WBB Back on Pause; Lacrosse Opens Season -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Louisville WBB Postpones Syracuse Game

Welp... Here we are again. After the emotional home send-off for Dana Evans, Cards fans were ready to turn their sights onto the end of the regular season and the road to a national title. Unfortunately, we are instead reminded of the uncertain nature of this entire season. News broke midday yesterday that Louisville's game against the Orange on Sunday had been postponed. Optimistically, I opened the article hoping that it would be a contact tracing event or a Syracuse issue. That wasn't the case, though, as Louisville has had at least one positive test and quarantine/contact tracing makes the Cards unable to field a full team. Back onto a pause they go.

The question now is how long this one will last. Louisville WBB's first pause saw them off for nearly a month, not playing from December 9th until January 1st. Louisville MBB's first pause was for 18 days, and their second will be at least 16, assuming they return to the floor against Syracuse next Wednesday. Jeff Walz's squad has just 15 days remaining in the schedule, with the final game of the regular season scheduled to be played against Notre Dame on February 28th. We will just have to see what the extent of this event is.

As for the impact on the season, we at least don't have to worry about NCAA tournament eligibility. Louisville wrapped up their 13-game minimum weeks ago, and the only question now is whether they would be a one- or a two-seed. How a second pause will impact performance is a different question, and has to do with who is sick now, how bad it is, and whether the entire team will return at the same time. The men's team came off of their first pause without Carlik Jones and were run out of the gym by Wisconsin. The women's team came out of their first pause and labored to get a home win against NKU. We don't have any local evidence of teams coming off of a second shutdown because it hasn't happened, so we're all just flying blind. 

At any rate, we can only hope that everyone on Louisville's team stays safe and as healthy as possible for their sake and for the (through selfishness as fans) sake of the team. We'll be ready to root the Cards on when they return as they gear up for a conference championship battle and a run at a national title.

Lacrosse Hosts Florida

After 351 days, according to the Lax twitter account, the team is finally ready to get back in action. Scott Teeter's squad was off to a decent start and was making positive strides last year when they were called back to the hotel in Delaware to end their season. The Cards were 5-4 with close losses against Michigan and Virginia Tech that would have put their season on a very different path had a few goals gone the other way. Unfortunately, Louisville was unable to see that progress through as the season was canceled halfway through. 

The Cards look to pick up where they left off (a 17-7 win over Niagara to be exact) when they host the seventh ranked Florida Gators today at 11:30. Florida is a very good team that plays in the American Athletic Conference, as the SEC does not sponsor lacrosse. The Gators were off to a 6-2 start last season before the cancellation, with both losses coming to ranked teams and one of the wins coming on the road against #1 Maryland. Florida was 14-7 the previous season, defeating Cincinnati in the AAC Championship before falling in the second round of the NCAA tournament to North Carolina.

This is certainly one of the toughest season openers Teeter has had since becoming the leader down on Floyd Street, and he'll get an early look at what his team has to offer. This one is available on the ACC Network Extra, so be sure to tune in for the match that starts at 11:30AM.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour 

We're back on the air this week, and we'll have a relatively full house. Paulie will be in the booth with us, as media is limited (read: nonexistent) at the Louisville Lacrosse Stadium, but Jared may still be down on the field, snapping photos and trying not to freeze. Best of luck to him. Join us on the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour as we look back at the WBB wins over Notre Dame and Georgia Tech and what we're looking for with the uncertainty of the remainder of the season, plus all of the other odds and ends as spring (both rescheduled fall and natural spring) sports get underway. Tune in to the Cardinal Couple YouTube Channel at 11 AM for the live show or check out the replay or podcast after the show is finished airing.

Until next time, Go Cards!

