Wednesday afternoon Cardinal news and notes

—247 Sports has updated its hoops class of 2021 rankings and has Bryce Hopkins up to No. 41 and Bobby Pettiford also up a few spots to No. 94.

—Samuell Williamson is ready to make the transition from wide-eyed freshman to experienced veteran in year two.

—Travis Branham of 247 Sports lays out what Louisville is getting in new commit El Ellis.

That said, two areas Ellis will need to improve on the offensive end will be his shot selection and playing without the ball in his hands. At this stage, Ellis wants the ball in his hands and the ball often-times sticks when he touches it which hinders the flow of the offense. He is a more than capable shooter off the catch as he connected on 28 of his 57 attempts off the catch, per Synergy, but will need to learn to move more freely and let his shots come to him more as he moves into high major competition. He will also need to tweak his score-first approach to creating for his teammates more as the coaching, size and athleticism of the ACC come into play.

Defensively, there is some ability here as he is quick enough to stay in front of his man. However, at this stage he is not always fully engaged and locked in so improving his focus on this end will be imperative to max out his ability here. Given his lack of strength and physical tools, he will need to focus on being a pesky on-ball defender and engaged on his coverages to prevent shooters shooting over the top of him and bigger guards exposing a size advantage.

Ultimately, Ellis is a nice pickup for the Cardinals in the 2021 class. There are certainly some areas he can improve but he gives Chris Mack a weapon on offense with some upside that could give opponents trouble when defending the pick-and-roll.

—ACCSports.com looks at how Ellis fits into Chris Mack’s style of offense.

— Dwayne Ledford says adjusting to a new reality has been difficult for coaches and players alike, but both are excited about returning to football.

—What’s it like being the most terrifying mascot in sports? The Providence Friar discusses (Athletic link).

—Dana Evans hopped on with Packer and Durham Tuesday morning.

—U of L has released several new key actions they believe will ensure a safe return to campus for the fall 2020 semester. Here’s the full “Pivot to the Fall” plan.

—Ryan Nanni takes time to praise a simple but important piece of furniture: the chair in your bedroom that ends up covered in clothes no matter what.

—NCAA president Mark Emmert talks with Seth Davis of The Athletic and says: “I certainly think that sitting here today, there will be football in the fall.”

—Huge news for Louisville baseball in 2021 as both starting pitcher Luke Smith and reliever Adam Elliott have announced that they’ll be using their extra year of eligibility to spend one more season with the Cards.

—Lou City matches — with 50 percent capacity — are finally coming to Lynn Family Stadium.

—The CJ’s Cameron Teague writes about how quality control coach Pete Thomas is crucial to the success of the Cardinal offensive line.

—Former U of L infielder Drew Benefield is transferring to Dallas Baptist.

—The ACC Digital Network says Jordan Nwora’s 37-point performance against Boston College was the best in the league this season.

—Matt Norlander of CBS did an NBA mock draft based solely on who is most likely to have the most successful professional career.

—You can’t kill Ring Road.

—The latest episode of The Cardinal Sports Zone podcast focuses on the recent explosion in U of L football recruiting.

—Jim Boeheim would still prefer it if you didn’t ask him about his record versus Rick Pitino.

Trez knows.

—Loch Ness Monster back? Sure, why not? Let’s toss that in the mix.

—Carlik Jones, Charles Minlend, JJ Traynor and D’Andre Davis are all officially on U of L’s campus and have already impressed Samuell Williamson.

—Jack Harlow’s “What’s Poppin” remix features Lil’ Wayne, Tory Lanez and DaBaby.

—Great U of L football gear and a great cause.

—Once he signs, it looks like Reid Detmers will be the third-ranked Angels prospect.

—Angel McCoughtry and the Las Vegas Aces have proposed “say their names” jerseys.

—*takes long puff out of old man pipe from front porch chair*

I don’t recognize this world anymore.

—Year 15 of Ricky O’Donnell’s Western Illinois dynasty is here.

—TNIAAM wonders why the ACC Network’s broadcast material has been so uninspired during this unique period of time.

—And finally, Cardinal Authority has a Q&A with new U of L WR commit Demetrius Cannon.