fired</a> at Oklahoma State. </p>
<p id="qKqZ3g">Jerry Stackhouse <a href="https://www.anchorofgold.com/2024/3/14/24079779/report-stackhouse-out">fired</a> at Vanderbilt (early candidates, per Matt Norlander: Josh Schertz, Kyle Smith, Mitch Henderson and Chris Mack).</p>
<p id="SMszKs">—The Athletic’s Brian Hamilton <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheathletic.com%2F5139082%2F2024%2F03%2F13%2Flouisville-coaching-candidates-scott-drew-josh-schertz%2F%3Fsource%3Ddailyemail%26campaign%3D601983%26userId%3D160105&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cardchronicle.com%2F2024%2F3%2F14%2F24094618%2Fthursday-afternoon-cardinal-news-and-notes-louisville-cardinals" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">profiles</a> the Louisville job and doesn’t really go out on a limb with his “and the hire is” prediction. </p>
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<p id="rgTEHv"><strong>And the hire is …</strong></p>
<p id="a7AFZg">Here’s guessing athletic director Josh Heird does due diligence on shoot-the-moon candidates such as Drew and Donovan. If that works, cool. If not? Louisville winds up coaxing a different power-conference coach uncomfortable with his current situation, one way or another, with the idea of a fresh start and a championship ceiling. Or take a shot on Schertz.</p>
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<p id="nwIDDE">—A hero(?) kept tabs on all the worst quotes of the Kenny Payne era. You can find them <a href="https://medium.com/@FreedomHallFiles/kenny-paynes-worst-quotes-6382b877aa96">here</a>. </p>
<p id="tAhAeU">—DeVante Parker has agreed to <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/eagles-agree-to-one-year-deal-with-devante-parker">a 1-year deal </a>with the Philadelphia Eagles. </p>
<p id="6fkEIo">—ESPN’s Jeff Borzello <a href="https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/insider/story/_/id/39625878/coaching-carousel-2024-25-tracker-latest-buzz-prime-candidates-analysis-top-vacancies">lists</a> a ton of candidates (shoutout to Kyle Smith for entering the chat) for the Louisville job, and then ends his thoughts with this:</p>
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<p id="crb30p"><strong>Prediction</strong></p>
<p id="7qEKYv">Louisville takes a real swing at Scott Drew but will ultimately be unable to tempt him to leave Waco. It will also see if there’s any way to mitigate Mick Cronin’s buyout, and will then turn to Dusty May. If May takes the Ohio State job instead, it’s entirely unclear where Louisville will land. The Cardinals could wait and see which candidate emerges as the hot March name with an NCAA tournament run.</p>
</blockquote>
<p id="ulRO2y">—ESPN <a href="https://t.co/UZPKocvwnF">simulated</a> a College Football Playoff for every year since 1966. Congratulations to 2006 national champion Louisville. </p>
<p id="Hekbat">—There’s a U of L appearance in this <a href="https://twitter.com/CFBAlerts_/status/1767032505268400370">teaser</a> for the new college football video game. </p>
<p id="JL1h8B">—Shot:</p>
<div id="Pn8LJF">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">"I don't know why anybody that's got the recent history of these guys is celebrating." - Jim Boeheim ️ <br><br>(h/t: <a href="https://twitter.com/Matt_McGavic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Matt_McGavic</a>) <a href="https://t.co/ALlfr24NMV">pic.twitter.com/ALlfr24NMV</a></p>— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) <a href="https://twitter.com/awfulannouncing/status/1767696827724464244?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 12, 2024</a>
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<p id="3l4FMG">Chaser:</p>
<div id="TyJlGr">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">How’s our celebration? <br><br>Asking for a friend<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoPack?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoPack</a> <a href="https://t.co/amsVDCBeN7">pic.twitter.com/amsVDCBeN7</a></p>— NC State Men's Basketball (@PackMensBball) <a href="https://twitter.com/PackMensBball/status/1768080281599176969?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2024</a>
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<p id="yzHeR0">—If you’re, for whatever reason, interested in some background info on Indiana State’s Josh Schertz, <a href="https://t.co/0TNqJLB85x">this video </a>is a good place to start. </p>