-CH-

Cards Earn Post-Season Honors -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Emina Ekic Named To Best XI Team

Earlier this week, Jared talked about the success that the fall sports teams had throughout this season. Today, I thought I'd give a bit of attention to a couple of players that have received recognition this week as well. One of those players is Emina Ekic. Ekic had a fantastic season, as you may have heard, but it is not just local talking heads that were paying attention. Thursday, she added to her list of accolades when she was named to Top Drawer Soccer's Best XI Third Team. The TDS award is Ekic's second such national award, as she was named as a second team All-American earlier this month. Ekic was joined by Brooklynn Rivers when they were both named to All-Region teams. Ekic unfortunately did not make the finalist cut for the MAC Hermann trophy, but it would be hard to argue that she was not the most valuable player to Louisville's success this year. Everyone should consider making a trip to at least one of her senior season games to see just how critical she is to Louisville's team and how much she stands out on the field.

Aiko Jones Earns All-American Nod

Speaking of players that just stand out, Aiko Jones was honored this week by the AVCA. We've discussed it at length on the site and the radio show, but Jones was forced to step into a much larger role than anticipated and filled it very well. She filled it so well, in fact, that the coaches of the other teams in the country noticed her performance. Louisville is not known as being a "powerhouse" program, and that is especially the case this year, so to have a player stand out enough to make an All-American list is quite significant. Knocking off the number two seed on their home court helps. Jones, of course, is only a red shirt freshman, so her All-American honorable mention is very exciting for her personal future and the future of the program. As the volleyball season comes to a close this weekend, there are sure to be more awards forthcoming. I can't imagine this is the last time we will see Aiko Jones' name on these lists this year, and I'm excited to see how many she can end up on in future years.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

We've officially made it through fall sports season. For you basketball fans, that's great! For us radio hosts, it can make things a little more challenging. Despite that, the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour will still be on the air this weekend. We'll bring you a breakdown of volleyball's season ending loss as well as the scare that basketball experienced in Martin, Tennessee. As always, you can tune into the radio show on 100.9 FM, WCHQ. The show is also available in the WCHQ App, at wchqfm.com, or on Facebook live. Join us at 11AM for the joy and excitement of Louisville women's athletics.

Until next time, Go Cards!

-CH--

Worrell falls short in 100 meter fly -- SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

KELSI WHIRL FALLS OH, SO BARELY SHORT IN OLYMPIC SEMIS

0.03 seconds. A minuscule amount of time. Even by the time you say it out loud...'zero point zero three seconds' it is long since gone. 

Yet, in the world of swimming...a world where fractions of seconds can be as huge as the pool the athletes compete in...it can be the difference between success and defeat.

Kelsi Worrell finished 0.03 seconds behind Xinyi Chen (China) in the semis last night to finish ninth. The top eight advance to the finals. Her final time was 57.54. It was considerably behind the top qualifying time in the semis last night...set by Sarah Sjostrom at 55.84...and more than half of a second behind her winning time in the qualifier earlier yesterday morning (56.97). 

For Worrell, who was the winner of the US Olympic Trials earlier this summer, it may have been her last chance to earn a medal at the Rio games...unless she is picked up for the 400 medley team later this week. 

0.03. You can't even type the four characters that fast. But, that space in time determined how today's article was made and brought some sadness and disappointment to thousands of local Olympic viewers last night.

I hope Kelsi gets a chance to participate in the relays. I hope she gets a gold if she does. She doesn't deserve to have her athletic career this summer come to a halt because of the length of a fingernail.

ANGEL TAKES COURT TODAY

The USA women's Olympic basketball team takes to the court today at 11 a.m. to face Senegal. Our Angel McCoughtry most likely will come off the bench to give her teammates a boost on defense, hustle and shooting. 

The game will be shown on NBCSN. You can also catch it on line on the NBCOlympics.com basketball channel. I was having some fun exploring around with that last night. If it's going on in competition at Rio...it's being shown on line somewhere. It's a sports-lovers dream.

CARDS IN CUBA

Word gets to us that the Louisville women's basketball team defeated the Cuban National Team 80-69 yesterday in Havana. Asia Durr had 14 points for the Cards. We're still searching for a box score. If we find one we'll post it.

