Softball series vs FSU preview -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

FRIDAYS WITH DARYL

 

Goooood morning readers, we are glad you are back here with us to check in on the Cardinals.   I've been seeing a lot of the Birds (and athletes) frolicking around on campus this past week.  Spring showers have been in the areas, I hope your families are safe from any harm over the week.  

Its still pretty chilly over at the ballparks!  

Softball


The Cardinals play at 6 pm Friday, Saturday at 1 pm and Sunday at 12 pm all on the ACC Network Extra.

Louisville comes into the series with an overall record of 22-14, 3-6 in the ACC after winning two out of three games to clinch a road Atlantic Coast conference series at Pitt last weekend.

Alyssa Zabala continues to be the ace of the pitching staff and the bats have been pretty productive lately, sith ffourr home runs in a gaame vs. the Panthers a nice higlight for the red and black. 

FSU is 26-9 overall, 7-2 in the ACC. Seminoles have rattled off eight consecutive wins, most in dominating fashion. Six out of FSU's eight wins during the winning streak have come via run rule. FSU has outscored their opponent 84-21 and are averaging 10.50 runs per game during their win streak.

• FSU currently sits second in the ACC standings behind Duke.
  
  
• Jaysoni Beachum (.462) and Isa Torres (.377) hold two out of the top three batting averages on the team.
  
  
• In the circle, Ashtyn Danley has recorded a team-high 14 starts and her 64 innings are the second most on the team.
  
  
• FSU is averaging 7.97 runs per game which is fifth in the country. FSU is hitting .345 as a team which ranks 9th in the country.

Spring Volleyball

The VolleyCards head to Lexington to face UK in a friendly spring battle of the Bluegrass today. The Cards swept the Cats back in the fall 3-0 (25-19, 25-23, 25-18). 

Charitie Luper had 13 kills while Elena Scott had 15 digs in the fall match.  

Have a great weekend everyone!  Cross your fingers for me that a few networking moments were successful for me this week!  

"It's the Final Four, hon....don't concern yourself over it..."  

And, yes, the NCAA WBB Final four starts tonight. Do you have a favorite out of the four that are left. Do you even know (or care) who is vying for the title? Paulie was having fun the other night asking people which school WASN'T in the Women's Final Four...Iowa, South Carolina, NCST, or Ohio State?  One thing is for sure...the winner just might be a destination for former Card Hailey Van Lith, she's in the transfer portal again. she moves aroud more often than a taxi driver in downtown New York...she might just become the first player in NCAA BB to reach double figures in portal entries. 

Bracket Update from Bracket Czar Jared

With just three games remaining in the tournament, our bracket standings are starting to spread out and we only have a handful of people in contention for one of the top two spots.

53 wins- Jason (picked South Carolina to win)

52 wins- Blue Lou (picked Iowa to win)

50 wins- Kenneth Stark Sr (picked South Carolina to win)

----

49 wins- Katy, Thomas

47 wins- Kenny Schneider, Perry Sosh, Karen J

46 wins- Wahoo Card, Jeff

45 wins- Jared

44 wins- Paulie

43 wins- Nick O, Case

39 wins- Sonya, Cindy

36 wins- Daryl

33 wins- Curtis, Arthur

Jason can finish either 1st or 2nd. 

Blue Lou can finish 1st, 2nd, or 3rd.

Kenneth Stark Sr can finish 2nd or 3rd.

As always, 

Go Cards!

~Daryl 

Lacrosse Visits Liberty -- NCAA Bracket -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Lacrosse Visits Liberty in Midweek Game

Fresh off an upset victory over ranked Clemson at home, Louisville lacrosse hits the road to visit Liberty. The Cards enter the match with a 4-5 record and the Flames are 3-5.

Most recently, Liberty fell on the road to Arizona State 12-5 but had won two straight against Pittsburgh and San Diego 20-17 and 20-9, respectively. UofL is the fifth ACC team Liberty will play this season. The Flames do have another ACC opponent later this year in Notre Dame.

Liberty is averaging 12 goals scored per game and is allowing 13.6 goals per game. Mackenzie Lehman leads the charge with 18 goals scored and one of six players in the double figures. Three players have split time in net with a combined 42 saves.

This one has a noon draw and appears to have a stream on ESPN+, if you pay for the service.

