Cardinal News And Notes

Friday afternoon Cardinal news and notes

Donovan Mitchell still shows love to the Cardinal fans.

By Mike Rutherford@CardChronicle Mar 9, 2018, 2:52pm EST

—Louisville is in the tournament according to 71 of the 101 updated brackets on Bracket Matrix. The site’s aggregate field has the Cards as the next to last team in.

—Louisville football will host Murray State in 2023.

—Pitt is reportedly looking to fire Kevin Stallings for cause so they only have to pay him $4.8 million. The cause? Yelling at fans during the Louisville game at the KFC Yum Center back in January.

This is a case where there are losers on both sides. Literally and figuratively.

—Related:

I was not going to post this when Stallings was our coach, but now I am. This was a photo my friend snapped recently at a HS game where coach KS was there to “scout”. I will@always support Pitt, and Pitt solely. This embarrassed me, and him. pic.twitter.com/FElvbjsIVh
— Scaztastic (@Scaztastic) March 9, 2018

—This New York Times feature on the depressing state of Madison, Ind. is an eye-opener.

—The success of Donovan Mitchell at the next level has excited the Louisville community.

—I really want to hate on this stat, but it’s pretty damn impressive.

The streak continues. For the 22nd consecutive year, the ACC tournament final will include either Duke or UNC. Last time it didn't happen was 1996, when Wake beat Georgia Tech. This also continues: Only one ACC final hasn't included a Big Four team: 1990 (UVa-GT)
— Stephen Wiseman (@stevewisemanNC) March 9, 2018

—Registration is now open for U of L soccer’s June camp.

—Todd McShay’s latest mock draft (Insider) for ESPN has Jaire Alexander going in the first round.

—Gotta respect the only human on the court without significant padding putting his body on the line like that. Is “respect” the word I’m looking for?

LMAOOO THE NOTRE DAME LEPRECHAUN TRIED TO TAKE A CHARGE IN THE MASCOT GAME. NAHH pic.twitter.com/pMi2TstITE
— Rodger Sherman (@rodger_sherman) March 8, 2018

—The New York Post takes an inside look at how Virginia frustrates opponents.

—The U of L sports administration department is hosting a golf scramble next month. All proceeds go to the Blessings in a Backpack charity.

—David Levitch is now writing for Horse Racing Nation. He updated everyone on the Kentucky Derby trail here.

—Well done, fellas.

The ACC Doubles Team of the Week goes to Louisville’s Chris Kougoucheff @frenchichris and Parker Wynn @pdu_b. #L1C4 @ESPN680 @939TheVille @DuanePalmer @CardChronicle pic.twitter.com/lTUh71osxY
— Rex Ecarma (@Rx11) March 9, 2018

—Rick Pitino has reportedly hired an agent and put his name back on the coaching market.

Pitino’s position has been subject to sudden shifts. A day after he declared himself “dead in the water” and “finished in this business,” he called back to inquire about a job he expected to become available.

“I miss the coaching,” he said. “I miss the timeouts. I miss the strategy.”

He has also missed the chance to leave on his own terms.

“In terms of basketball, I’ve done everything,” Pitino said. “I could walk away and be happy. But I’m fighting for my legacy.”

—The first Lamar Jackson trading card is here, via Panini America, which is apparently a real thing.