A special thanks to Ira Green, UofL WBB asst. SID for providing the info via Twitter...

RADIO, RADIO...

If you missed THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR Saturday, the link for the re-broadcast is below.

LINK: THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR AUG 6th, 2016

A fun show, indeed where we talked Olympic, volleyball, women's soccer and played audio from Jeff Walz, Cortnee Walton, Myisha Hines-Allen, Lindsey Duvall and Chris Stallings. 



paulie
xxxxx

Walz speaks of improvement, Cuba and salsa lessons at press conference -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

"It's been a very productive spring and summer for us." -- Jeff Walz

Jeff Walz, head coach of the University of Louisville women's basketball team, met with members of the media Wednesday afternoon to discuss the upcoming trip to Cuba, Angel McCoughtry and the squad. 

SEE THE PRESS CONFERENCE AT THE LINK BELOW: 

LINK: JEFF WALZ PRESS CONFERENCE 8/3/16

( THE WALZ PART STARTS AROUND THE 31:30 MARK. THE FIRST FIFTEEN MINUTES IS FRED COWGILL, THE TOP OF MY HEAD AND HOWIE LINDSEY) 

The Cuban trip begins Friday, August 5th. when the squad leaves Louisville and heads to Miami. They'll depart for Havana early Saturday morning and jump right into activities...touring a cigar factory and arriving at the Hotel Parque Central before playing the Cuban National Primero squad at 3 p.m. (Cuba is on Central time...so the game would be at 4 p.m. Louisville time). The Cards will be playing all three games in an outdoor venue (Farjardo Arena) with a roof but no walls. After the competition, the team will return to the hotel for dinner. 

More basketball Sunday after a walking tour of Havana and the Four Squares in old Havana. The Cuban Segundo team faces Louisville at 3 p.m. and after dinner at the hotel that night the Cards will attend Salsa classes on the roof of the hotel at 8 p.m.

The Louisville coaches will hold a clinic at Farjardo Arena for the Cuban National team Monday morning while the student-athletes tour and visit the Cuban Arts and crafts Fair building. They'll play their final game of the trip against Segundo at 3 p.m. Monday.

Tuesday has the Cards headed to the resort town of Varadero (about 120 km east of Havana) for three days at the Iberostar Varadero...a luxury, all-inclusive resort. The team will have three days there before departing from Havana Friday morning and returning to Miami and Louisville. 

Walz spoke of being impressed with the freshmen and fifth-year Taylor Johnson and how they have blended in well with the returnees. He also spoke of the upcoming non-conference schedule and the toughness of it. He also mentioned that freshmen Kylee Shook (hamstring) and Sydney Zambrotta (foot) has been slowed earlier in the summer with injuries but were back to regular practice at 100% and would make the trip with all their teammates. He also feels this this year's team is way ahead of where last year's team was at this stage of the year and how the additional practice has benefited that improvement. 

Myisha Hines-Allen and Cortnee Walton also spoke briefly to the media and are excited about the trip. It'll be the first international trip for Hines-Allen, who admitted she didn't know a lot of Spanish but 'didn't care, she was ready to go".

The two also spoke of the freshmen and how Jazmine Jones and Taylor Johnson had been impressive defensively in practices. They were asked about not being able to have wi-fi, cell phone capability or Internet for a week. It didn't seem to bother them, pointing out the cultural value and learning experience ahead of them and the fact that it would give them the chance to get to know each other better with inter-personal relationships. 

You can hear the entire interview with Walz, Myisha Hines-Allen and Cortnee Walton on our Saturday radio show...THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR. It's on WCHQ 100.9 FM locally and on-line at crescenthillradio.com

We'll also have interviews with newest Card Lindsey Duvall and her high school coach Chris Stallings...gonna be a busy, action-packed broadcast! 

