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Wednesday afternoon Cardinal news and notes

David Morris kicks off the summer of the Cardinal groom's cake in style .... and at the University of Missouri, which is always a bonus. Fuller.

I_medium Congratulations to Josh Rogers on being selected by the New York Yankees with the 333rd pick of the MLB Draft, and to Robert Strader for being selected by the Orioles with pick 373. I'm sure there are more to come.

I_medium Louisville-Auburn is the second most expensive non-conference ticket in college football this season, trailing only Alabama-Wisconsin.

I_medium Athlon ranks all 128 college football coaches, and has Bobby Petrino in at No. 12.

12. Bobby Petrino, Louisville

Record at Louisville: 50-13 (5 years)

Career Record: 92-34 (10 years)

Petrino's return to Louisville was a success, as the Cardinals finished 9-4 in their first season in the ACC. And Petrino's team was neck-and-neck with the top teams in the conference, losing by just six points to Clemson and was defeated by Florida State after leading the defending national champs going into the fourth quarter. In Petrino's 10 years as a college head coach, he's won at least eight games every season but one. The Cardinals have some key pieces to replace for 2015, but the program is in good shape for the long haul with Petrino in control.

I_medium SB Nation's Mike Prada takes an incredibly thorough look into how the Cleveland Cavaliers are slowing down Steph Curry and company.

I_medium Montrezl Harrell has spent a significant chunk of his draft prep time improving his jump shot.

It was obvious just from the five minutes of Tuesday's workout, which was open to the media, how much Harrell's shot has benefited from a month of work with Zormelo.

"People want me to play that stretch 4 position (a power forward with the shooting range to stretch defenses), so it helps out a lot," Harrell said. "My game has risen since I left college.Now it all revolves around basketball. You have nothing to do but basketball, where at school you also have classes and stuff. You still work out on your own (in college) but it's different when you take that next step to the NBA.

"I definitely know I'm better for having worked with him. I'm still learning from him even as the workouts go along."

Tuesday was Harrell's fifth NBA workout. He was headed to Boston next to audition for the Celtics.

Harrell's intensity is probably his best trait. He averaged 15.7 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks last season with the Cardinals in Louisville's first season in the ACC. The Hornets have already auditioned two other Louisville players - Terry Rozier and Wayne Blackshear - in preparation for the June 25 draft in New York.

Louisville is known for great defense, and Harrell has been a big part of that the last three seasons.

"I definitely see that as a big part of my game, not letting guys score on me. I definitely have a big reputation as a junkyard-dog type of player," Harrell said.

"My rebounding stands out, particularly on the offensive glass, and that will carry over to the NBA. Not a lot of guys are looking so much to get second offensive opportunities for their teams, and I definitely bring that."

I_medium EDSBS's random rivalry generator is a great way to waste an afternoon.

I_medium Gorgui Dieng is one of the NBA players who has already agreed to play in the league's first exhibition game in South Africa this summer. "Team World" will take on "Team Africa" in the Aug. 1 game in Johannesburg, the NBA announced on Tuesday. Bradley Beal, Kenneth Faried, Chris Paul, Luol Deng and Serge Ibaka will also participate in the event.

I_mediumTry again, Hoops Hype:

I_medium I'm assuming this guy is okay. If he isn't, and this is just how he wanted to go out, someone let me know and I'll take the picture down.

I_medium Lack of offensive line experience isn't just a Louisville issue, it's an ACC issue.

Are you experienced?

A look at the level of experience on the offensive line for teams in the ACC

TEAM RETURNING STARTS STARTERS LOST
North Carolina 105 0
Syracuse 90 1
NC State 73 2
Georgia Tech 72 1
Virginia 68 2
Wake Forest 64 1
Pitt 63 1
Duke 54 2
Clemson 45 3
Virginia Tech 42 3
Miami 27 3
Louisville 19 3
Boston College 15 5
Florida State 9 4

I_medium The folks over at Pre Snap Reads recently charted every pass thrown by starting quarterbacks across the NFL in 2014 and attempted to discern how many "interceptable" passes each one threw. Teddy Bridgewater threw just 12 "interceptable" passes in in 402 attempts, or one interceptable ball every 33.5 passes.

I_medium The Daily Norsemen also takes an extended look at Bridgewater's decision-making in year one.

Any time a quarterback can draw a comparison to "Tom Brady in his prime," it's a pretty big deal. Seriously, even Tom Brady wasn't "Tom Brady in his prime" after 12 NFL starts. The fact that Bridgewater is putting up that sort of metric now is reason for plenty of optimism.

Bridgewater averaged almost 31 pass attempts a game in 2014. If he were to keep that pace in 2015 with the same BDR, it means that about every six weeks, Bridgewater might throw one pass that makes us all wonder what he was looking at.

If Bridgewater stays healthy for all 16 games in 2015, I would expect him to have fewer turnovers than he had in the 12 1/2 games (or so) that he played in 2014. The return ofAdrian Peterson will, in all likelihood, make the decisions that Bridgewater has to make even easier and take more pressure off of him, and he should be surrounded by a better supporting cast than he had in 2014 as well.

There are plenty of reasons to get excited about this football team, and the biggest one is the guy lining up behind center on every snap.

I_medium Playing pickup with Earl Clark and Chris Jones certainly couldn't hurt Louisville's chances with Maverick Rowan.

I_medium Levitchtation support was alive and well at Jim Patterson Stadium last weekend.

Questionable shorts pairing though.

I_medium If this extensive piece from The Chronicle of Higher Education (no relation) is any indication, Texas might be the next basketball program to find itself in the middle of an academic scandal.

I_medium Elite quarterbacks weren't the only athletes Jamon Brown found himself protecting during his time in Louisville.

Brown played college football in Louisville, Kentucky, home of the Kentucky Derby and the first leg of the Triple Crown. Last year, he worked security for the event and guarded the horses on the backside of the racetrack, where they were stabled. Following the Derby, Brown was assigned to guard the winner, California Chrome.

"After he won, he had 24-hour security," Brown says.

His presence ensured no unauthorized person had access to Chrome once he returned to the stable post-race.

"That's when I guard him, or 'sit on him,' as they say," Brown explains. "I'm guarding the stable. Nobody comes in, nobody comes out unless it's the owner or the trainer."

It's not a bad way to witness sports history, but we're guessing Brown liked his job on this year's Derby weekend even better -- getting drafted No. 72 overall by the Rams. That doesn't, however, leave him much time for watching the Belmont Stakes this Saturday.

"My time is pretty occupied -- we're trying to learn the playbook," Brown admits. "And, on top of that, I don't watch too much TV."

In other words, bet on Netflix.

I_medium Nebraska coach Tim Miles has officially announced the transfer of Anton Gill.

I_medium Cardinal Authority takes a closer look at Stacy Thomas, who was a star on special teams last season.

I_medium And finally, it's a huge Ramsey & Rutherford show this afternoon on 93.9. Tom Jurich will be on at 3:30 and Rick Pitino at 5:30. Mike Rutherford will be quoting bad St. Lunatics lyrics in between.