—Spread check (football): SMU by 2.5.
—For those looking to make the trip to Cincinnati on Friday and turn the “neutral court” contest into a Cardinal home game, you can save 20% on tickets by using the promo
code “CARDALUM” on TicketMaster.
Also, there could be some additional traffic in the area Friday night with the news that the Elder-Cincy St. X regional final has been moved to Paycor (Paul Brown) Stadium, so allow yourself some extra time on the trip up if possible.
—There are $7 tickets now available for Saturday’s Louisville-Kentucky women’s basketball game at the Yum Center. Take advantage here.
—Outrageously fun.
—Ryan Conwell is No. 10 on Jamie Shaw’s early National Player of the Year top 10 list.
—CJ Moore has Louisville at No. 5 in his latest college hoops rankings for The Athletic.
—It’s game night for the U of L women’s basketball team, which hosts Morehead State at 8 p.m. Here’s a preview.
—This week in Cardinal athletics:
Wednesday, November 19
- Swim/Dive at Ohio State Invite – (Columbus, OH)
- Men’s Tennis at NCAA Doubles Championship – (Orlando, FL)
- Women’s Basketball vs. Morehead State – 8:00 p.m. ET (KFC Yum! Center)
Thursday, November 20
- Swim/Dive at Ohio State Invite – (Columbus, OH)
- Men’s Tennis at NCAA Doubles Championship – (Orlando, FL)
- Women’s Soccer vs. Kansas (NCAA Second Round) – 4:00 p.m. ET (Durham, NC)
Friday, November 21
- Swim/Dive at Ohio State Invite – (Columbus, OH)
- Men’s Tennis at NCAA Doubles Championship – (Orlando, FL)
- Men’s Basketball at Cincinnati – 6:30 p.m. ET (Cincinnati, OH)
- Volleyball at Georgia Tech – 7:00 p.m. ET (Atlanta, GA)
Saturday, November 22
- Men’s Tennis at NCAA Doubles Championship – (Orlando, FL)
- Cross Country at NCAA Cross Country Championships (Men’s 10k) – 11:10 a.m. ET (Columbia, MO)
- Football at SMU – 12:00 p.m. ET (Dallas, TX)
- Women’s Basketball vs. Kentucky – 2 p.m. ET (KFC Yum! Center)
Sunday, November 23
- Men’s Tennis at NCAA Doubles Championship – (Orlando, FL)
- Volleyball at Clemson – 1:00 p.m. ET (Clemson, SC)
—C.L. Brown writes that Louisville shouldn’t be comparing itself to Indiana right now, which is much easier said than done.
—Former Penn State head coach James Franklin has been hired as the new head coach at Virginia Tech.
—Both Louisville swim and dive teams are now ranked in the top five nationally and competing at the Ohio Invitational.
—It’s a special year for Turkey Stock as we’re honoring the lasting legacy of my guy Jason Brown. Make it out today if you can.
—Mikel Brown Jr. has been named as one of the Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week by the USBWA.
—London Johnson is officially a Cardinal, and Pat Kelsey had some thoughts #forthehaterzz in the official press release.
—The Louisville Bats’ new alternative identity for the 2026 season will be the Louisville … Humidity? Sure, why not.
—Brendan Marks of The Athletic has a great look at how Louisville’s guards (and bigs too) took it to Kentucky last week.
Now, Kentucky’s ball-screen defense (and transition defense and help defense) straight up weren’t good enough against Louisville. You cannot go under screens the way Kentucky did when you’re playing an army of shooters. You also have to communicate in transition, so you don’t wind up with multiple wide-open corner 3-point shooters. But even top-level defenses will struggle to contain UL’s multiple perimeter options or just one of those guys if they get cooking individually, as Brown did Tuesday.
For all the credit Kelsey’s backcourt gets, notice who was making those pivotal kick-out passes for open 3s: Hadley and Fru, who each had three assists against Kentucky. Aly Khalifa, the former BYU center and master passer, also had four assists against his former coach. That perimeter quartet will get most of the glory for Louisville this season, but without bigs who can see and then hit those open passing lanes, those four guards wouldn’t have nearly the caliber of looks they’re seeing. It’s an underrated but essential part of what makes Louisville so dangerous. And if Kasean Pryor, who’s still working his way back from a torn ACL he suffered early last season, can become a bigger piece of the puzzle, too?
In my best Larry David voice: Feeling pretty, pretty good about that UL Final Four prediction.
—Congrats to former Card C.J. Avery on winning a Grey Cup championship with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
—St. X is No. 1 in the CJ’s preseason rankings for the upcoming KHSAA boys basketball season.
—The U of L Alumni Association’s Cincinnati chapter is hosting a pregame party on Friday. The details are here.
—This was a poorly-timed announcement.
My DVR is already set.
—It was very strange to see the U of L women’s basketball team play a mid-November ACC opener, but Jeff Walz was a fan of it.
—Eric Crawford looks at the impact that penalties have had on Louisville’s 2025 football season. Spoiler: It’s large and negative. Largely negative some might even say. Wait, that’s not right.