NCAA WBB Tournament

Not counting the play-in games, the 2024 NCAA Women's Tournament begins on Friday at 11:30am. 9-seed Michigan State and 8-seed North Carolina get the honor of kicking off this year's tournament. Coincidentally, this is one of the first round games that has people split on the winner.

Louisville gets a Friday slot against 11-seed Middle Tennessee at 1:30pm on ESPN2. 

So, how do you create a perfect bracket? Absolutely no idea. I've never come close. But I do have some methods to my madness that I'm happy to share. Every person has their own methods in deciding picks but here's some of mine.

Free Throw Shooting. In a day and age where officiating is at its worst, capitalizing on trips to the charity stripe can make or break a game. Teams who shoot free throws well tend to have a higher chance of winning in close games in the closing minutes. 10-seed UNLV is a strong free throw shooting team. That, compared with a few other factors, gives me reason to believe they will upset 7-seed Creighton.

Rebounding. Rebounding both limits opposing teams' scoring opportunities while simultaneously allows your team to control the ball. Good offensive rebounding teams can propel their offense forward. Looking at 6-seed Tennessee vs 11-seed Green Bay, I think Green Bay could play upset in this game, but the Lady Vols' size and rebounding prowess is why I am going with them.

Defense. Defense wins championships. I look at teams with strong defenses. That may include points allowed, opposing shooting percentages, and forced turnovers. That's why I like 9-seed Princeton. Not only do I think they'll take down 8-seed West Virginia, but I think they could give 1-seed Iowa fits and take the game down to the wire. The same goes with 7-seed Ole Miss over 10-seed Marquette and even with a potential upset over 2-seed Notre Dame. The Rebels have a suffocating defense.

Coaching. Gosh, after the first three keys, you would've though I'm just using a FRED Report for my picks. You're not entirely wrong on that. But coaching isn't on the FRED Report. Experienced coaches with high success rates in the past tend to take their teams further. Think of Jeff Walz for example. He has coached Louisville to several Elite Eights and Final Fours. Tara Vanderveer, Geno, and Dawn Staley might be some coaches who come to mind with success in the past. Their teams might have a better chance to get through high-pressure games like in the NCAA Tournament.

Player Experience. This one isn't as crucial for me, but upper class players tend to know how to handle to the stress and pressure of the big stage as opposed to freshmen, who may run into a deer-in-the-headlights mindset. For example, the strong freshmen class of Iowa State has been fun to watch, but how do they handle playing in the NCAA Tournament against a veteran team such as Stanford in the second round?

While I have not completed my bracket yet, those are a few factors helping me make my picks. 

Upset Alert?

There's always going to be upsets. It's just a matter of picking the right ones. While I am not picking all of these to happen, these are potential upsets in the opening weekend (rounds 1 and 2) that would not surprise me.

9-seed Michigan State over 8-seed North Carolina

12-seed Florida Gulf Coast over 5-seed Oklahoma

7-seed Ole Miss over 2-seed Notre Dame

9-seed Princeton over 8-seed West Virginia

12-seed Drake over 5-seed Colorado

10-seed UNLV over 7-seed Creighton

5-seed Utah over 4-seed Gonzaga

6-seed Tennessee over 3-seed NC State

5-seed Baylor over 4-seed Virginia Tech

11-seed Middle Tennessee over 6-seed Louisville

We ask that you submit your bracket by 10:30am ET this Friday in order to be entered in the Cardinal Couple Pick Em. Entering your brackets earlier than that is always appreciated. Please make your pick for all 63 games and the total combined score of the championship game as a tiebreaker. Each correct pick is worth 1 point. We do not do a weighted scoring for later rounds.

Happy Thursday and Go Cards!

Jared

Jared Looks at the NCAA Tournament -- Softball Visits Miami (OH) -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Jared's First Look at the WBB Tournament

Photos: Jared Anderson

Now that the full field for the 2024 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament has been released, we have plenty of exciting games to look forward to. The women's tournament has shifted away from the mostly-chalk field from a decade or longer ago with more upsets each year, and this year looks to be no different. I haven't had a chance to look too deeply into each match-up and give my hopefully-accurate predictions, but here are some of my thoughts at first glance.

Note: If you are filling out a bracket, please take into consideration that these are just some of my early thoughts at first glance.