<p id="DBjLSY">—If you’re, for whatever reason, interested in some background info on Florida Atlantic’s Dusty May, <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheathletic.com%2F4284970%2F2023%2F03%2F09%2Fdusty-may-florida-atlantic-college-basketball-ncaa%2F&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cardchronicle.com%2F2024%2F3%2F14%2F24094618%2Fthursday-afternoon-cardinal-news-and-notes-louisville-cardinals" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">this story from The Athletic</a>, is a good place to start. </p>
<p id="nTh0HQ">—College football <a href="https://t.co/uD8HXYlkxv">appears headed</a> for a revenue model that draws a formal line between the Big Ten/SEC and the Big 12/ACC with an annual $300M gap. Awesome.</p>
<p id="PlryK8">—They’re going to screw around <a href="https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/39724097/ncaa-tournament-expansion-future-80-teams-march-madness">and end up ruining</a> the best sporting event in the world. </p>
<blockquote>
<p id="1NQj5t">NCAA tournament expansion bull has been SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, who co-chaired the NCAA transformation committee that formally recommended expansion in January 2023 and first made headlines about expansion in comments to Sports Illustrated in August 2022.</p>
<p id="dXsKUQ">In a recent phone interview, Sankey acknowledged the tournament is one of the few things that bonds the disparate world of Division I together. “Nothing remains static,” he told ESPN. “I think we have to think about the dynamics around Division I and the tournament.”</p>
<p id="XaAqKq">He added that recent runs by UCLA from the First Four to the Final Four in 2021 and Syracuse’s run to the round of 16 beginning with a play-in game in Dayton in 2018 show the caliber of power-conference teams on the fringe of the NCAA tournament.</p>
<p id="mrUTlh">“That just tells you that the bandwidth inside the top 50 is highly competitive,” Sankey said. “We are giving away highly competitive opportunities for automatic qualifiers [from smaller leagues], and I think that pressure is going to rise as we have more competitive basketball leagues at the top end because of expansion.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p id="aQ7b1i">I’ll let Bill Connelly handle the rebuttal:</p>
<div id="yghTHC">
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">In the last 3 tourneys, auto qualifiers from the MWC, WCC and CUSA made the Final Four, a MAAC AQ made the Elite 8, MVC, Ivy and Summit AQs made the Sweet 16, and an NEC AQ beat the Big Ten champion. They seem to be earning their "highly competitive opportunities." <a href="https://t.co/2JpIMCrNFY">https://t.co/2JpIMCrNFY</a> <a href="https://t.co/2oe47m0eI6">pic.twitter.com/2oe47m0eI6</a></p>— Bill Connelly (@ESPN_BillC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPN_BillC/status/1768294591185186877?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2024</a>
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<p id="rWgjar">Don’t fuck with something that nobody wants you to fuck with. </p>
<p id="w0vC7f">—The Louisville baseball team erased an early deficit <a href="https://gocards.com/news/2024/3/13/baseball-cardinals-rally-to-walk-off-lipscomb">to walk-off Lipscomb </a>Wednesday afternoon. </p>
<p id="Rzxh2F">—ESPN’s Adam Rittenbers <a href="https://www.espn.com/college-football/insider/story/_/id/39670797/college-football-future-power-rankings-quarterbacks">says</a> Louisville has the 25th-best quarterback room in the sport for the upcoming season. </p>
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<p id="A91gGv"><strong>25. </strong><a href="https://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/97/louisville-cardinals"><strong>Louisville Cardinals</strong></a></p>
<p id="OAzzf0"><strong>2023 ranking: </strong>Not ranked</p>
<p id="xMLYvG"><strong>Returning starter: </strong>None</p>
<p id="4BuK6q"><strong>On the roster (as of March 12):</strong> <a href="https://www.espn.com/college-football/player/_/id/4360689/tyler-shough">Tyler Shough</a>, senior (Texas Tech transfer); <a href="https://www.espn.com/college-football/player/_/id/4685691/brady-allen">Brady Allen</a>, redshirt sophomore; <a href="https://www.espn.com/college-football/player/_/id/4870636/pierce-clarkson">Pierce Clarkson</a>, sophomore; <a href="https://www.espn.com/college-football/player/_/id/4429145/harrison-bailey">Harrison Bailey</a>, senior; <a href="https://www.espn.com/college-football/player/_/id/5093015/sam-vaulton">Sam Vaulton</a>, junior; <a href="https://www.espn.com/college-football/player/_/id/5151017/travis-egan">Travis Egan</a>, sophomore; <a href="https://www.espn.com/college-football/player/_/id/5093014/sam-young">Sam Young</a>, junior</p>
