Thursday evening Cardinal news and notes

—Chris Mack has extended a scholarship offer to Tallahassee C.C. guard El Ellis.

—The ACC has put together a bracket of the best men’s basketball players of the last 50 years. I disagree with the seedings of most of the Louisville players (Donovan being seeded better than Russ is ridiculous if we’re just talking college careers), but I’m sure fans of all fan bases feel that way.

—It would seem as though Louisville is getting an unexpected returning starter back as tight end Ean Pfeifer is indicating that he’s been granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA.

Known mostly for his blocking, both of Pfeifer’s catches last season were for touchdowns. The first came in Louisville’s blowout loss at Miami, and the second in the Cardinals’ bowl-clinching win over NC State.

—Three of the best U of L basketball games from the 2019-20 season will be re-airing on the radio over the next three Saturdays. Each broadcast will start at 7 p.m.

Fans can relive the action from the Cardinals’ Dec. 3 victory over Michigan on Saturday, March 21; UofL’s Jan. 18 win over Duke on March 28; and the Cards’ Feb. 8 victory over Virginia on April 4. The games will be presented in a 60-minute condensed format.

The series will tip-off this Saturday at 7 p.m. (840 AM) with Hall of Fame announcer and Voice of the Cardinals Paul Rogers delivering the action from Louisville’s 58-43 victory over fourth-ranked Michigan in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.

—Good story here from Cameron Teague of the CJ on Shirley Duncan, who is in her 60s, a diabetic and facility worker at a few U of L stadiums and Churchill Downs. Coronavirus concerns have canceled spring sports so she’s without her part-time jobs but remains upbeat hoping the virus passes soon.

—The scarcity is wild and all, but all I can see is how shitty the roads are.

—Jordan Nwora is a Third Team All-American according to The Athletic.

—Five Thirty Eight serves up its guide to the NCAA tournament that wasn’t.

Louisville Cardinals: No. 4 seed South Region

Final Four probability: 11 percent

Allow me to introduce the eye test: I don’t see it — and never saw it — with this team.

Our model has the Cardinals (24-7) as the second best non-No. 1 team in the tournament, trailing only Duke. But this was a team that went 4-6 against Quadrant 1 opponents, with three of those losses coming in its last seven games.

Jordan Nwora was tailor-made for a “One Shining Moment” highlight reel, but over the past 10 games, his shooting efficiency dropped off, especially from deep, where he hit one-third of his looks after averaging a 40-percent clip for the season.

Since 2008, three of the four teams with resumes most similar to Louisvillehave been bounced in the opening round. The other was eliminated in the second. Of the 10 most similar, only one advanced past the Sweet 16.

—On the same day he was released by the Bengals, former U of L offensive lineman John Miller signed a one-year deal worth $4 million with the Carolina Panthers. The Cardinal takeover of Carolina continues.

—Peyton Siva’s always trying to help you out.

—Dan McDonnell continues to lead Louisville baseball, even as it faces unprecedented circumstances.

—Jordan Nwora is the 42nd overall pick in Sam Vecenie’s latest mock NBA draft for The Athletic.

42. New Orleans Pelicans

Jordan Nwora | 6-7 wing/forward | 21 years old, junior | Louisville

This is a bit higher than where I’ll have Nwora on my personal board. But he is a high-level shooter in this class who has hit a high percentage of 3s in his career at Louisville. He has a quick release, and is an underrated vertical athlete. But his defensive ability raises real questions, as he doesn’t move particularly well laterally and is heavy-footed. He also hasn’t exactly taken much of a leap this season for Louisville. Essentially, he is who he was last year. And late in the season, there were an awful lot of important moments where Nwora just wasn’t on the floor late for Louisville, which will not go unnoticed by executives. Shooting was placed at a significant premium in last year’s draft, and I’d expect it to be similar this year. So Nwora likely does get drafted.

—Louisville makes the Final Four in The Athletic’s simulated NCAA tournament, but falls to eventual national champion Dayton.

—Quarantine rec of the day: After years of hearing that I would love it, I finally watched the movie “What We Do in the Shadows” last night, and it was hilarious. For anyone who enjoyed “Flight of the Conchords” back in the day, Jermaine Clement plays one of the main characters. The dude who played Murray also has a small role.

There’s also an FX TV show by the same name that has gotten great reviews that I plan on checking out now.

—I can’t believe I watched all of this and also found it so satisfying.

For those wondering, the Cards lost to eventual national champion Bowling Green in the Sweet 16.

—The current culture and energy of Louisville football is what led Aaron Gunn to commit to the Cards.

—Arkansas has been in contact with U of L transfer Darius Perry.

—Another very attractive player on the transfer market if Ohio State’s DJ Carton.

—Local high school seniors are coming to terms with the fact that their high school careers are going to end in bizarre fashion.

—The CJ has an updated look at where Mekhi Becton sits in current NFL mock drafts.

—And finally, a look at how weird the NBA Draft process is going to be with basketball currently canceled all over the world.