Albany 1 Regional

The undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks earned the 1-seed, no questions asked. I don't think they'll see much competition until they face 2-seed Notre Dame in the Elite Eight. The Irish are heating up at the right time and freshman star Hannah Hidalgo has now had a full season under her belt. Oklahoma was put in a tricky spot. They have one of the toughest opening round match-ups against Florida Gulf Coast, who won a 5-12 match-up last year. The Big 12 regular season champs have a tough pod. Indiana is the 4-seed in that pod and the Hoosiers are sure to have learned their lesson after falling to 8-seed Miami in the second round last year. 7-seed Ole Miss is no stranger to upsets as the Rebels took down 1-seed Stanford in the second round last year. The Rebels could give the Irish some fits early in the tournament.

My prediction: South Carolina has unfinished business after their exit in the Final Four last year and will be back there again this year.

Albany 2 Regional

Reigning national runner-up Iowa gets the 1-seed here, but the Hawkeyes have arguably the toughest regional. The selection committee putting 6-seed Louisville and 3-seed LSU in the same pod was no accident. Putting Hailey Van Lith against her former team in the second round would just add to the drama the Tigers have had this year. However, Louisville has a tough match-up in the first round against 11-seed Middle Tennessee. As Paulie mentioned yesterday, the Blue Raiders got the best of the Cards lost season in an 18-point regular season win. If Jeff Walz and Co make it to another Sweet Sixteen or Elite Eight then they certainly earned it. 5-seed Colorado struggled the back half of the season and got paired with a red hot 12-seed Drake. This same pod features 4-seed Kansas State, who limped to the finish line. 9-seed Princeton is no stranger to causing postseason chaos. 

My prediction: The magic of Caitlin Clark runs out due to a weak supporting cast and UCLA will earn a trip to Cleveland.

Portland Regional 3

USC earns the 1-seed after impressing the country with their best season in 30 years. Their current head coach, Lindsay Gottlieb, took California to the Final Four back in 2013. The team that beat Cal that year? Louisville. 7-seed Duke gets an interesting rematch against 10-seed Richmond, a game that the Blue Devils dominated to start the season. Virginia Tech barely snuck into the top 16 with a 4-seed. The ACC regular season champs have some help by playing at home opening weekend, but I don't see Liz Kitley donning a VT uniform again. While the Hokies did make the Final Four last year, I don't believe they will repeat. 6-seed Syracuse is a bit better than many of us expected this year, but they got a poor draw by having to be in the same pod as 3-seed UConn. 2-seed Ohio State vs 3-seed UConn has the potential for one of the better games of the tournament early on pending the Huskies staying healthy.

My prediction: Of all the regions, I think this one will be mostly chalk, but I think the experience of Ohio State will prevail against the tournament newcomers in USC.

Portland Regional 4

Stanford believed it deserved the final 1-seed over Texas. It's a tough case to make. One team won the Pac-12 regular season title and the other won the Big 12 tournament title and neither team has a loss to a non-tournament opponent. Utah gets the dreaded 5-12 match-up and will face 12-seed South Dakota St, who is always dangerous come tournament time, but the Utes have flown under the radar due to the competitiveness of the Pac-12. Minus their surprising loss in the West Coast Conference championship, 4-seed Gonzaga has been a force to be reckoned with. Their last loss prior to that came to Louisville early in the season. 7-seed Iowa State has the 'Swag Wag Five' freshmen that have taken the Big 12 by storm, but are they ready for the dragon that we call the NCAA Tournament? 3-seed NC State has been one of the biggest surprises of the season as coach Wes Moore reloaded instead of rebuilt his team and survived the test of the ACC.

My prediction: NC State takes down Stanford and Texas en route to their first Final Four in over two decades.

Some NCAA Tournament notes to consider dating back to 2017. These figures do not account for tournaments prior to 2017.

-At least two 1-seeds have made the Final Four

-No team lower than a 3-seed has made the Final Four

-A 2-seed or 3-seed has made the national championship game in the last three tournaments

-The national champion has come from a Power Five conference

-At least three host teams have not survived opening week each tournament

****************************************************************************

Now, I want to remind everyone that this is just my first look insight and guesses. After I do more research, these might change so please don't base your selections based on my expertise... or lack thereof.

