Wednesday afternoon Cardinal news and notes

—The 2020-21 college basketball season in the Derby City has come to a close.

—The Louisville baseball team’s midweek struggles continued with a wild 10-inning, 13-12 loss at Cincinnati Tuesday night.

—U of L has announced an increase in stadium capacity for upcoming home games for the Cardinal baseball and men’s and women’s soccer teams.

—Carlik back on the court.

—Harry Douglas interviews Scott Satterfield here.

—Charles Minlend talks to the CJ’s Shannon Russell about his disappointed, injury-plagued season at Louisville.

—Scott Davenport talks about how his close friend, Mick Cronin, was able to take UCLA from the First Four to the Final Four.

—The sports editor of Marshall’s student newspaper pens a farewell column to new Cardinal Jarrod West.

As Marshall’s all-time steals leader, West’s accomplishments on the court easily support the above claim, but for me, West’s story at Marshall extends beyond statistics.

He is the epitome of a team player and leader. His effort and mentality garner respect from those around him, even his competitors.

As a freshman, he quickly gained that respect from head coach Dan D’Antoni and veteran players such as Jon Elmore and CJ Burks, starting 35 games and playing the third-most minutes per game behind only Elmore and Burks. That team camaraderie resulted in Marshall winning the 2018 Conference USA championship and upsetting Wichita State in the NCAA tournament.

Successfully stepping into that role does not come naturally to most college basketball players, but for West, his approach to the game allowed him to do just that.

That approach is centered around something he likes to call the “bulldog mentality,” which is a term that any devoted Marshall basketball fan should know by now.

—Nearly every member of the Supreme Court eviscerated the NCAA during arguments on Wednesday, but that doesn’t mean this case is a slam dunk either way.

—Gonzaga is a 13.5-point favorite over UCLA, currently making them the largest favorite in Final Four history.

Here are the prior three largest spreads in Final Four history (since 1985):

1999 - Duke (-11) vs. Michigan State
2013 - Louisville (-10) vs. Wichita State
2016 - North Carolina (-9.5) vs. Syracuse

—Georgia site SicEmDawgs reacts to the home-and-home series with Louisville announcement.

—Making at least 50 percent of your two-point shots in 53 consecutive games is just a bonkers stat.

—A new German beer hall is coming to a prominent spot near the Ohio River.​

—Down the Drive covers Cincinnati’s thrilling baseball win over Louisville last night.

—Louisville wide receiver Christian Fitzpatrick (Dez’s younger brother) has entered the transfer portal.

—The ACC Digital Network identifies the top five plays of the 2020-21 Louisville men’s basketball season.

—Rule of Tree celebrates Stanford’s win over Louisville.

—A reserve played a huge role in Stanford’s comeback win over the Cards.

—ACC athletic directors all seem to share a common concern: Money.

Since officially taking over as ACC commissioner last month, Jim Phillips has spent much of his time getting to know people within the league. He likes to ask about family, saying it’s a good way to connect. He is trying to build trust, get a lay of the land and absorb feedback from coaches and administrators on what he should prioritize.

Those within the ACC have been blunt with their assessments.

Given this pivotal moment for the conference, ESPN talked with 16 athletic directors and football coaches from across the league in recent weeks. Each one of them believes Phillips is the right man for the job, but they also know his influence could have ripple effects throughout the sport for years to come.

That is because the ACC’s different financial trajectory compared to other Power 5 conferences leaves the new commissioner with a daunting task. Bringing in more money is a must, but to do that, the ACC must prioritize football and rewrite the league’s image. To get there, Phillips’ constituents will seek his guidance in the process, from reconsidering scheduling to divisional alignment, TV deals to expansion, and the league’s long-term relationship with Notre Dame.

As Phillips gains valuable information and feedback to bring back to athletic directors, decisions can be made about how to approach its biggest football questions. At least for now, multiple athletic directors said, “Everything is on the table.” But before any decisions can be made, Philips himself needs to do some evaluating of his own as he works on creating a blueprint for the ACC’s future.

“Is it strictly just money [holding teams back]?” Phillips said during a recent telephone interview with ESPN. “Or have we not recruited as well? Or do we need some additional help from a support staff standpoint? Yes, revenue is a huge part of it, but are we scheduling accordingly? Do we have the right matchups? Are we playing in the right venues? Can we create our events that are one-offs that allow us to take some of our games to different places for interest and potential additional revenue generation?”

—The U of L men’s tennis team will host Middle Tennessee on Thursday.

—Cincy St. X lineman Brian Parker has picked up a U of L offer.

—Not seeing Kenny Klein at the scorer’s table this weekend is going to feel wrong.

—Eric Crawford covers what Jeff Walz said to his team before they left the court Tuesday night.

—After an almost too perfect day on Tuesday, subfreezing temperatures are coming back to Louisville.

—Jaylen Smith with some very complimentary words for former teammate Dez Fitzpatrick.

—Athlon serves up a draft profile of TuTu Atwell.

—Todd McShay thinks Atwell could be an option for the Eagles.

—Happy anniversary.

—Cardinal Authority updates its list of men’s basketball transfers to keep an eye on.

—And finally, here’s what Scott Satterfield had to say after Tuesday’s Pro Day festivities.