*Congrats Louisville, you’ve won another unique and cool award.  GQ magazine named the Derby City the “Manliest” city in all the nation.  Now on to the manly links….

*More Big 12 speculation

The most interesting response came from a Big 12 insider who supports Louisville’s admission to the conference. He said he believes that while there’s a general interest in talking about expansion, be it it Louisville or any other school, there’s also the opinion that the league should wait until a new commissioner is on board.

*Inside the building of the NCAA Tournament brackets

The most enlightening elements of the process for me were technical — the sheer technology involved, the amount of data. Shout out three teams you want to compare and their resumes are on a screen in front of you, including already-calculated comparisons of record against common opponents and record against top-50 teams and teams in the tournament field so far.

*Louisville baseball goes 2-1 at the Big East-Big Ten Challenge to open the season

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The 15th-ranked Louisville baseball team closed the Big Ten/BIG EAST Challenge with a gritty 7-6 victory over Michigan State on Sunday at the Walter Fuller Complex.

With the win, the Cardinals improved to 2-1 overall and 8-1 all-time in the event, while the Spartans dropped to 1-2 on the season. After a disappointing season-opening loss on Friday, Louisville bounced back with a pair of one-run wins against Illinois and MSU to close the weekend.

*Louisville softball starts the year off at 9-0

GREENVILLE, N.C. – - The No. 21/23 University of Louisville softball team used late-inning rallies to pick up two wins, defeating Hofstra 7-6 in nine innings and UNC Greensboro 5-4 Saturday in the East Carolina Pirate Clash. Sophomore Taner Fowler led the Cards offensively with a 5 for 9, seven RBI performance on the day. The Cardinals’ 9-0 start ties a school record set in the 2006 season.

*Updated RPI rankings