Please submit your Cardinal Couple Pick Em selections at least one hour prior to tip-off of the first game NOT including the play-in games. The first game is scheduled for Friday, May 22 at 11:30 am ET.

Softball Visits Miami (OH)

Coming off a successful 3-1 weekend in the Cardinal Classic, Louisville softball is quickly back in action as they head north to face Miami (OH) at 5:00 pm today. The Cards are 19-9 following this past weekend while the Redhawks are 18-6. Miami currently rides a five-game win streak. The Redhawks lead the nation in home runs and rank sixth in the country in batting average. 

There doesn't appear to be any type of video or live stream for this one and we have been advised to follow @LouisvilleSB on Twitter/X for game updates.

Happy Tuesday and Go Cards!

Jared

 

Softball downs Pitt for series sweep -- LAX falls at Marquette -- Hoops, hoops, hoops MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 LOUISVILLE SOFTBALL TAKES PANTHERS 9-6

In a back-and-forth affair that featured several lead changes, Louisville Softball prevailed and got the win 9-6 to sweep the three-game series.. For Louisville, it was a combination of "small ball" and "over the fence, into the street" . Taylor Roby got then start for the Cards but it was Alyssa Zabala who finished the game and got the win to go to 9.3 on the season

The Panthers struck first, piecing together a couple of doubles to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Louisville responded in the bottom of the second with the first of two Roby home runs and Eason Lotus crossed the plate later in the inning to put the Cards on top 2-1. 

Pitt had some fight in them, though and chased Roby from the mound with two hits and an error to put them up 3-2.  Cassie Grizzard came in to save the inning. 

It was Louisville's turn in the fourth. Roby, who stayed in the game as the designated player (I ask you, aren't they all players? Do you have to designate just one? Aren't they all special?) pounded a four-bagger to right-center that was followed by a Daidy Hess "Boomer" over the left field fence and it was 4-3 Cards.

Pitt answered with a two run "touch 'em all" in the top of the fifth off Grizzard to regain the lead .That set the stage for Zabala to enter the circle and stop the run production, but it was 5-4 Panthers going into the bottom of the fifth. 

Sarah Gordon got a two RBI single in the fifth, scoring Ally Alexander and Korbe Otis to send the Cards back in front 6-5.

Zabala kept the Panthers bats quiet in the sixth inning and Louisville went into the bottom of the sixth holding the one run lead. That would change, though, in the bottom of the sixth when the Cards loaded the bases, walked a run home and Hannah File drove in two more RBI's to give UofL a 9-5 advantage. 

And, although Pitt added a run in the top of the seventh for the final 9-6 score, Louisville gets the win and will return to action Tues at EKU. 

(Softball photos by Jared Anderson)

POST-GAME HOLLY

Our photographer caught up with Cards head coach Holly Aprile for these post-game remarks.  

Holly Aprile post-Pitt March 19th

LAX LOSES TO MARQUETTE 15-11

Despite four goals from Cardinal Couple favorite Allegra Catalano, Louisville Lacrosse loses to Marquette Sunday afternoon. The Cards drop to 4-5 on the season, while Marquette goes to 7-1. 

"It was a physical game" per the Cards skipper Scott Teeter. 'Marquette came to play and we did not respond enough. We didn't make the key plays when we needed to in the game." 

The Cards were just a goal behind at the end of three quarters at 11-10 but were outscored 4-1 in the final quarter. 

Louisville built a 6-3 lead in the first half, but Marquette trimmed it to 6-5 before the teams entered halftime with the Cards up 7-6. 

The Cards got a Catalano score to open the second half, but the Golden Enetted four unanswered scores to take a lead they'd never lose at 10-8.

Nicole Peronni had three goals for the Cards. 

It's doesn't get any easier for the Cards in their next one...they'll entertain #3 Syracuse Saturday at the L.L.S at noon. 

HOOPIN IT UP. 

Lots of Sunday action in the NCAA Tournament second Round occurred -- including the defeat of a #1 seed.

Sam Purcell's Miss St. squad gave it all they had against Notre Dame but fell 53-48. Maryland disposed of Arizona 77-64 and South Carolina toyed a bit with USF before sending Jose Fernandez's squad home with a 76-45 loss. Caitlan Clark and Iowa advances over Georgia 74-66. Kenny Brooks VT squad moves forward after holding off a pesky SD State club 72-60.

