Should I start out with some chitter chatter about Jordan Nwora?

Sure. Why not? You want me to talk about the game?

The former Cardinal sharpshooter is a Toronto Raptor agains as of Wednesday when he was again one of the peripheral pieces of a trade.

The former Milwaukee Buck was traded to the Indiana Pacers. Then he was traded to Toronto. Then back to Indy. Now back north of the border.

(Edit 1/18 7:24 am. That may be wrong. Is probably wrong. Wrote this after game, and must have misread his page at nba.com. Another source, Mr. Wiki, at the suggestion of my guy Errata Man, tells me JN’s arc was simply Bucks > Pacers > Raptors, with a couple of stops in G League. My sincerest apologies.)

All of which I mention because: He has a year of eligibility left, right? Maybe more. Does a few years in the pros still violate NIL regs? Might he come back for some more Yum!?

Asking for some Cardinal fan somewhere in a bar, looking to talk about anything but the tilt he’s finally able to watch from Chapel Hill.

 * * * * *

Which bring me to the next diversion.

In question form.

What’s worse: U of L Men’s Hoops or the ACC Network?

As bad as matters are for the Cards, it’s a toss up.

The Miami/ Florida State game ran over the Cardinal tip.

The scrawl advised Louisville’s game was available at ACC Network Extra or the ESPN App.

I tried both. Without luck. Perhaps my digital skills are not as masterful as I would like to believe. Perhaps it was just another ACC Network snafu.

Whatever.

There was a time when I would be nervous, hopping mad and ready to scream.

This time I just waited, while checking the play by play from time to time online.

Such is where we are in these troubled times. At least, moi.

 * * * * *

When Wes Durham and Dan Bonner finally hit the screen, U of L had just called a timeout at the 15:03 mark.

The score: Cardinals 4, Tar Heels 15.

The Cards tallied out of the stoppage, the last time in the opening stanza when they got within single digits. At one point they were down 20.

Which 46-26 advantage came with an exclamation point for Card fans.

After one of the Louisville’s nine first half giveaways, former Card Jae’Lyn Withers got the rock at mid court on a breakaway. And proceeded to actually dribble all the way to the hoops, avoiding one Card’s feigned D, and running past another for a bunny.

Geesh.

The scoreboard read 29-46 at the half.

 * * * * *

Louisville had a mini-run to open the 2d to make it kinda sorta interesting.

They drained 9 of their first 11 FG attempts, and pulled within 5 at 50-55 on a Mike James triple when the clock read 12:39.

Which proximity immediately evaporated when Ty-Laur Johnson fouled on a three ball, all of which freebies were converted.

Louisville flirted with making the contest somewhat competitive, but it was mere dalliance.

After a loose ball scramble at the Carolina end, a second chance trey pushed the Tar Heel’s margin to 79-63 at the 3:08 commercial break.

The margin at the buzzer was the same 16.

86-70. Advantage Baby Blue.

— c d kaplan