Friday afternoon Cardinal news and notes

—Texas and Oklahoma have both officially accepted their invitations to join the SEC. The swiftness with which all this happened still blows my mind.

—Former Louisville baseball star Adam Duvall is headed back to the Braves for the 2021 stretch run.

—Heat Check CBB ranks Carlik Jones as the seventh-best player who went undrafted Thursday night.

7. Carlik Jones, Louisville

Guard | Signed with Dallas Mavericks (Contract TBA)

Carlik Jones transferred from the Big South to the ACC for his final collegiate season…and he showed out in a big way. He averaged 16.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game to lead Louisville. He simply produced at a high level throughout his college career and is deadly in the pick-and-roll. I am a believer in his style translating to the NBA as a spark-plug scoring bench guard. His size (6-1) sets him back a bit, but he proved capable of making the leap into high-major basketball a year ago. Will he prove more people wrong by emerging in the NBA?

—U of L swimmer Tatiana Salcutan represented both the Cards and Moldova well this week.

—Though he’s not allowed to practice, Lamar Jackson remains “mentally engaged” with the Ravens offense as Baltimore camp begins.

—I’ll be surprised if Dez doesn’t have a productive NFL career. He’s got all the necessary attributes.

—Former Card Anthony Silkwood has been named the new pitching coach at Illinois Springfield college, which plays in the GLVC.

—Jonathan Givony’s first NBA mock draft for 2022 has Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren going No. 1 and does not feature a Cardinal.

—This is kinda nuts.

Go Rocks.

—Former Card (and Kentucky killer) Drew Ellis is on the brink of a call-up from the Arizona Diamondbacks.

—The latest Cardinal Authority podcast features U of L recruiting coordinator Eron Hodges.

—Jaire Alexander is the third highest-rated cornerback in the new Madden.

—Local athletic directors are anticipating more Covid-related restrictions at least for the start of the 2021-22 high school sports season.

—Spend some time this weekend with Jordan Sperber’s breakdown of every national championship game since 2000.

—U of L is set to host a number of football prospects on Friday at its 502 BBQ event.

—Montrezl Harrell has broken his social media silence after being part of a deal to the Wizards.

—The Rolling Stones have dropped their planned concert in Louisville.

—Friday Irrelevance:

—The Business Journals highlights the best places to work in Louisville. For the 15th consecutive year, CardChronicle.com did not make the cut.

—And finally, major shoutout to Louisville 9-year-old Ayla Duncan, who broke the U.S. world record for her age group in three separate track races last week. Duncan, who was born without her fibula, is now on her way to becoming a household name.