LSU handled the Wolverines pretty easily and Utah joins the Sweet Sixteen by out-smarting Princeton. Iowa got by Georgia....the BIG upset was Stanford losing to Ole Miss. A #1 disappears from the dance. 

So the Rebs wait for their next opponent -- either Louisville or Texas. The Cards beat Texas by eight earlier in the season, but both team have improved since then.  

 I could hypothesize, ponder, predict and speculate until game time (7p.m. ESPN) about the rematch, but, at this stage...it's just "go play 'em. remember what your coaches have told you and listen to what they'll tell you."  Go Cards, advance. 

CARDINAL COUPLE PICK 'EM

We'll have a full recap of the leaderboard after Round 2 is completed and we have a sweet sixteen, the recap will be mostly likely in Jared's Tuesday article. We do know this: 

--Only one person picked Ole Miss to beat Stanford

-- WE HAVE QUESTIONS on Blue Lou's bracket, but all I get is your answering machine, pal. Give 'ol Paulie a call and help enlighten me, if  you read this. Of course, if you're on one of those romantic, get-away extended weekend...it'll wait. 

Good luck all and let the games continue !!

paulie

-- 

Van Lith Named All-American — Lax Hosts UNC — THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Hailey Van Lith Named All-American

The accolades continue to pour in for Hailey Van Lith. The junior guard was named as an Honorable Mention All-American by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA). The College Sports Communicators also released their All-American list yesterday with Van Lith earning honors there too. The Associated Press also released their All-American list this week with Van Lith being an honorable mention.

HVL was Louisville’s top scorer this season with 19.2 ppg. Her 3.2 assists per game ranked second on the team while her 4.8 rebounds per game was third for the Cards.

Besides the All-American honors, HVL named to the All-ACC First Team and ACC First Team All-Tournament. She was also named a Drysdale Award Finalist.

Van Lith and Louisville women’s basketball start their NCAA Tournament stint this Saturday at 7:30 p.m., on ESPN2. The 5th-seeded Card will square off against 12th-seeded Drake. The other part of the group at the Moody Center features 4th-seeded Texas and 13th-seeded East Carolina.

Lacrosse Hosts #1 North Carolina

Louisville lacrosse is back in action today as they host #1 North Carolina at 1:00 p.m. The game will be aired on ACC Network Extra.

The Cards recently fell on the road to #5 Boston College, a game UofL and the Eagles were tied 8-8 before BC went on a run in the second half.

North Carolina improved to 6-0 on the year after defeating #9 Virginia 17-12 last weekend. The Tar Heels look to make history. A win against Louisville would give UNC 47 straight regular season wins, top. ping the 46 game record Maryland currently holds.

Louisville enters the game 4-3 on the year with a 1-2 mark in the ACC. 

Nicole Perroni continues to write her name in the Louisville record books. She is currently on a 27 goal-scoring and point-scoring streak, dating back to April 1, 2021. No, it’s not an extended April Fool’s joke. Her goal streak is fourth in Louisville history and her scoring streak is fifth.

Jeff Walz Presser 3/15/23

Jeff Walz caught up with the media Wednesday, as the team prepares to take on Drake in the NCAA Tournament. Per usual, Walz's pressers cover a wide array of subjects. Add. Hailey and the crew sound off as well !! LINK BELOW:

WALZ PRESSER 3-15-23

PLAYERS PRE-TOURNAMENT 3-15-23

Cardinal Couple NCAA Pick Em

(Jared will handle color analyst duties for 1st and 2nd round NCAA WBB action on the Food Network with this guy...)

Please try to have picks in by 10:30 a.m. ET on Friday. 63 games + combined final score of the championship game. If you get less right than Paulie then your punishment is to go on a dinner date with him.

We did see a couple play-in games last night. The early game saw 11-seed Mississippi State vs 11-seed Illinois. Sam Purcell earned his first NCAA Tournament win as a head coach as the Bulldogs beat the Illini, 70-56. We then saw 16-seed Sacred Heart vs 16-seed Southern in the late game. No, this wasn't two Louisville high schools playing. Sacred Heart with the 57-47 "W" in this one, they advance to play Stanford. . 

Happy Thursday and Go Cards!

