Get Loud! Stay Proud!

.

(Columnist Jenny gets out the pom-poms and gets us
fired up for the Huskies visit tomorrow night.

If we could get a Lady Cards effort like the men
threw at UConn tonight. 80-59 and up by 30 in the second half.

I don't get to many men's games. Glad I was there tonight. Impressive.)

From way back...assistant coach Chris Dailey tries to
soothe an agitated Geno Auriemma.

Tomorrow night my favorite Cards will take to the court against #3 ranked UCONN. Oh how I love to say #3 ranked UCONN, and not # 1 ranked UCONN! It is a nice change of pace, don’t you think? Don’t get me wrong I have the utmost respect for the Huskies. Geno is a brilliant coach, no doubt. The players he recruits are elite athletes upon enrolling at UCONN, and if not, will be by the time they leave. No one can deny the powerhouse that UCONN is, and has been, for years.

As an avid fan of my hometown team I am happy to see a little more parity among women’s basketball. The Championship is no longer UCONN (or Tennessee’s) to lose. There is more competition among women’s teams these days. Any number of teams this year could win the title. The longstanding dynasty of Connecticut and Tennessee Women’s Basketball has been good for the game. These programs have brought well-deserved attention to the game, and the Coaches of these programs have set the bar high for all future women’s coaches. I am grateful for that.

Almost looks like Coach Walz
is dancing with the ref. 1,2,3 and spin!

To continue to grow the game, in my opinion, the parity is needed. Preseason I was very excited to hear Louisville’s name mentioned along side the storied programs of Connecticut, Tennessee, Stanford, Notre Dame, Duke and Baylor. Back-to-back-to-back ranked recruiting classes and a very real contender for the number one recruit in the nation in the class of 2013 speaks to that parity.

Preseason, I was on the edge of my seat waiting for this match up. With the graduation of Maya Moore and UCONN visiting Louisville this season I thought the Cards had a very real chance of beating UCONN. Oh, how I want that to happen! UCONN visiting The YUM! Center (for the first time) armed with our preseason top ten ranking and a consistent 11,000+ fans in attendance on a given night, I was poised to declare victory in this matchup before the season ever started.

Then the season started. The team landscape changed.

Now, here we are, on the eve of the BIG game. My priorities for this team have shifted, as the reality of this team has shifted. Do I still want a win? Absolutely! Is a win possible? Sure it is. Is a win likely? Unfortunately, I do not think so.

Jenny hopes the KFC YUM!
snake pit is deadly for the
Huskies Tuesday night.

IF the Lady Cards show up tomorrow and every player that logs minutes plays to the absolute best of her ability, yes, I believe a win is possible. If we as fans show up to support our team, in huge numbers, I believe a win is possible. By huge numbers I mean sell out proportions, upwards of 18-22,000+ fans. A commentator on ESPN recently referred to The YUM! Center as a snake pit for opponents. That is the kind of fan support this team is going to need tomorrow, to come out with the win! Our best effort as fans to fuel the energy of our players and the energy in the building is absolutely needed to overcome this obstacle I call UCONN.

I believe our job as fans is to help take UCONN out of the game and overwhelm them with our energy. UCONN is used to 7-8,000 a game, but they are not use to 18,000+ rowdy fans.

Sara Nord was a
four year assist
leader at UofL

The University is doing its part to get the crowd there. Several activities are planned for the evening. Honoring the jersey of All -American Sara Nord starts the night off prior to the tip. At half time Louisville will be celebrating the 40-year anniversary of Title IX and will present a special award to Dr. Bernice Sandler, the “god mother of Title IX”. Fans can get tickets at The YUM! Center, and all U of L ticket outlets, for just $2.00 with their Kroger Plus card in hand.

So fans, are you ready to show up? Our team deserves our support; they need our support for this one! So, get out your red and black. Show up tomorrow. Get loud! Stay proud! Regardless of what happens tomorrow, let’s show up and prove we are the best fan base in the country. Let’s give’m L!

(Walz was out pumping up the crowd during the first half tonight at the men's game. They also announced a promotion tonight where if you went to the box office at the conclusion of the game, you could turn your men's ticket in for a women's ticket for no charge. Let's hope it is packed in the KFC YUM! at 7 p.m. tomorrow night!)

.

..

...