Wednesday evening Cardinal news and notes

—Louisville is No. 14 in the final AP poll of the 2019-20 season.

—Teddy Bridgewater is officially $65 million richer and the new man in Carolina.

—Darius Perry’s father tells The Athletic’s Danielle Lerner that his son is looking for a new system “that doesn’t include a straightjacket.”

Perry’s father, Eric, told The Athletic that more playing time is one motivation behind the transfer. He also said Darius didn’t mesh with Louisville’s pack-line defensive system or Mack’s coaching style. Asked what kind of system Darius is looking for, Eric replied, “One that doesn’t include a straitjacket.”

According to his father, Perry has already heard from a dozen programs: Alabama, Arizona State, Georgia, Iowa State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon, Santa Clara, Seton Hall, Texas, Tulane and Wichita State. One potentially juicy situation that has Louisville fans buzzing is a reunion with Rick Pitino at Iona. Pitino hasn’t reached out, but asked about the possibility, Eric Perry said, “Never say never.”

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“He’s never left anywhere,” Eric wrote in a text message. “Same high school, same AAU team, and loved Louisville and the fans/people. This was the toughest decision in his life.”

As for Jay Scrubb, he’s back in town preparing for the NBA Draft, an option which certainly sound like is in the lead over spending at least one season playing for the Cards.

Scrubb is back home in Louisville, finishing college courses online while preparing for the draft. With the NBA season on hold, the status of the combine and other pre-draft workouts hangs in the balance ahead of the draft, which is scheduled for June 25. In the meantime, Scrubb is eating a healthy diet and working out with Maurice Urrutia, the brother of former Louisville and NFL wide receiver Mario Urrutia.

Jay’s father, Jason, told The Athletic his son was in contact with Mack over the weekend and has not scratched the Cardinals from his plans.

“They’re not out of the picture,” Jason said. “All options are on the table like they always have been. This whole situation throws such a monkey wrench in things, I don’t know if it will help him or hurt him. The only thing I know is he has to be ready when the time comes.”

That decision feels like an awfully large one when it comes to Louisville’s chances to be a true contender for any sort of championship in 2020-21.

—Pittsburgh sophomore guard Trey McGowens has entered the NCAA transfer portal. That’s a huge loss for Jeff Capel and will be a huge add for whoever lands him.

I, uh, would not hate if that whoever was us.

—No way this gets done in the current climate, but it’s more clear than ever that the citizens of the state of Kentucky won legalized sports gambling. Can’t wait to be one of the last states to make it happen.

—The Cincinnati Bengals have cut former Louisville offensive lineman John Miller.

—A new episode of the CC Podcast is here.

—Thirty years ago today, 11-seed Loyola Marymount upset 3-seed Michigan, 149-115, in what is still the highest-scoring game in NCAA tournament history.

Thanks to the magic of YouTube, you can watch the entire game.

—The ACC tournament’s return to Greensboro didn’t exactly go as planned, and now the folks in the area are saying the city deserves to have the event come back.

The 2021 ACC tournament will be held in Washington D.C., and then the event will go back to Brooklyn for 2022. No hosts have been assigned beyond that.

—Louisville’s 2013 upset over Brittney Griner and Baylor will be on ESPN2 tonight at midnight.

—U of L president Neeli Bendapudi has tested negative for the coronavirus. Bendapudi was among those who recently attended an event at the Speed Art Museum where a fellow attendee tested positive for the virus.

—ESPN lets its BPI project the NCAA tournament, and it has Louisville falling in the second round to fifth-seeded Ohio State. Ultimately, the BPI has Wisconsin beating BYU to win the national title.

—Remote instruction will now continue at U of L through the end of the spring semester.

—The NCAA made more than $1 billion last year, but no March Madness will create some unexpected red ink on the balance sheet this year.

—Using college football standards, 14 men’s basketball programs have the right to claim the 2020 national title as their own.

—I don’t even want to think about the amount of drugs Muss did before making this video.

—Chris Mack was a guest on The Jim Rome Show on Tuesday. You can hear his interview here.

—Could The Masters be moving to October? There have been hints.

—Damion is the man.

—Kentucky has eight new cases of the coronavirus, including the wife of Louisville mayor Greg Fischer.

—Chris Mack is still having a hard time coming to terms with an “unprecedented” end to the 2019-20 season.

Mack said thinking back, Thursday and Friday are days he will never forget because of the “sad reality.”

“Most of my conversations to our team centered on the immediate and that was just the opportunity of playing in the NCAA Tournament being lost,” Mack said. “It was really hard with how fast things transpired to give a global view of the season to our team.

“We didn’t even have the ability to go back to the practice facility because it was undergoing a deep cleaning. I am holding an end of the season meeting in the FBO over at the Louisville airport. It was tough and I still just feel terrible for them.”

Mack said the final team meeting is always tough, but usually, it’s because the team has just lost not because the season was called off.

”Besides the awkwardness of the season-ending, it was just very hard to sort of gather your thoughts and talk about the season as a whole,” Mack said. “I thanked the seniors and felt terrible for them and still do. I feel so bad for those guys, they put in a lot of work and we felt good moving forward.”

—These continue to only make me more sad.

—There will be no national championship events in Daytona for the U of L spirit groups this year.

—Coaching at Louisville is 100 percent better than playing for the Lions.

You made the right choice, AJ.

—DePaul is working on a contract extension for Dave Leitao, which is only the 567,565th most absurd thing happening in the world right now, but is still absurd nonetheless.

—Pretty much sums it up.

—Dana O’Neil of The Athletic has a good story on how college basketball coaches are handling life as a domestic during this period of quarantine. Chris Mack isn’t exactly thriving.

Christi Mack can relate. “He doesn’t know where the hammer is, or how to use it,’’ she says of her husband, Louisville coach Chris Mack. Without home projects for her husband to complete, Christi is slightly worried about Chris. He doesn’t do “sit still,” and his hopes for fishing trips have been curtailed by some crummy weather. With three kids, she’s used to the banal rhythms of home life — laundry and lunches and otherwise mundane chores. Chris not so much. “He’s already delirious,’’ she says. “Running around the house, singing songs. Can we do this for 10 days? I don’t know.’’ Christi has shared her Christmas gift with her husband, teaching him how to use the Mirror, a sort of Peloton for non-cycling enthusiasts. “At least we can both get in shape,’’ Christi says.

—Vice Tyra and Dan McDonnell held teleconferences on Wednesday afternoon to provide the media with some updates.

—This is the pinnacle of Irish Catholic culture.

—The CJ looks at how Darius Perry’s transfer will impact Louisville in 2020-21.

—Big Red Louie looks at U of L’s biggest needs heading into this offseason.

—This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, but the NCAA is almost certainly not going to grant an extra year of eligibility for winter sports athletes.

—The New Castle News looks at U of L football’s first commitment from the 2021 class.

—And finally, stay safe, stay upbeat, stay home.