<p id="szTLlt">I considered several teams for the final spot, including Memphis, Texas A&M, Western Kentucky and Florida, but Louisville could be on the cusp of a big quarterback surge. Coach Jeff Brohm got Louisville to the ACC title game in Year 1 despite somewhat shaky quarterback play, which ended up being exposed in the postseason. Still, Brohm’s background in both playing and coaching quarterbacks suggests the position will become a team strength very soon. Louisville got a veteran transfer in <a href="https://www.espn.com/college-football/player/_/id/4360689/tyler-shough">Tyler Shough</a>, who went 12-4 as a starter at Texas Tech and Oregon. The key with Shough is health, as injuries sidetracked his promising tenure at Texas Tech. He’s entering his seventh college season and once backed up Justin Herbert with Oregon. Given Shough’s injury history, Louisville certainly will need options for 2024 and beyond.</p>
<p id="Kvwcth"><a href="https://www.espn.com/college-football/player/_/id/4685691/brady-allen">Brady Allen</a> enters his second season under Brohm after following him to Louisville from Purdue, where he arrived as ESPN’s No. 204 overall recruit in the 2022 class. The Cardinals also have <a href="https://www.espn.com/college-football/player/_/id/4870636/pierce-clarkson">Pierce Clarkson</a>, an ESPN four-star recruit in 2023, who enters his second season with the program. Brohm signed three-star prospect <a href="https://www.espn.com/college-sports/football/recruiting/player/_/id/254264/deuce-adams">Deuce Adams</a> out of Texas in the 2024 class, and has a 2025 commitment from three-star <a href="https://www.espn.com/college-sports/football/recruiting/player/_/id/256826/mason-mims">Mason Mims</a> from Alabama.</p>
</blockquote>
<p id="hOnswV">—Kentucky <a href="https://t.co/unVQShnyI8">is looking</a> for a new women’s basketball coach. </p>
<p id="CUavrg">—Simmons College women’s basketball<a href="https://www.wlky.com/article/simmons-college-womens-basketball-nccaa-dii-quarterfinal/60168739"> is hoping</a> to bring a national championship back to the city of Louisville. They play in the NCCAA quarterfinals tonight. </p>
<p id="r53O8W">—The former UMass head coach with some very kind words on the Louisville fan base here. </p>
<div id="O6nI9z">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Matt McCall of The Field of 68 spoke about the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Louisville?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Louisville</a> fanbase during the TBT tournament. <br><br>Fans aren’t the problem. The coach was. <br><br> : <a href="https://twitter.com/GoodmanHoops?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GoodmanHoops</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/TheFieldOf68?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheFieldOf68</a> <a href="https://t.co/HAAEWOefHI">pic.twitter.com/HAAEWOefHI</a></p>— Jeff Lightsy Jr. (@jlightsy7) <a href="https://twitter.com/jlightsy7/status/1767902537066136046?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 13, 2024</a>
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<p id="0yFmay">—The Chris Farley NCAA tournament commercials <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheathletic.com%2F5317793%2F2024%2F03%2F11%2Fchris-farley-college-basketball-commercials%2F%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3Dtwhq%26source%3Dtwitterhq&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cardchronicle.com%2F2024%2F3%2F14%2F24094618%2Fthursday-afternoon-cardinal-news-and-notes-louisville-cardinals" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">were great</a>. </p>
<p id="2BRaOQ">—Louisville signees Izela Arenas and Tajianna Roberts were <a href="https://gocards.com/news/2024/3/14/womens-basketball-arenas-roberts-to-compete-in-2024-jordan-brand-classic">both named to the girls roster </a>for the 2024 Jordan Brand Classic and will compete in the game on April 21 in Brooklyn. </p>
<p id="pQn6gQ">—Jordan Nwora has some very kind things to say about Louisville <a href="https://t.co/6zE6ocHZ1u">in this story</a>. He also thinks the Cards would have won the national championship in 2020. </p>
<blockquote>
<p id="A2SB6y">“To this day, I go back to Louisville as much as possible,” Nwora told ClutchPoints in an exclusive interview. “It will always be a second home for me and hold a special place in my heart.”</p>
<p id="4BfE0f">Nwora and his ties to the city of Louisville run deeper than the fact that he spent three years with the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ncaa-basketball/louisville-basketball">Louisville Basketball</a> program. This city, this way of life, presented him with the opportunity to pursue his ultimate dream in life: making it to the NBA.</p>