Jared

Jared Breaks Down the NCAA Tournament -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Jared Breaks Down the NCAA Tournament

It's good to be back! Not that I was gone long, but when you work in insurance and a massive storm comes through like the one on March 3, things get hectic.

The insurance company I work for only insures in the state of Kentucky, so the recent wind storm has hit us hard while we handle it with an "all hands on deck" approach. No, seriously, everyone from every department has turned their attention towards assisting claims as we want to try and help everyone out as quickly as possible. This has led to a massive amount of overtime and my schedule being "sleep when I can."

I was fortunate enough to catch the NCAA Women's Selection Show on Sunday and I have plenty of opinions on seeding and match-ups so I made sure I could make today's write happen.

First, Louisville is a 5-seed and will face 12-seed Drake. We now know that tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2. 4-seed Texas and 13-seed ECU will tip-off shortly after, approximately around 10:00 p.m. Both games will be played at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas.

Besides those two games, we have 30 other games to look at in the opening round. We'll look at both seeding and match-ups while I provide some insight on some potential upsets I could see happening.

Note: This is NOT my final Cardinal Couple Pick Em predictions. This is just my initial thoughts on each game. I'll do my research this week.

Greenville 1 (This two regional thing is stupid)

1-seed South Carolina (32-0, SEC) vs 16-seed Norfolk State (26-6, MEAC)

The Gamecocks have been the team to beat all year. I don't see that changing.

Winner: South Carolina

8-seed South Florida (26-6, AAC) vs 9-seed Marquette (21-10, Big East)

The Bulls and Golden Eagles both have solid defenses and this one should be one of the better first round match-ups.

Winner: South Florida

5-seed Oklahoma (25-6, Big 12) vs 12-seed Portland (23-8, WCC)

Hey, it's Payton Verhulst's team! No, she won't be playing with the Sooners this tournament, but the Sooners held their own in one of the toughest conferences this year.

Winner: Oklahoma

4-seed UCLA (25-9, Pac-12) vs 13-seed Sacramento State (25-7, Big Sky)

Take away the loss to Washington State and UCLA has been red hot as of late.

Winner: UCLA

6-seed Creighton (22-8, Big East) vs 11-seed Illinois (22-9 Big Ten) or 11-seed Mississippi State (20-10 SEC)

Creighton was one of the big surprises last year when they made the Sweet Sixteen and they hold better position this year. I'm happy to see Sam Purcell get the Bulldogs into the tournament in his first season!

Winner: Creighton

3-seed Notre Dame (25-5, ACC) vs 14-seed Southern Utah (23-9, WAC)

The Irish remain without Dara Mabrey and the status of Olivia Miles remains unclear. Sonia Citron and Maddy Westbeld have both stepped it up recently.

Winner: Notre Dame

7-seed Arizona (21-9, Pac-12) vs 10-seed West Virginia (19-11, Big 12)

The Wildcats have been slumping as of late while West Virginia has been just average since conference play began. This is a match-up of two teams trying to find a spark.

Winner: Arizona

2-seed Maryland (25-6, Big Ten) vs 15-seed Holy Cross (24-8, Patriot)

The Terrapins have one of the most high-powered offenses in the country. The defensive struggles will keep them from winning a championship but offense will carry them through the first round.

Winner: Maryland

Dark Horse: Creighton is a team I wouldn't be surprised to make the Sweet Sixteen and even make the Elite Eight.

Regional Winner: South Carolina. Enough said.

Greenville 2

1-seed Indiana (27-3, Big Ten) vs 16-seed Tennessee Tech (22-9, OVC) or 16-seed Monmouth (18-15, CAA)

The Hoosiers are just really good despite losing two of their last three. They're also undefeated against teams not from the Big Ten this year.

Winner: Indiana

8-seed Oklahoma State (21-11, Big 12) vs 9-seed Miami (19-12, ACC)

Both teams are so-so that finished the season in a slump. The Hurricanes and Cowgirls are veteran heavy squads with a combined 13 seniors.

Winner: Miami

5-seed Washington Sate (23-10, Pac-12) vs 12-seed FGCU (32-3, ASUN)

The Cougars are fresh off a Pac-12 Championship where they played giant killer while the Eagles are one of four teams to break 30 wins this year. FGCU is one of the highest-scoring offenses in the country.