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NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE? NON-EASY

15 games on the non-conference part of the 2016-17 schedule...including three trips to Tennessee and a re-match with South Florida in Tampa. It gets underway when the Cards visit UT Martin on Friday, Nov 11th. 

After Belmont visits on Sunday, Nov. 13th, Louisville goes to Murfreesboro at play Middle Tennessee State on Wednesday, Nov. 16th. The Basketball Hall of Fame Classic begins Nov. 20th. with games against Bowling Green, Lafayette (21st.) and Chattanooga (22nd) in the KFC YUM! Center before facing South Carolina in Springfield, MA on Sunday, Nov. 27th. 

December starts with hosting Maryland in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Thursday, Dec 1st. Kentucky visits on Sunday, Dec 4th. and WKU comes to the KFC YUM! Center on Sunday Dec. 11th. South Dakota State travels to Louisville on Wednesday Dec 14th., Charleston stops by on Friday, Dec 16th. and Evansville finishes the week with a Sunday, Dec 18th visit. The last non-conference game before ACC play has UofL going to Nashville to play Vandy on Wednesday, Dec 21st. The Cards will travel to Tampa on Sunday, Jan. 22nd to play USF. 

Some nice, easily accessible road trips built into this year's slate and a killer stretch where UofL faces five high quality opponents in a row to end November and take the Cards into mid-December. Gamecocks, Terrapins, Wildcats, Hilltoppers and Jackrabbits....oh my! 

paulie
xxxxx

Strength in numbers can also have a down side -- SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

EARNING PLAYING TIME SAME AS IT'S ALWAYS BEEN

A high school junior, on top of the world because of the clamorings and wooing of major colleges, makes a decision. It's been a long process...with many people involved. The endless texts, calls, friendly persuasion and sage advice. 

"I've decided to attend (fill in the blank) ! 


Immediately, the fan base, coaching staff and local media responds like Pavlovian dogs...showering praise on the player, the brilliant coaches and merits of the school. The love affair is in full bloom. The player works diligently over the next year and a half...honing their game to meet the expectations of their future coaching staff. Develop this hand, work on this move, perfect this skill...all while trying to make your last year at your high school memorable. Keeping the grades up. Staying focused on multiple aspects of your life. 

Then it's time. Dad or Uncle Dave helps you and mom load up the mini-van, tearful hugs and goodbyes when the last chair or article of clothing is put into the new residency and you're at your new home...for four years...in a different city, with unfamiliar surrondings and faces. 

People are talking about you in print, on the streets...in huddled masses and over the airwaves. Let's call our protagonist "Bouncy". Can Bouncy take over for this graduated senior? Can Bouncy provide needed strength in this position? Is Bouncy the best thing to hit the campus since the invention of the laptop? 

Bouncy works with the new teammates. There are skills and drills to learn. New personalities. New responsibilities. You've just finished your high school classes and now your enrolled in college and taking classes.

Those fun summer days from high school are gone. No club travel or hanging out with your peeps at the mall or by the lake. You're getting up 500 shots a day. Lifting, running. Competing.

Soon enough, it is practice time. You start to comprehend that this isn't going to be a 32 minutes a game, 25 points a night year for you. There is bigger, faster, better and more experienced in front of you. You're giving it your all and it just isn't quite good enough. The coaches who wooed and courted you are now demanding, critical and impossible at times. 

It is competition and you're not in the lead.

The season starts. You find yourself in a "mop up" role. Getting off the bench for minutes if your squad is up by 25 or down by 30. Maybe a brief few minutes if someone gets into quick foul trouble. Your still working just as hard in practice. Dealing with everything. Trying to fully embrace the "team" concept. Bouncy loves the teammates, the roaring fan base and the travel. Bouncy has problems with 3.8 minutes a game, though, as the team heads into conference play. 

Bouncy wants to play. The minutes aren't there. Bouncy remembers the recruiting madness and schools clamoring for Bouncy's skills. Bouncy sees that "Directional School" is suffering at the very position Bouncy plays and the thought process begins. 

