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Tuesday afternoon Cardinal news and notes

The Clifton brothers from Brooklyn are ready for Trez and Terry.

By Mike Rutherford

I_medium In two days we will apparently know what Louisville's season-opening uniforms are going to look like.

I_medium D'Angelo Russell is likely about to become just the third Louisville native to be a top three selection in the NBA Draft.

I_medium Terry Rozier and Montrezl Harrell both make cameos in Bleacher Report's "Too Many Cooks" NBA Draft parody, which falls a little short of its intended goal, but is still entertaining because of the guys involved.

I_medium Louisville and Kentucky football players are already talking a little smack, and the main culprits are the two you'd probably most expect: James Quick and Stanley Williams.

I_medium Get 'em Ter.

I_medium Five-star class of 2017 wing D.J. Harvey says Louisville is one of his "idol schools."

I_medium JC Shurburtt of 247Sports lists Devonte Fields as one of the top five candidates for ACC Defensive Player of the Year.

5- Devonte Fields, DE, Louisville

Fields was the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year as a true freshman in 2012 at TCU with 10 sacks and 18.5 tackles for loss. That's impressive. In 2013, he was injured and redshirted, then came last season when he left the Horned Frogs program following suspension, went to Trinity Valley Junior College in Texas and ultimately signed with the Cardinals. If he can return to form, look out. Sheldon Rankins, another excellent defensive end, is also part of this unit, which will make it tough to key on a full-speed Fields.

I_medium Russ is still the man.

I_medium Sports Illustrated's Luke Winn wonders if the new 30-second shot clock will benefit defenses more than offenses.

I_medium The folks over at Tomahawk Nation serve up their preview of Louisville.

As is always the case with teams that have a lot of turnover on either side of the ball, no one knows exactly how good they will be until the season gets underway. That being said, this Louisville team strikes me as one that would have to have a few things go their way to reach the 9-4 record that they accomplished last season. Replacing Michael Dyer at running back and DeVante Parker at receiver, among others, will be a challenge. This paired with Will Gardner, the junior quarterback who is expected to have fully recovered from knee surgery by the start of the season, who has demonstrated some aptitude at the position but is relatively untested, having made only 7 career starts, makes me wary of predicting a 10-win season for the Cardinals.

I_medium Western Kentucky athletic director Todd Stewart would like to see the Cards and 'Toppers play one another in more sports.

Talking Monday night before an alumni event in suburban Louisville, Stewart said WKU's contests against Louisville in men's basketball, women's basketball and other sports are "great because it's something the fans like."

"I know our fans are more excited when we play Louisville than if we were to play someone else from the ACC or the SEC or the Big Ten," said Stewart, entering his fourth full year as WKU AD. "Hopefully Louisville fans are excited when they see us (instead of) another Conference USA school or a Sun Belt or MAC school.

"I think it's neat for fans throughout the state to see us play, and I think it's a series we're happy to have."

As far as the men's basketball series is concerned...

"I think it's been good for both programs," said Harper, entering his fourth full season as Hilltopper coach. "They obviously won a national championship (in 2013), have been to a Final Four (in 2012).

"For us it's a great game. You're facing a top 20 team, it seems like, every time you play them."

But events that unfolded in last year's game brought some controversy to the series and doubt as to whether Louisville would continue to play it.

The December matchup in Diddle featured six technical fouls and an ejection of Louisville star Montrezl Harrell for throwing a first-half punch at WKU's Avery Patterson during an altercation.

Harper said decisions on the continuation of the series are outside his realm of control.

"I haven't talked to anyone about it," Harper said. "But I think hopefully we will end up renewing that series for a long time."

Best of luck with that.

I_medium Taylor County star Quentin Goodin tells ESPN that his list of finalists is Florida, Xavier, Miami, Western Kentucky and Louisville.

I_medium Love this headline: "Vocal rookie Charles Gaines quietly finding his way with the Browns."

"He had the reputation as the talker on the field," said linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin, a third-round pick of the New York Jets and a teammate of Gaines at Louisville. "He can talk the trash, but he can back it up. He's going to get in your ear if you mess up."

Gaines is a former wide receiver, so it's no surprise he likes to be chatty on the field. He's skillfully able to get inside the head of opponents. If a receiver drops a ball, if a running back fumbles or can't read the holes, or if a quarterback makes a bad decision, Gaines doesn't let them forget.

"I can make opponents get out of their game a little bit," Gaines said.

I_medium Montrezl Harrell is an "interesting" prospect for the Toronto Raptors.

I_medium The NBC affiliate in Dallas says Samaki Walker is the worst pick in the history of the Mavericks franchise.

1. Samaki Walker - Needing a power presence to supplement The Three Js (Jason Kidd, Jim Jackson and Jamal Mashburn), the Mavs took the Louisville power forward with the 9th overall pick in '96. Walker played only three years in Dallas, but produced a 10-year career punctuated by starting 63 games on the Lakers' championship team in '02. Drafted after Walker: Peja Stojakovic (15th), Steve Nash (14th) and a guy named Kobe Bryant (13th).

But the best draft outfit.

I_medium And finally, Ramsey & Rutherford is back on the air today from 3-6 talking Harrell, Rozier, NBA Draft and more. Also, an early heads up that I'll be filling in for Bob Valvano on "The V Show" tomorrow from noon-3.

Soo much DePaul talk coming to your airwaves.

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