Winner: FGCU

4-seed Villanova (28-6, Big East) vs 13-seed Cleveland State (30-4, Horizon)

Cleveland State is another team in the field with 30+ wins has lost just once in their last 14 games but goes up against the best non-Power Five player in the country in Maddy Siegrist. She leads the country in scoring.

Winner: Villanova

6-seed Michigan (22-9, Big Ten) vs 11-seed UNLV (31-2, Mountain West)

The Wolverines is no stranger to getting past the opening weekend in the NCAA Tournament and returns experience. The Lady Rebels find ways to win and haven't lost since mid-December. 

Winner: UNLV

3-seed LSU (28-2, SEC) vs 14-seed Hawai'i (18-14, Big West)

While the non-conference schedule for the Tigers was weak, they have one of the best players in the country in Angel Reese. The Rainbow Wahine have a tall task ahead of them, even if on a five-game win streak.

Winner: LSU

7-seed NC State (20-11, ACC) vs 10-seed Princeton (23-5, Ivy League)

This is an intriguing match-up. The Wolfpack lost a ton of firepower after last season, but is no stranger to the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers were a missed basket away from a Sweet Sixteen last year and would play an upset role again.

Winner: Princeton

2-seed Utah (25-4, Pac-12) vs 15-seed Gardner-Webb (29-4, Big South)

The Utes saw half of their losses come in the last month, but they shoot lights out on offense. The Runnin' Bulldogs haven't lost since before Christmas, but their few games against Power Five opponents ended rather poorly and were well over before the fourth quarter.

Winner: Utah

Dark Horse: FGCU is a team I wouldn't want to face in the tournament, whether at home or on the road. The can spark a Cinderella story run.

Winner: Indiana. I think they might have a battle against LSU, but the Hoosiers seem to have what it takes to potentially win a title.

Seattle 3

1-seed Virginia Tech (27-4, ACC) vs 16-seed Chattanooga (20-12, Southern)

The Hokies have the possibly most diverse starting five in the country highlighted by one of the best players in the country in Elizabeth Kitley. The Mocs will have to be able to find a way to shut down the paint while guarding the deep three threat in Georgia Amoore.

Winner: Virginia Tech

8-seed USC (21-9, Pac-12) vs 9-seed South Dakota State (28-5, Summit)

While Beth Burns' presence as the associate head coach with the Trojans has made an immediate impact, the Jackrabbits know how to run and hop their way right through the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament.

Winner: South Dakota State

5-seed Iowa State (22-9, Big 12) vs 12-seed Toledo (28-4, MAC)

While their season was slightly down from last season, the Cyclones are heating up at the right time. The Rockets have had a lot of close calls recently, but have found ways to keep winning.

Winner: Iowa State

4-seed Tennessee (23-11, SEC) vs 13-seed Saint Louis (17-17, A10)

The Lady Vols surprised a lot of folks including myself when they snuck in as one of the last host teams, but they were the only team besides South Carolina to beat LSU. The Billikens needed a bit of magic in their final two games of the A10 Tournament to earn the automatic qualifying bid.

Winner: Tennessee

6-seed North Carolina (21-10, ACC) vs 11-seed Purdue (19-10, Big Ten) or 11-seed St John's (22-8, Big East)

The Red Storm shocked the nation when they took down UConn on the road. The Boilermakers almost threw away their tournament chances down the stretch. The Tar Heels like a slow-paced game as they rely on their defense.

Winner: North Carolina

3-seed Ohio State (25-7, Big Ten) vs 14-seed James Madison (26-7, Sun Belt)

The Buckeyes hit a speed bump with some injuries midway through the season, but they're slowly bringing those players back into the lineup. The Dukes played a weak non-conference schedule, but used the Sun Belt Tournament to power their way into the field.

Winner: Ohio State

7-seed Baylor (19-12, Big 12) vs 10-seed Alabama (20-10, SEC)

Neither team has won in March. The Lady Bears have won three of their nine games. The Crimson Tide holds four wins over that same stretch.

Winner: Baylor

2-seed UConn (29-5, Big East) vs 15-seed Vermont (25-6, American East)

Injuries have plagued the Huskies and they've been able to get away with just five losses. The Catamounts last lost on New Years Day, but have to go to Storrs. Postseason in Storrs is a different game.