The season ends. The coaches talk and evaluate. Bouncy is informed that there probably won't be much more...maybe less playing time next season. "Coach Champion" has a top five ranked recruiting class coming in...Coach is telling it like it is. Either improve, relegate yourself to a backup role or try your fortunes elsewhere. 

There are some, but not many, players who are fine with a backup role in college for four years. Friends get in your ear and tell you this, that...dad or Uncle Dave think you'd be better off, closer to home and "Directional School" was 7-21 and needs to replace five graduating seniors. Fans wonder if you're the most likely to transfer and why you'd even consider coming back next season.

Bouncy is trying. Bouncy isn't good enough.

Players come, players go. A coach's nightmare...among the many they have each night...is having a roster so depleted by injury or other circumstances that they cannot compete effectively. Coaches recruit. They are paid to produce. They look for numbers. They expect hard work, all the time, from each and every player...regardless of playing time, stats or personal beliefs. 

Bouncy decides to leave. We see it at the end of each season and almost every school out there. Players want to play. Equate it to shopping. If you go to a store where the lines are long, no one is there to assist you and you can't get what you are looking for...you eventually end up going to another store. 

Sometimes the final chapter in Bouncy's book is uplifting. Bouncy ends up somewhere where the minutes, the opportunities and the recognition happens. Someone writes a "feel-good" story about how Bouncy "finally found a home" at "Directional School" and they had a winning season. Or, Bouncy's clutch play helped them win the conference tournament or beat the arch rival. 

Sometimes the final chapter is not so positive. Bouncy goes to "Directional School" and blows out a knee. Gets in with the wrong crowd and is asked or decides to leave the roster. Finds their role at the new school the same as at the old school.  

In the end, it is all about the competition. Coaches want to coach. They need to win in order to keep coaching. They need to play their best players...their best fits to win. There is pressure from the athletic directorship, the fan base, the parents, the media and multiple other sources.

Strength is numbers is usually a good thing. Sitting Bull and Santa Ana would agree. For some, though, it is a learning experience. Winning is the objective. Participation hugs and trophies are a sham. And, if you aren't playing or succeeding...you move along or get asked to leave.

In pick up games...the winning team yells out "Next?". The losing team moves off the court and hopes to do better next time. It's a matter of skill meeting satisfaction. The best survive and advance. 

The lessons learned in college can last a whole lifetime. There are winners and losers. There are good days, bad days and going stark mad days. 

There is, though, always a future. A new path to try. The decision, in the end, no matter what it is...comes down to this. At the end of the day, if you can look in the mirror and reflect that, despite whatever happened...you were being you...it is something that can never be taken away from you. 

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Yesterday's THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR rebroadcast is now on the SoundCloud and can be heard at the link below. It was a fast-paced hour of discussion and Worldwide finally aced the quiz. Believe it or not, fall sports are rapidly approaching. WE can't wait! 




LINK: https://soundcloud.com/chradio/cardinal-couple-20160723

paulie
xxxxx

WORRELL Eighth in 100 Freestyle...Dunham on campus...Radio today! -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

KELSI WORRELL 8th IN 100 FREE FINALS

As much as she's been swimming over the last week...it's a wonder she was able to lift her arms over her head and displace water...but Kelsi Worrell participated in the US Olympic team qualifying events for the 100 freestyle finals and finished eighth after being third halfway through the event. 

Worrell has already qualified for Rio with her outstanding performance in the 100 Fly and will most likely be added to a relay team we would think for Team USA.

Last night the competition was just a little better...and probably just a little more rested. 

Incredible accomplishments for "KelsiWhirl" and splash it up in Rio! 

              
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DUNHAM ARRIVES ON UofL CAMPUS

The final member of the 2016 UofL women's basketball incoming class has arrived on campus. Bionca Dunham, from Philly joins her new teammates and fellow frosh Ciera Johnson, Kylee Shook, Jazmine Jones and Sydney Zambrotta for summer classes, training and workouts.

