CARDINAL COUPLE

CARDINAL COUPLE
We report on the joy and excitement of UofL women's sports here. Thanks for checking us out! Click the picture of Louie to hear the latest Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast!!

Thursday, March 8, 2018

Louisville women's basketball -- All Americans -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

DURR FIRST TEAM, HINES-ALLEN THIRD TEAM ALL-AMERICANS


Add a couple more recognitions and awards to the list that UofL women's basketball players have achieved in the 2017-18 season. ASIA DURR has been named to the USA TODAY SPORTS All-American first team and MYISHA HINES-ALLEN to the third team.

Durr "That Girl" gets the top team honors with A'Ja Wilson (South Carolina), Katie Lou Samuelson (UConn), Sabrina Ionescu (Oregon) and Victoria Vivians (Miss. St.) She was the ACC Player of the Year a week ago and leads the conference in 3-point field goals made and percentage...as well as finishing third in the scoring at 19.5 ppg. 

A great and deserving honor for "Nite-nite", who, as a junior, will be back to add on these already lofty and deserving awards. Double digit points in 27 games for the Douglasville, GA native. 

Hines-Allen makes the third team All-American list along with Brittany McPhee (Stanford), Brooke McCarty (Texas), Napheesa Collier (UConn) and Jordin Canada (UCLA). "Dooo-blay" was named the ACC Tournament MVP, made the First Team All-ACC last week and is just one of two players to accumulate 1,000 points and rebounds in her career at Louisville.
From Montclair, NJ...Myisha is hot right now and playing some of her best basketball ever. 

Did Hines-Allen deserve to be on the second team? One could certainly make the argument for it. That squad was Gabby Williams (UConn), Kalani Brown (Baylor), Arike Ogunbowale (Notre Dame), Kelsey Mitchell (Ohio State) and Megan Gustafson (Iowa). Some might even argue for Myisha's inclusion on the First Team. I would put Myisha's game up against Gustafson's any day of the week and time in big games and I'd be a winner with MHA. It was a USA Today Poll, though. 

You know, those folks who can't give you Saturday results until Monday.  



This was the original "That Girl" Can you name
her? First correct gets the final entry in our $25
Panera Card drawing. 
And, everyone's favorite coach (especially Jeff Walz's) Muffet McGraw was named Coach of the Year.... a further indication of how the USA TODAY Awards had some hits and misses in the results. A'ja Wilson was Player of the Year. I guess I can kinda see that, especially after the way she destroyed Mississippi St. in the SEC finals, and Ms. Durr slightly backed off her game for Louisville in the final five of the season. 

These are still very nice and rewarding honors for the  dynamic duo from the "Ville". They constantly remind all, however, that they are part of a unit. A team. A group that waits to see just where the NCAA (No Current Athletic Acumen) and the selection committee decides Louisville's regional fate. 


SPEAKING OF THE BIG DANCE...


I'd venture very, very short odds that UConn gets Albany. The fact that the site isn't being moved to Bridgeport or Hartford to make it easier for Geno to drive the dogsled of Huskies is the only factor of doubt here. The next question is, though, what do you do with Mississippi State? The Associated Press poll has them #4 in the nation. Just to show you how out of whack the USA Today folks are, Mississippi St. is second and Notre Dame is fourth...with Louisville fifth.

That group needs a strong cup of coffee and a ride in the Professor's DeLorean DMC-12 back to reality. And, the date of the poll is today (March 8th.)  Musta been a wild weekend in Neverland for those folks. 

The Top 16 Committee Ranking has Mississippi State second with Louisville third. NCAA RPI has Mississippi State fifth and UofL 3rd. 


What we all want to know is who gets the chance to go to Lexington if they win their first two games at home in the NCAA Tournament.  One would hope the NCAA might be worried about attendance numbers and pick Louisville to be in the Lexington region. Let's look at this: It is 630 miles from Starkville to Kansas City. 480 miles from Starkville to Lexington. A 7-8 or more hour trip wither place. And Spokane? Yeah, that's a bit further. 

Baylor says..."Whoa, Whoa! What about us?"  The Bears are at least over 600 miles away from ANY site...the closest being Kansas City. They are considered a Midwestern school, though and that would be the MidWest Region, in geographical terms. 

I say (drum roll, please) send Mulkey and her Bears to Kansas City, Mississippi State to Spokane (and be careful of the falls, you rebs!) and Louisville to Lexington. I can hear the anguished cries of the rest of the NCAA from my den chair already, though. 

"Unfair advantage for Louisville. Why punish Mississippi State and send them to Spokane?  Make Baylor....or Louisville, even better, go there! They were fourth most of the year in the rankings! Grab your pitchfolks, light your torches and storm the NCAA in Indianapolis and demand fairness and justice!" 


"WHO'S THAT GIRL !?!"
Baylor won the Big 12 Conference Tournament. They should get the Kansas City region. Louisville won the ACC Conference Tournament. Award them with the Lexington region. And Mississippi State lost to South Carolina in the SEC Tournament. No automatic bid. No preferential treatment. Pack your bags for Washington, gals. 