<p id="ot1Kol">“Growth takes time, and time offers opportunity,” Nwora continued. “My college experience was great. The fans, the atmosphere, my brothers on the team — we were such a close-knit family. I couldn’t have imagined myself anywhere else but Louisville, even with all the changes that happened.”</p>
<p id="KAIHEH">...</p>
<p id="l97yVW">“My teammates, coaches, all the managers — everyone in the program cared. That meant something to me and stood out compared to every other team we ever faced,” Nwora explained to ClutchPoints while reflecting on his collegiate career. “Sure, everyone wants to win, but we had that special connection my final year at Louisville that’s really hard to describe. That’s why I wish we had the NCAA Tournament to prove what we were about.</p>
<p id="4toyIa">“The coaching staff, especially Coach Mack, really put their faith in me to take that next step when they took over the program. That gave me a lot of confidence to just be the player I knew I could be one day. Everyone in that locker room was always on the same page, and we all grew up as young men together up until the pandemic started. I had a great time.”</p>
<p id="1DK2dy">...</p>
<p id="xJAhpM">“I definitely believe that if we played that tournament, it was ours for the taking. I 100 percent believe that,” Nwora adamantly confirmed. “You know, if we got to play in that tournament, there was a good chance we were winning it. I know we were primed to make a big run, at the very least. But everything happens for a reason.</p>
<p id="zoRPUm">“The pandemic changed the landscape and future not only for Louisville but for a lot of the top programs around the country. Although we are in a bit of a rough patch right now, we will get through it. Louisville as a program has faced adversity before, even when I was there, and everyone got through it to the point where we were No. 1 in the country again. I definitely believe we will see Louisville at the top of the college basketball world again in no time simply because you can’t hold a program this great down forever.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p id="2Z7Y4s">—Arkansas<a href="https://arkansas.rivals.com/news/arkansas-hires-kolby-smith-as-new-running-backs-coach"> has hired </a>Kolby Smith as its new running backs coach. The slow Bobby Petrino re-takeover continues. </p>
<p id="JC1QGE">—Greg Scruggs is the <a href="https://www.on3.com/teams/michigan-wolverines/news/michigan-football-officially-hires-don-martindale-greg-scruggs/">new D-line coach</a> at Michigan. </p>
<p id="zzVGZ9">—Worth a shot. </p>
<div id="e4NPok">
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">"america has no culture" explain this <a href="https://t.co/hY9MU69T27">https://t.co/hY9MU69T27</a></p>— Katherine Jeanes (@KatherineJeanes) <a href="https://twitter.com/KatherineJeanes/status/1767957351493939239?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 13, 2024</a>
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<p id="vEo769">—The announcer pairings for this year’s NCAA tournament are <a href="https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2024-03-12/cbs-sports-and-tnt-sports-announce-2024-ncaa-division-i-mens-basketball">here</a>. </p>
<p id="XzrJDY">—March Madness success <a href="https://tx.bz-mail-us1.com/1/l/5a57c7a30e75458d8f6f9f6a5e81e1d3?rl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.forbes.com%2Fadvisor%2Feducation%2Fonline-colleges%2Fdoes-march-madness-performance-drive-college-application-rates%2F">is huge </a>for college application rates. </p>
<p id="SGbsxU">—Rick Bozich <a href="https://www.wdrb.com/sports/bozich-it-did-not-work-but-kenny-payne-earned-his-chance-at-louisville/article_267e73e6-dbfd-11ee-a1a6-f75199ab5c78.html">defends Kenny Payne</a> one final time. </p>
<p id="qnc1Dc">—The latest episode of the Cardinal Sports Zone podcast is <a href="https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1ZkJzjqonPgJv">here</a>. </p>
<p id="kwKVsu">—An NFL Trinity for ST. X trade is pretty wild. </p>
<div id="uV1JE7">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Cardinals are sending WR Rondale Moore to Atlanta for Desmond Ridder, per source. <a href="https://t.co/k4kqJ9eY0f">https://t.co/k4kqJ9eY0f</a></p>— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1768326850340634825?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2024</a>
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<p id="B8m2YL">—Six Louisville players are in <a href="https://247sports.com/college/transfer-portal/longformarticle/2024-college-football-transfer-portal-player-rankings-rapid-fire-thoughts-and-notes-on-the-updated-top-150-228616590/#2385104">247 Sports’ ranking</a> of the top 150 transfers for the upcoming college football season. </p>