We've been getting e-mails from readers (almost like kids writing Santa Claus) asking when she would get to Louisville. Seems she was a little busy playing hoops up there in Philly with PhillyUSABBall.

All is well, remain orderly and continue your summer without interruption...readers. The Baby Birds have landed and the mother-ship is intact. 

It's getting closer...the start of fall sports and live events. 

                



THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR

Our favorite morning of the week...when we get to take to the airwaves and discuss the joy and excitement of UofL women's sports! WorldWide and me this morning reviewing swimming, hoops, volleyball and more! 

There might even be a quiz...

Check it out, starting at 11 am and stick around for HANDICAPPING HEROES at noon! REBROADCAST AVAILABLE AT THE LINK BELOW:

https://soundcloud.com/chradio/cardinal-couple-20160702

paulie
xxxxx

Louisville women's basketball -- Cards end first half on 19-2 run...coast by UCA 87-60 -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

HINES-ALLEN DROPS 25, WEATHERFORD'S DEFENSIVE SPARK GETS CARDS BY SUGAR BEARS. 

Photo by Charlie Springer - UofL Card Game

It took the Louisville Cardinals 13 minutes to get rolling Friday afternoon in the KFC YUM! Center, but once they did...they put together a magnificent seven minutes of basketball to push past Central Arkansas and secure a second round game against DePaul Sunday in the NCAA women's basketball tournament. 

Game time Sunday is 2:30 p.m. 

It was the Sugar Bears who were displaying the emotion and hustle early in the contest. Although the Cards jumped out to a 5-0 lead after an Arica Carter jumper two minutes into the contest, UCA fought back and grabbed a 13-12 lead on a Taylor Baudoin layup with 4:28 left in the first period. 

Photo by Charlie Springer - UofL Card Game

Behind Baudoin and Brianna Mullins the #14 seed in the Dallas Region would take a 18-12 advantage before Louisville was able to get back within three on a Myisha Hines-Allen jumper with five second left on the clock. 25-22 wasn't the score  Jeff Walz or the 5823 fans wanted to see...but Hines-Allen was starting to get untracked and had eight first quarter points.

The Sugar Bears weren't ready to dissolve, though...Dakota Weatherford's tenacious defense was giving them fits and her 'plus one' gave the Cards a 29-27 lead a minute and a half into the second stanza. Maggie Proffitt countered with a three for UCA and Sandy Jackson's jumper tied the contest at 32-32 with 6:29 until halftime.

Then, the Bears went into hibernation.

Hines-Allen nailed two jumpers in a row and Asia Durr connected on a put-back and it was 38-32 Cards. UCA took a time out. It didn't help. 

Photo by Charlie Springer - UofL Card Game

Sam Fuehring found success in the paint and Hines-Allen swished the nets on two consecutive jumper and suddenly it was 44-32 with 2:47 until half. The Cards were on a 12-0 run and the Sugar Bears were befuddled. Durr hit another jumper and a score and free throw from Mariya Moore had the Cards on a 17-0 run and leading 49-32. Central Arkansas finally ended their 5 1/2 minute scoreless streak on a Baudoin jumper...but Moore scored off a Sam Fuehring assist with 22 seconds left in the second and it was 51-34 UofL at the halftime buzzer. 

The Cards would steadily increase that lead throughout the third quarter...a Durr three made it 62-43 Louisville halfway through the half and Moore cashed in on a trifecta to increase the lead to 71-45 at the 1:44 mark. Fuehring's layup with 56 seconds left in the quarter set the tally at 73-49...Louisville got 14 of their 22 points in the third in the paint and Hines-Allen already had her 25 and was done for the evening. 

