Tuesday afternoon Cardinal news and notes

—NET Rankings Update: No. 51 (no change).

—The U of L baseball team is back in action today against Murray State. Here’s a preview.

—Three-Man-Weave previews the ACC tournament and joins the chorus of folks predicting that Louisville will lose to Duke on Wednesday.

—Brian Geisinger over at ACCSports.com justifies his all-conference picks and shows love to both Carlik Jones (First Team) and Jae’Lyn Withers (All Freshman, FOY runner-up).

Carlik Jones, Louisville

-It took no time for Carlik Jones, following his arrival at Louisville, to re-announce himself as one of top guards in college basketball — he wasn’t afraid of the bigger stage: 26.5 USG%, 26.4% assist rate, 12.9 TOV%

-Jones is a power guard and a master manipulator in the pick-and-roll; he blends a loopy crossover handle with the ability to mix speeds, stop on a dime and change directions

-56.5 eFG% on catch-and-shoots, 0.87 points per pick-and-roll possession

...

Runner-up

Jae’Lyn Withers, Louisville

-11.6% offensive rebound rate, 22.8% defensive rebound rate, 66 FG% at the rim

-One of five ACC rookies to post a box plus-minus of 5.0 or better

-Withers is the first Louisville freshman with a BPM of 5+ since Donovan Mitchell and Ray Spalding in the 2015-16 season

-Terry Rozier is the only other Louisville rookie since the 2007-08 season with a 5+ BPM

-One of 12 Division I players with 10% offensive rebound rate, 20% defensive rebound rate, 55 2P%, 20 3PA — along with Charles Bassey (WKU), Kobe Brown (Missouri), Justin Bean (Utah State) and Efe Abogidi (Washington State)

-Withers excelled while forced into a full-time small-ball 5 role due to the Malik Williams injuries; he can do a little bit of everything, including switching 1-5 defensively, handling the ball in space and finishing in traffic at the rim

—Lovie Jenkins is focused on doing his part to help get Louisville football back on track in 2021.

—Jenkins and Georgia Southern transfer Kendrick Duncan both talked to the media on Monday.

—The ACC Network’s Kelly Gramlich thinks Carlik Jones should have been the ACC Player of the Year.

—Louisville has offered class of 2022 DT Christen Miller out of Georgia.

—Dre Davis, Samuell Williamson and David Johnson have earned All-ACC Academic honors.

—While the run didn’t end the way they wanted it to, the Louisville women’s basketball team showed improvement on the glass last week in Greensboro.

—Headliners has new owners.

—Not a great start to the postseason for Kansas.

—Louisville Report previews the week ahead for the Cardinal baseball team.

—A Louisville man is the latest Mega Millions millionaire.

—Louisville remains in the “last four byes” section of Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology.

—SportsBetting.ag does not like Louisville’s chances of winning the ACC tournament.

—If you missed them earlier, two new Card Chronicle podcasts dropped today.

Virginia reaction here.

ACC tournament preview with Jeff Greer here.

—Racing Louisville FC will play its debut match on April 10.

—Miami transfer Matt Cross talks about what led him to take his game to Louisville.

“Right when I put my name in the portal, on that exact day that I announced I was leaving (Miami), Louisville was the first ones to reach out. And they did so immediately,” said Cross.

“They also contacted the people that were a big part of my recruiting process, including my AAU coach Leo Papile, and everyone I talked to just seemed to speak so highly about the program. I feel like they understood my game and what I was looking for. it just seemed like a great fit.”

At Louisville, Cross hopes to showcase some of the skills he didn’t necessarily get to display during his time at Miami.

He’ll still serve as a knockdown shooter and gifted rebounder, but hopes to add more passing to his arsenal as well. Cross always considered passing to be one of his biggest strengths, and that’s something he’ll be able to do more often as a member of the Cardinals.

“Just talking to them, they really get plays for their guys that can shoot the ball and score,” he said, “but I feel like the biggest difference is allowing me to pass, which I always felt was one of my best attributes, if not the best. So to be able to facilitate and get my teammates going more, that helps get my own game going, too.”

—The NCAA is reportedly on the verge of approving the one time transfer rule, which means Cross will likely be eligible to suit up for the Cards in 2021-22.

—All eyes are on Duke’s “impossible task” as the ACC tournament tips off.

—And finally, Andy Katz has Louisville as an 11-seed squaring off against Colorado in his latest mock tournament bracket.