<p id="qfMM4z">Tyler Baron - 18</p>
<p id="BA77Hc">Ja’Corey Brooks - 75</p>
<p id="ZwbqFY">Peny Boone - 82</p>
<p id="k4paS9">Caullin Lacy - 88</p>
<p id="MsLN5r">Jaleel Skinner - 125</p>
<p id="8oJuQj">Tamarion McDonald - 144 </p>
<p id="PPaKqM">—The latest episode of the From the Pink Seats podcast is <a href="https://t.co/rr9Nd9aqaQ">here</a>. </p>
<p id="xVgzzK">—The Cincinnati Bengals <a href="https://www.si.com/college/louisville/football/rankins-signs-with-bengals">have signed</a> former Card Sheldon Rankins. </p>
<p id="ummcN7">—And finally, the Mike Rutherford Show returns this afternoon from 3-6 on 1450/96.1. We’ll talk coaching search, obviously, and I’ll tell you a popular name for the job who I believe is not in consideration any longer. You can stream the show <a href="https://www.bigxsportsradio.com/index.php/live-stream">here</a>. </p>
https://www.cardchronicle.com/2024/3/14/24094618/thursday-afternoon-cardinal-news-and-notes-louisville-cardinalsMike Rutherford2024-03-14T12:30:17-04:002024-03-14T12:30:17-04:00Did Nolan Smith try and sabotage Kenny Payne?
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<img alt="Syndication: The Courier-Journal" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7hYslw9YNIiaTmiAvvL_L3q_8N0=/0x102:4733x3257/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73207027/usa_today_18068885.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Matt Stone/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK</figcaption>
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<p>The tea is spilling. </p> <p id="VPYN79">There’s been a sense for a while that once Kenny Payne was finally let go at Louisville, the behind-the-scenes stories of just how dysfunctional things were would begin to fly. </p>
<p id="id5Zqe">They are flying. </p>
<p id="B6dubZ">Perhaps most notably was Wednesday’s “What Went Wrong?” story on Payne by WDRB’s Eric Crawford. </p>
<p id="WcNebX">Crawford details Payne’s failings when it comes to assembling a staff, building a roster, utilizing U of L’s NIL pool, etc. <a href="https://www.wdrb.com/sports/crawford-what-went-wrong-for-payne-at-louisville-many-factors-led-to-failure/article_1035e2b8-de5a-11ee-a523-c35eca90e76a.html">It’s absolutely worth a read</a>. </p>
<p id="MTrac1">But the section that has generated the most buzz is the one dedicated to Cardinal assistant Nolan Smith, the son of late Louisville legend Derek Smith who came to U of L after a year as an assistant on Mike Krzyzewski’s final staff at Duke. </p>
<blockquote>
<p id="8Ni0Ez">In Nolan Smith, Payne signed the son of close friend and fellow U of L alum, Derek Smith, a program hero who played for the 1980 national championship team and died in 1996. Nolan Smith came from Duke, where he was an All-American point guard and starter for the 2010 NCAA Championship team before working on Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski’s staff, where he spent six years before joining Payne at Louisville.</p>
<p id="1aG0tO">But Smith was sensitive to criticism, had some contentious social media interactions with fans, and before the 2023-24 season interviewed with a G-League team, the Capital City GoGo. When athletics leadership concluded that Smith had been the source of a leak that resulted in national media reports saying Payne would be fired in December and Smith elevated to the head coaching job, Payne was advised to take the matter up with Smith.</p>
<p id="zj6lU1">Smith remained on the staff, and what measures Payne may have taken were not known. Similarly, after his first season, Payne declined to shake up his staff after finishing 4-28, even when advised to by Heird.</p>
</blockquote>
<p id="GhkWEi">There was buzz of a rift between Payne and Smith dating all the way back to the summer. The story was that the head coach blamed his youngest assistant for top recruit Trentyn Flowers’ abrupt exit to the NBL, as well as the ineligibility (at the time) of freshman point guard Ty-Laur Johnson. </p>
<p id="Cvdktg">There was, apparently, a “blowup” in August, and the communication between the two never recovered. </p>
<p id="MctrL2">Some close to Smith have gone on the offensive over the last 24 hours, vehemently denying the story in Crawford’s report. Whatever the truth is, it’s an extremely safe bet that you’ll never see Payne and Smith together on a staff again. </p>
https://www.cardchronicle.com/2024/3/14/24100864/did-nolan-smith-try-and-sabotage-kenny-payneMike Rutherford