GUESS WHO? A-TAYY and TIA!  (Photo by Charlie
Springer- UofL Card Game) 

The final quarter provided a heavy dose of Brianna Jones, Weatherford, Fuehring, Erin DeGrate and Taja Cole. Louisville held the Sugar Bears to 22.2% shooting (4-18) in the final ten minutes and DeGrate had half of the Cards 14 points as the Cards continued to out-play UCA. Two DeGrate free throws gave Louisville a 87-57 lead, their largest of the night, but a late Central Arkansas three set the final score at 87-60.  Cards win! Cards win! 

Game time against DePaul Sunday will be 2:30 p.m. GET YOUR TICKETS! It will also be shown on ESPN 2. 

HOW DID FRED DO? 

Free Throws. The Cards sank 16 of their 21 charity attempts for a 76.2% and that's good enough to award a capital F. Moore gets an extra high five for her 7-8 foul line performance and DeGrate went an impressive 3-4. 

Rebounding. Louisville won the rebounding battle 41-38 but was outrebounded 10-7 in the first quarter by UCA. No Cards hit double figures in the grabs department...but only Sam Fuehring played more than 23 minutes...so that's not real surprising. We'll allow a lower case "r". Louisville had a decided height advantage...even with the second squad in.

The Blue Demon enjoyed the first game...

Easy shots. With an overwhelming 50-18 points-in-the-paint advantage and 54.8% shooting, Louisville did quite OK in the interior. Only Cortnee Walton seemed to be struggling with her shot and that's understandable with a broken pinky. UofL made 9 of 11 layups in the first half and 10 of 12 in the final twenty minutes. We'll bestow the capital E with no reservations. 

Defense. Although the Cards seemed sluggish and not very effective early in guarding the Sugar Bears, the spark of Dakota Weatherford in her seven first half minutes was worth the price of admission alone. Central Arkansas ended up shooting 32.9% for the game after the hot start...so we can let a lower case "d" slide by here...mostly because of the attack Yorkie wearing #15. 

WHAT WE LIKED

Mrs Sugar Bear is a cutie! 

Hines-Allen throws another hammer...she's like a fine wine...continuing to improve with age. 12-17 shooting and a team leading seven rebounds. Several of her first-half moves were in the "did you see that?" category and she showed why she was the ACC Player of the Year once again today. 

Defensive Dakota...the spark and enthusiasm that the diminutive destroyer shows on the court transfers rapidly to the fan base..she got the Cards and the supporters going and had three of Louisville's seven steals. Weatherford's defense turns opponents' skies cloudy.

Getting Moore...It was a relief to see the sophomore bounce back from her less-than-desirable ACC Tournament. She realizes there is a lot more to the game of basketball than just successful shooting and yesterday afternoon she displayed the things quite successfully that don't make the stat sheets. 

WHAT NEEDS WORK

Gotta depart from the slow start. A similar beginning against DePaul like UofL displayed today versus UCA will have the Cards watching the rest of the tournament on television instead of going to Dallas. 

See the three. Although Louisville held the Sugar Bears to 35% shooting beyond the arc...the opponent was getting a lot of open looks. That could increase dramatically against DePaul...who spreads you out and has razor-sharp passing skills. The Blue Demons also went 11-21 from three-point range...and a similar performance Sunday could sink the Cards.

You can't really complain too much about a 28-point win to start your tournament run, I guess...but the road gets much tougher Sunday. Louisville will need to play a 40 minute game and contend with a Blue Demon squad that goes to the boards very well and has no difficulty scoring. 

Survive and advance. The Cards eventually connected Friday against a gutsy but less talented opponent. They'll face a much stiffer test Sunday against a much more disciplined and excellently coached DePaul team...who had little trouble knocking off JMU 97-67 in the first game Friday. 

A special thanks to Charlie Springer for the great photography work today!  

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CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR

We've got a great radio show planned for today...filling the net with lots of basketball and we'll toss in a little swimming, softball and lacrosse for good measure. Recorded some very good audio from Selection Monday and Friday Hoops as well...so you don't want to miss our broadcast on WCHQ 100.9 FM and on the internet at crescenthillradio.com at 11 a.m. this morning! 

