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Friday evening Cardinal news and notes

When you're on the edge of the 300 million year old Cliffs of Moher in Ireland, you throw L's.

By Mike Rutherford

I_medium It's a Sweet 16 rematch between Louisville and Baylor tonight at 9:30 on ESPN2. Here's your game preview.

I_medium Here's a look at tonight's game from the Baylor side.

I_medium Louisville baseball is headed to Raleigh this weekend for a weekend set with NC State.

I_medium This is why they're America's team.

I_medium Deshaun Watson threw some serious shade at Lamar Jackson on Wednesday.

As he prepares for the NFL Draft, Watson got together with ESPN's Jon Gruden as part of his "Gruden's QB Camp," and that topic came up. When Gruden asked Watson what he needed to do to win the Heisman, Watson threw some shade Lamar Jackson's way.

"I'm not sure," said Watson when asked how to win the Heisman. "I guess lose a couple of games?"

Whatever.

Watson himself thinks the media has overblown his words.

I_medium Tickets are available for Louisville's home softball game against Kentucky on April 12.

I_medium West Virginia's final possession against Gonzaga last night was March Madness at its worst.

I_medium How'd that go for you, Mike?

I_medium Stadium Journey reviews the KFC Yum Center and gives it high marks.

I_medium The state that produces the highest percentage of of college basketball recruits? Maryland?

Maryland has always been known as a hotbed of basketball talent, but Division-I coaches are really showing the state some love lately. So much so that Maryland now produces the highest percentage of college basketball recruits of any state. The Washington Post's Jacob Bogage reports:

The Old Line State has always been a hotbed for basketball talent. But between 2013 and 2016, data shows 5 percent of the state's boys' basketball players were recruited to play at the highest level of college hoops, the highest proportion of any state.

This is not a surprise to hoops savants, who for years have been putting together the ultimate all-Maryland NBA team. Native born Marylanders include Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, Rudy Gay, Victor Oladipo, Roy Hibbert, Jeff Green and a whole lot of others.

Washington Huskies' freshman and DeMatha graduate Markelle Fultz is the odds-on bet to be the No. 1 pick in this June's NBA Draft.

Maryland's closest competitors are North Carolina at 3.6 percent and Georgia and Nevada, both at 3 percent. Virginia was fifth among states for exporting boys recruits at 2.8 percent.

I_medium Gonzaga vs. Xavier will be the first regional final featuring two teams looking to make their first Final Four appearance since 1999.

I_medium Frank's still killing it on Twitter.

I_medium Former Ballard standout Kelan Martin is thriving at Butler, and has a shot to become something of a household name if his team can shock North Carolina tonight.

I_medium U of L signee Jordan Nwora, who Rick Pitino has been very complimentary of in recent weeks, is going to play in the Jordan Brand Classic Regional game.

This is the same game where Donovan Mitchell played and won MVP a few years ago.

I_medium New U of L defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon has delegated responsibilities for his defensive staff.

New defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon announced on Wednesday that he has finalized position changes on his defensive staff. Sirmon will mentor the defense, but will also coach the outside linebackers. Lorenzo Ward will coach the secondary, while Cort Dennison will now mentor the inside linebackers. L.D. Scott will stick with coaching the defensive line.

I_medium Eric Crawford lays out the six most important things from the NCAA's response to Louisville that was released yesterday.

I_medium Yahoo's latest mock draft has Donovan Mitchell going at pick 16.

16. Detroit: SG Donovan Mitchell
Sophomore
Age: 20
Ht./Wt.: 6-3/ 210
Louisville

Stan Van Gundy may be looking to add some toughness and athleticism to his backcourt. Mitchell offers both and has improved his perimeter shooting considerably this season. His defense-first mentality playing under coach Rick Pitino would suit the Pistons well.

I_medium And finally, beat Baylor.

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