Wednesday afternoon Cardinal news and notes

—Spread check: Wake Forest by 4.

—Eliminating explosive plays has been the biggest key to the Louisville defense’s recent success.

—The Louisville volleyball team, which fell to No. 4 in this week’s coaches poll but stayed at No. 2 in the RPI, will play its only match of the season at the KFC Yum Center tonight against Notre Dame. Here’s a preview.

—It’s not too late in the week to be celebrating the win over Pitt.

—A trio of Wake Forest players spoke with the media about Louisville on Tuesday.

—Rick Bozich says that there were things to both like and be worried about at Louisville’s Red-White scrimmage.

—AJ Johnson won’t be playing in The Ville in December after all. Thanks, Kanye.

—Louisville needs just two more wins to get bowl eligible but they face one of the toughest end of the season schedules in the country. Can they get there?

—The Athletic’s women’s college basketball staff makes their predictions for the upcoming season and there are zero mentions of Louisville.

—Louisville men’s soccer defender Josh Jones was named the ACC co-Defensive Player of the Week on Tuesday.

—Derrick Rose clearly taking a shot at John Calipari here.

—The U of L women’s soccer team will celebrate senior night when it hosts No. 2 North Carolina Thursday night at 6. You can watch the match live on the ACC Network.

—Louisville’s non-conference schedule next season:

09/09 - Murray State

09/16 - vs Indiana (in Indianapolis)

11/25 - Kentucky

TBA - Notre Dame

We also know that the Cards will open the season against Georgia Tech at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

—Angel McCoughtry is the guest on the latest episode of the Off the Walz podcast.

—The Athletic has named Hailey Van Lith as a second team preseason All-American.

—Jeff Goodman identifies the breakout stars of the upcoming college hoops season.

—Updated odds to win the ACC from BetOnline:

—Louisville baseball has landed a commitment from class of 2026 prospect Parker Clubb, which is a fantastic baseball name.

—The ACC is expected to announce that it brought in record revenue last athletic season. David Teel explores the best ways for the conference to use that money now and in the future.

—Discounted north endzone tickets for Saturday’s game are available through Friday at 10 a.m. by going here.

—This is certainly encouraging.

Bain has previously announced a final six of Louisville, Alabama, Auburn, Miami, Florida State and Oklahoma.

—Louisville men’s soccer is up to No. 9 in the latest coaches top 25 poll.

—Former Christian Academy standout George Washington III will announce his college decision on Nov. 1. Washington had previously listed Louisville as one of his finalists, but Michigan and Wake Forest are considered the two front-runners to win the talented outside shooter’s services.

—U of L commit DeAndre Moore will be honored as a high school All-American today.

—Adam Rittenberg’s coaching carousel column for ESPN is back, and this time his take on Scott Satterfield is far less controversial.

Scott Satterfield, Louisville: Things are cooling off in a hurry for Satterfield, whose team suddenly has some momentum after an 0-3 start to ACC play. Louisville’s defense has found its footing in wins over Virginia and Pitt, as linebacker Yasir Abdullah shined on Saturday night. The key now is whether the Cardinals can beat one of the ACC’s best teams in Wake Forest this week. Games still remain against Clemson, Kentucky and NC State, but Satterfield and his team are certainly trending in a positive direction. Will bowl eligibility be enough to ensure he’s back in 2023? He’s two wins away.

—College basketball coaches explain why they say work ethic is the most important skill a player can have.

—Jim Nantz says this year’s Final Four will be his last.

If his corny championship tagline doesn’t include “last dance with Nantz,” I’m going to be crushed.

—Your advanced box score from Louisville-Pitt:

—Eric Ortiz, who was a 10-time national champion cheerleader during his time at Louisville, passed away earlier this week at the far-too-young age of 30.

—Chris Mack will spend this college basketball season doing podcast work on the Field of 68 network.

—To all the Pitt fans still saying Tyler Hudson was out-of-bounds ...

—This story of a college wrestler fighting off a bear to save his teammates includes one of the quotes of the year: “Before this attack, I had thought that I could take on a bear easily. Now I know that a bear is pretty legit. They are tougher, stronger and bigger than I thought. It’s not so easy.”

—The U of L men’s and women’s cross country teams are set for the ACC Championships.

—The No. 1 point guard in the class of 2024 seemed to enjoy his visit to U of L.

—Cardinal safety M.J. Griffin keeps making the most out of his increase in playing time.

—State of Louisville says that small changes to the Louisville defense are making a world of difference.

—Decent numbers here.

—An inmate briefly escaped Louisville Metro Corrections this morning, and left behind a bag of candy when he did. ‘Tis the season.

—The Crunch Zone takes a closer look at the stat comparison between Louisville and Wake Forest.

—And finally, it’s another weird Wednesday on the Mike Rutherford Show this afternoon from 3-6 on The Big X. You can stream it here.