Just look at the numbers and have yourself a soft cry.
—Mikel Brown goes sixth overall in Jeremy Woo’s latest NBA mock draft for ESPN.
6. Sacramento Kings
Mikel Brown Jr., PG, Louisville
Freshman
2025-26 stats: 19.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, 6.8 assists in four gamesA 29-point explosion in a rivalry game against Kentucky signaled Brown’s proper arrival on the college stage and underscored the excitement surrounding his NBA potential and trajectory. His ability to shoot from deep (36% from 3) off the dribble and catch, as well as make plays for teammates, gives him excellent upside, plus continuing to get downhill and to the foul line with more aggression will help his case. It’s a reasonable bet right now that he’ll be the first guard off the board after Darryn Peterson, and where Brown ultimately falls among the top picks might depend on where the point-guard-needy teams end up selecting.
This has been a challenging start to the season, to say the least, for the 3-11 Kings, who control their own pick and might need to consider pivoting from an aging core group on expensive contracts. The number of high-level talents in this lottery makes that a more palatable proposition, and the Kings’ need for a younger playmaker should make Brown a clear consideration.
—Kyle Kuric enjoyed having an NFL game in Spain for the first time.
—Some fresh Briggs Cherry highlights are here. If you’re into that sort of thing.
—If you missed the women’s soccer team’s dramatic NCAA Tournament win over Kentucky, experience the magic in this awesome recap video.
The Cards now face third-seeded Kansas Thursday afternoon in Durham. Here’s a preview.
—Pat Kelsey is The Field of 68’s National Coach of the Week.
—Good read here on Louisville fans keeping the legacy of JaCori “Corito” Mozee alive.
—Rob Dauster has a film breakdown on the impact of Sananda Fru and Aly Khalifa.
—I wish the morale around the football program was higher at the moment, but these are gorgeous.
—For the first time since 2015, the Louisville men’s cross country team has qualified for the NCAA Championships.
—Ellis Myles has been named to new head boys basketball coach at Shawnee.
—
—Oh nooooo
—Good read here on John Beam, the Oakland JUCO coach and former Last Chance U star who was murdered last week.
—The CJ’s Brooks Holton has a terrific read on Kobe Rodgers and the Cincinnati homecoming he’s set to experience on Friday.
—Louisville will be one of the programs included in 2K’s upcoming college basketball project.
—I was not ready for this music choice, but it worked.
—Chris Bell is a Biletnikoff Award semifinalist.
—After a reverse sweep of No. 14 Miami on Sunday, the Louisville volleyball team stays at No. 7 in the latest AVCA top 25 poll.
—Louisville is one of four teams that eliminated themselves from the CFP race in week 12.
—Former U of L assistant Ryan Beard is a star.
—ESPN’s Matt Miller has Chris Bell going to the Patriots with the 30th overall pick in his latest NFL mock draft.
—The Cincinnati Enquirer lists the 10 best Louisville-Cincy hoops games of all-time.
—There was a wild fight in final seconds of Arkansas’ 1-point win over Winthrop last night. Kenny Payne was napping.
—The CJ looks at how Miller Moss compares to past Jeff Brohm quarterbacks.
—ACC men’s hoops last night, where the league was perfect:
No. 5 Duke 78, No. 24 Kansas 66
No. 18 North Carolina 73, Navy 61
Florida State 87, UT-Martin 73
Boston College 63, Hampton 52
Georgia Tech 68, Georgia Southern 66
SMU 106, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 60
Syracuse 78, Monmouth 73
Stanford 93, Louisiana 66
California 67, Presbyterian 57
—Don’s the man.
—Lou City’s Danny Cruz has been voted the USL’s Coach of the Year for a second straight season.
—WalletHub says Louisville is the 8th-best city in America for Thanksgiving.
—The depth charts for Louisville vs. SMU are out.
—Ticket sales aren’t going well for UC and Wes Miller knows it.
I did not love the “neutral court” element to this series, but at the same time … the game’s 10 minutes from your campus, dude. Your fans should be buying at least some tickets.
—A.J. Green says Louisville’s confidence is “still high” despite back-to-back gut punch losses at home.
—Chiefs Wire has a scouting report on Louisville DE Clev Lubin.
—ACC hoops tonight:
Virginia Tech vs. Bryant (7 p.m./ACCNx)
Notre Dame vs. Bellarmine (7 p.m./ACCNx)
—Mark Pope sounded more depressed last night than any college basketball coach I’ve ever heard after a November loss.
Maybe it was because he knew this was coming.
—Louisville is pushing the pace at an absurdly high rate so far this season, and it’s paying off.
—The Texas man who threatened Jeff Brohm and other Louisville players and coaches has resigned from his city position.
—Cincinnati coaches and players previewed Friday’s rivalry game against Louisville here.
—And finally, the Mike Rutherford Show returns this afternoon from 2:30-5:30 on 1450/96.1 The Big X. You can always watch live (or on replay) on our YouTube channel.