Winner: UConn

Dark Horse: 12-seed Toledo has had a quietly good year and may get overlooked by opponents.

Winner: Virginia Tech brings a ton of experience and leadership in a starting five of one junior and four seniors and have had a strong season. UConn has been an automatic lock for the Final Four for over a decade. This has potential to be one of the better regional finals where I think Virginia Tech finds a way to pull out the win.

Seattle 4

1-seed Stanford (28-5, Pac-12) vs 16-seed Southern (18-14, SWAC) or 16-seed Sacred Heart (18-13, NEC)

While I felt like Stanford should have been a 2-seed behind Iowa, the Cardinal does have the dynamic duo of Hailey Jones and Cameron Brink, who can power their team into the title game.

Winner: Stanford

8-seed Ole Miss 23-8, SEC) vs 9-seed Gonzaga (28-4, WCC)

While the Rebels got closest to giving South Carolina a loss this year, they've spent much of conference play having to grind out wins. The Bulldogs are looking for their second straight second round appearance after having one of the better mid-major showings this year.

Winner: Gonzaga

5-seed Louisville (23-11, ACC) vs 12-seed Drake (22-9, MVC)

The last time the Cardinals were lower than a 4-seed they upset Baylor and made the championship game before falling to UConn. The Bulldogs did upset Nebraska this season and took down some decent mid-majors in Belmont and Missouri State, but they've struggled defensively.

Winner: Louisville

4-seed Texas (25-9, Big Ten) vs 13-seed ECU (23-9, American)

Both teams pride themselves on defense, but the Longhorns can also do damage on offense.

Winner: Texas

6-seed Colorado (23-8, Pac-12) vs 11-seed Middle Tennessee (28-4, Conference USA)

This is a match-up I think could be one of the better opening round games. Both teams tend to be more defensive-minded, but the Blue Raiders can also go on scoring runs. The Buffaloes have lost three of their last five games.

Winner: MTSU

3-seed Duke (25-6, ACC) vs 14-seed Iona (26-6, MAAC)

The Blue Devils love to play defense and will slow the pace down.  Coincidentally, so will the Gaels. This sounds like we'll be watching the ACC Quarterfinal between Duke and North Carolina where the first to 45 wins.

Winner: Duke

7-seed Florida State (23-9, ACC) vs 10-seed Georgia (21-11, SEC)

The Seminoles have one of the best freshmen in the country in Ta'Niya Latson, if she's healthy enough to play. The Bulldogs were great at beating teams that didn't make the NCAA Tournament, but had difficulty against teams that did.

Winner: Florida State

2-seed Iowa (26-6, Big Ten) vs 15-seed SE Louisiana (21-9, Southland)

Caitlin Clark is unstoppable and Iowa is looking for something better than a second round exit like last year. The Lady Lions have been great at defense, but been poor against Power Five teams.

Winner: Iowa

Dark Horse: I think MTSU got a great draw for their first two rounds. They could be in the Sweet Sixteen and I wouldn't bat an eye.

Winner: This is another 1 vs 2 battle where Stanford and Iowa will look for bragging rights on who deserved to be the 1-seed. Iowa drops off a lot if Clark is shut down while Stanford has a few threats on their team. I see the Cardinal coming out on top.

PICK EM

Remember the days of the rest of the field playing for second behind UConn? That's what this tournament feels like for South Carolina. The Gamecocks have a good chance for a perfect season and they have a pretty easy path to the Final Four.

This is just my initial thoughts on the bracket so don't base your entire bracket on my thoughts, especially with food gift cards on the line.

Don't forget to participate in the Cardinal Couple Pick Em! We are not including the play-in games in the Pick Em so you have until Friday to get your picks in. Tip-off of the first game is 11:30 a.m. on Friday, so ideally we'd like to have your bracket by 10:30 a.m. at the latest. The tiebreaker is once again the combined score of the championship game.

I can hear the dull roar of the Cardinal Couple Chimps in the war room down the hall here in the clandestine, heavily-guarded Cardinal Couple headquarters, deep below the UofL Belknap campus. The current debate concerns who let both Iowa and Iona in the tournament and why is the Cardinal Couple golf cart missing two wheels and painted blue? Madness, yes, sweet madness reigns.... 

Happy Tuesday and Go Cards!

Jared