Of course, this is the NCAA. They don't consider logic, common sense or rational thought into anything they consider or try to accomplish. They just might decide to put Oregon as the #1 seed in Spokane, Notre Dame the #1 seed in Lexington and send Louisville to Kansas City as the #1 seed. And still try to explain it as if the was the only decision that made sense.

I hope the Cards get to go to Lexington if they win their first two games of the NCAA Tournament. It is close for the team and the fans, although I still get a little nauseous and gaseous when I have to walk through those garage doors that lead to the underbelly of UK's arena. 

Time will tell. While we wait, let's wish the Louisville men's team a little luck today against Virginia. Third time's charm, right?  Keep those men's NCAA Tournament hopes alive!   


Paulie
xxxxx 




  

14 comments:

  1. I hope the Cards get the Lexington region. And, congrats to Asia and Myisha! Go CARDS!

    Curtis "Give me Lexington" Franklin

    ReplyDelete
  2. Should we play consistently enough to get out of the YUM game intact we definitely should be in Lexinto region. In previous years UK was also in the mix and we're refularly awarded the Lex region. We already were sent to Spokan, now it is Baylor's turn.

    We also should not have Baylor in our region as the current projections indicate. Both teams deserve the option of going forward from regionals.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Louisville to Lex with Baylor the #2 seed. Miss St and Notre Dame retain #1 seeds, losing in the conference tournament championship game is not enough to propel Baylor to a #1 seed over either.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh, Paulie...

    Charlie Creme has your little Birdies headed to Lexington provided they can take care of business in Louisville. My Cats are not projected as a NCAA bid team. Injustice! Beware Baylor if you get there.

    I will probably come and watch in both venues because I am a huge women's basketball fan. Don't expect me to wear Red but I won't be one of those that wear Blue at a non-Blue contest. I might try and find a shirt representing UofL's first opponent, though.

    I'll be big and admit it. UofL is a great team this year. Losing Mariya Moore didn't affect the Cards too much at all. You have talent galore, the depth maybe a question and, I gotta say, I like Jaz Jones' enthusiasm.

    As far as my Cats go, I hope Matthew Mitchell can get a few recruits in to reverse the trend.

    If Charlie knows what he's talking about, you could get the winner of the Villanova v. Minnesota game if you get by the first round. How fun it would be to see the Nova girls and Harry back in the KFC YUM! Center! A three-fest!

    Good luck. You probably don't need it and congratulations. I think Hines-Allen was a second team choice for All-American. I hope Muffet McGraw learns Asia Durr's name.

    You might want to copy and print out this comment for future reference. LOL.

    Matthew Mitchell for Governor

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As a Louisville fan, I appreciate you not wearing UK gear to our game. I'm even okay with you wearing the other team's gear. I would never wear UofL stuff to a game involving UK and some other team. Neutral is always good. I too hope that Mitchell can come back with a good team next year. After my Cardinals, they get my support. The women's basketball game is just superior in so many ways to the men.

      Delete
  5. College Sports Madness has Louisville as a #1 seed and they don't name which bracket. They have Oregon as the two seed in that bracket.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Real Time RPI has UofL women headed to Kansas City as the #1 seed.

    realtimerpi.com/bracketology

    I hope they are way off.

    Nick O.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Interesting on Real Time RPI. We'll know on the 12th.

    Paulie

    ReplyDelete
  8. Marlo Thomas was That Girl. Stupidest show on TV back in the day. Daddy (Danny Thomas) bought and paid for that gig. I can still here that whiny voice going "Oh, Donald!" Thanks for bringing back a nightmare Paulie. HA, HA.

    Congrats to Asia and Myisha. Trying to work out details to see if we can come up for the Louisville/Lexington Cards Tourney trip. Deloris with a conflict, friend of her in Gatlinburg getting married that weekend.

    Never, never get married during March Madness!

    -- THe Real Joe Hill --

    ReplyDelete
  9. You are the first correct ANSWER Joe. Congrats, you are the final entry for the Panera Card. Drawing tomorrow. Entries are:

    Don Perignon
    Nick O
    D.Spikgart
    Joseph Tilton
    Donald Roser
    The Deb Factor
    Blue Lou
    Carl, Jr.
    Curtis Franklin
    Joe Hill

    Good luck all!

    Which weekend Joe? Who is it down there getting married in Gatlinburg?

    Paulie

    ReplyDelete
  10. ESPNU doing a braclet analysis at 8 pm monday

    ReplyDelete
  11. MHA fourth team!?lol that's a joke?

    ReplyDelete
  12. I agree she MHA should have been a first or second team ALL AMERICAN selections.

    ReplyDelete

Please leave your comments here. We ask you be respectful of other posts, no matter how ridiculous they may seem to you. After all, it is CARDINAL COUPLE.

Any attempts to advertise a product or other website here in the comments section without the prior consent of CARDINAL COUPLE will result in a bill rendered for advertising services and possible legal action. We're serious. No more bots.

Now, have your take...