March Madness, it's the most wonderful time of the year!

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PICK 'EM UPDATE

After 16 games, we have two people that went a perfect 16-0 in their picks. Congratulations to The Real Joe Hill and The Deb Factor for their excellence. Several contestants recorded 14-2 success and there is a log jam of folks at 13-3. 

Good luck to all today and remember it ain't over till it's over! 

paulie
xxxxx

Volleyball takes two in Illini Classic...Field Hockey vs. IU today -- Sunday Cardinal Couple

FAIRS, JENKINS POWER CARDS TO WINS

Louisville picked up two wins in Volleyball yesterday in the Illini Classic...defeating Creighton 25-18, 18-25, 25-21, 23-25, 15-11 and Miami 21-25, 25-18, 26-24, 25-10


   -- Fairs fires on Bluejays in Cardinal win --

Although the Erin Fairs era at Louisville will only last one season...it looks to be one that will have us mentioning her name a lot over the next several months. The fifth-year senior from USF had 21 kills in the five set win over the BIG EAST opponent.

After going on a 9-2 run to win the first game, the Cards watched as Creighton returned the favor in the second game...overcoming a 15-11 deficit to knock off Anne Kordes' crew. UofL trailed only once in the third game in getting the four point win.

Creighton rallied back in the fourth game...winning a back and forth contest when Maggie DeJong's kill attempt rolled off the net and out of bounds to give the Bluejays a two-point victory. The fifth game tie-breaker was Creighton's early until the Cards slammed their way from a 10-9 deficit to a 14-10 lead. Fairs had two kills in the roll...Katie George used one of her patented dumps to end it.

Janelle Jenkins was just getting warmed up and added 15 kills...stalwart Maya McClendon finished with 13 kills.

-- Red Hawks rocked in four after slow Cardinal start -- 


Janelle Jenkins became the force in the Cards' second game of the day...producing 23 kills and getting six blocks in the Cards 4 game win.

Louisville started slowly in game one...down 12-6...before rallying to take a 18-17 lead after four straight Jenkins kills. A Miami timeout righted the ship for the Ohioans...they exploded for a 7-1 run to take the first...helped by four Cardinal errors. 

In the second game, the Cards battled the RedHawks to a 14-14 tie before UofL and Jenkins seven kills forged ahead for the seven-point victory. Louisville stayed hot at the start of the third game and led by five at one point before a spirited Miami rally gave them a 21-20 lead. Knotted at 24-24, Louisville got a Maggie DeJong block and benefited from a Miami hitting error to win 26-24.

The fourth game wasn't close...Louisville jumping out to a 8-1 win and expanding that to a 15-point match-ending victory.  

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BORDER WAR AT TRAGER TODAY.

Louisville vs. Indiana
Aug. 30, 2015 – 1:30 p.m.
Admission: Free
Gametracker: GoCards.com
Series History: Louisville leads 10-7
Last Meeting: Oct. 26, 2014 – Louisville won 3-0 at Indiana
Scouting the Hoosiers: The Hoosiers are coached by Amanda Janney who is in her first season at the helm. IU’s key returners include: Karen Lorite, Nicole Volgraf and Kate Barber, who were selected to the Big Ten Conference's 2015 Players to Watch list. Indiana is coming off of a 9-8 campaign in 2014.

Live streaming: Fans may watch the Louisville/Indiana game online at GoCards.com The one-time subscription fee is $9.95 and can be obtained through College Sports Live.

Up next: Following this weekend , the Cardinals will head west for a pair of games. Louisville will face California in a neutral site matchup at UC Davis on Sept. 4 and will stay in Davis to play the Aggies on Sept. 6.

RADIO, RADIO...OH BOY! 

Our latest edition of the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour is available for listening at the link below: 

THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR

paulie
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