Wednesday afternoon Cardinal news and notes

—Spread check: Louisville by 3.5.

—Let’s goooo

—Louisville baseball will host its Scout Day on Friday.

—Little known fact about me: I am the biggest Pete Padgett fan you know.

Padgett, who played at Louisville and spent four years as an assistant coach at his alma mater and IUPUI, is running Louisville basketball's day-to-day operations without any assistant coaches. That includes individual workouts and team practices.

That's where Padgett's dad comes in.

Pete Padgett, one of the great players in the history of the University of Nevada basketball program, is helping his son move forward as the Cards coach in an informal advisory role.

The elder Padgett coached high school and college basketball for nearly 40 years, primarily working at Carson (Nevada) High and Reno (Nevada) High. He also spent one year as an assistant coach at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

"When you all of a sudden get into the position he’s in, the first time you go through it, it can be overwhelming," Pete Padgett said. "We came back here to support our son and lend whatever help we can, whatever I can do from a basketball standpoint. I’m here for him to bounce some things off of: 'What do you think about this,' or, 'What did you see when you came to practice and sat up there and watched?' You don’t want to overwhelm him with too much, but if something comes along where I think I can help, I’ll say something."Padgett, who played at Louisville and spent four years as an assistant coach at his alma mater and IUPUI, is running Louisville basketball's day-to-day operations without any assistant coaches. That includes individual workouts and team practices.

Guys, the Cards are gonna be just fine this season ...

Jussssst fine.

—Matt Jones and Kentucky Sports Radio are being sued by referee John Higgins over the harassment Higgins received following last March’s Kentucky-North Carolina regional final. What a time to be a basketball fan in the Bluegrass State.

—The U of L Women's Basketball Tip-Off Luncheon is set for Oct. 23 and tickets are available now.

—Howie Lindsey discusses Thursday night’s game with The Wolfpacker in podcast form.

—I’m not upset that this sign is profane, I’m upset that it’s toothless and unimaginative.

—Harry Minium of The Virginian-Pilot says the NCAA should give Louisville the death penalty, and the ACC should move the replace the Cardinals with Connecticut or West Virginia. I do not concur with either of those positions.

—A USC player who got caught on video tackling a Washington State fan who rushed the field after last Friday’s upset win by the Cougars is now being investigated for assault.

—Seedy K’s pigskin prognostications are back for another week.

—The ACC is excited about Thursday night’s showdown in Raleigh.

—Midseason highlights for future U of L QB Jordan Travis are now available on hudl.

—Grayson Allen is back and embarrassing teammates by dunking on them in practice.

—Nah.

—Pat Forde looks at how college basketball’s rippling scandal will completely change the sport’s job market.

—This essay from Silas House about what Tom Petty meant to him is a really good read.

—Pro Football Focus graded Lamar Jackson’s week five performance extremely high.

—Following the past week’s events, Louisville falls from No. 6 all the way to No. 18 in the new CBS top 25 and one.

—The Red and White podcast is a good listen for those attempting to be as informed as possible before tomorrow night.

—College Basketball Central takes a stab at predicting the ACC this year and pegs Louisville fourth.

—What a godsend.

—For anyone making the trip to Raleigh, here are some important notes about parking and entry into the stadium.

—Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin is in favor of paying college athletes.

—Matt Norlander lists 10 realistic candidates who could become Louisville’s full-time head coach following this season.

—Fact.

—Coach K took aim at the NCAA and the sport of basketball in general on Tuesday, saying, among other things, that kids need to be allowed to go from high school straight to the NBA.

—The Comeback says to get ready for the most bizarre season in Louisville basketball history.

—JuCo All-American RB Greg Bell decommitted from Louisville earlier this week.

—Sports Naut looks at the top storylines for the week ahead in college football.

Can NC State keep Lamar Jackson from getting loose?

It’s crazy. There are so many good players right now putting up video-game numbers that Lamar Jackson isn’t getting a ton of publicity for what he’s doing. All last year’s Heisman winner has done so far is average almost 415 yards per game with 18 touchdowns. The Cardinals are also 4-1, their only loss coming to Clemson. Their next test is a road game against NC State, which could be quite intriguing. The Wolfpack have held opposing rushing attacks to just over 85 yards per game this season and haven’t given up more than 25 points since their Week 1 loss to Syracuse.

Keeping Jackson from getting loose is a whole other challenge, however. It’s one you cannot really fully prepare for, especially on a short week. It’s going to be interesting to see if NC State can turn Jackson into a pure passer by keeping him from running wild. He’s been known to make opposing defenses pay, either way. But there is no doubt the young man is much more dangerous when he’s allowed to roam free.

—NBC Sports previews the ACC and says Louisville should be fine (at least for this season) so long as they find their new Donovan Mitchell. The preview has the Cards ranked third in the ACC.

—NC State is looking to avoid all distractions heading into one of the program’s biggest games in recent memory.

“On Thursday night, we’ll have two top-25 teams fighting on national television,” said coach Dave Doeren, who last tweeted on Sept. 23. “I told them to get off social media and focus on the game plan. We only have a couple days to learn it, to get it right.”

No. 24 NC State is hosting No. 17 Louisville on a short week for both teams. Doeren opened his Monday press conference by saying, “Welcome to Wednesday of game week,” as the team scrambles to prepare for the defending Heisman Trophy winner in Cardinals’ quarterback Lamar Jackson.

“They’re a great team,” Doeren said. “Obviously, their Heisman quarterback returning that leads the ACC in total offense with 575 yards a game, 40 points, 300 yards passing. He also leads his team in rushing.”

Jackson torched the Wolfpack last season, passing for 355 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing for 76 yards and a score, doing most of his damage in the first half as the Cardinals built a 44-0 lead, en route to a 54-10 pounding of the Pack.

Doeren worried last week about how to motivate his team to play a Syracuse team that NC State had beaten the year before. Clearly, last year’s game should provide plenty of ammunition for him as he shows the team lowlights in the film room this week.

“I don’t think we’ll have to show them any of it,” Doeren said. “Not to take anything away from Louisville, because they beat us, but we didn’t play well at all in that game.”“On Thursday night, we’ll have two top-25 teams fighting on national television,” said coach Dave Doeren, who last tweeted on Sept. 23. “I told them to get off social media and focus on the game plan. We only have a couple days to learn it, to get it right.”

—And finally, R&R is live from Main Source Bank in Fern Creek this afternoon from 3-6. Shoutout to the two guys who walked by the Sports & Social Club yesterday and gave me the middle finger. Please come out to Fern Creek and do it again. Acting Louisville athletic director Vince Tyra will join us at 3:20. Listen here.