Final Four is Set -- Lax Visits Ohio State -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL Final Four is Set

With the remaining two Elite Eight games played last night, we officially have the Final Four set.

It seems strange not to see UConn, the Cards, the Cardinal or Wes Moore on the Dallas invite list. But, it's a very strong field with one incumbent that looks pretty unstoppable, the Fighting Mulkeys from Swamp Water U., Kenny and Kitley from the hills of Virginia and ESPN's media darling Caitlan and her cornfed crew from the mid-west  

Here's what happened last night:. 

1-seed South Carolina and 2-seed Maryland took to the court for the 7:00 p.m. game. The Gamecocks won 86-75. 1-seed Virginia Tech and 3-seed Ohio State battled it out in the late game for the last spot. The Hokies held on down the stretch to win 84-74.

So, how did these four teams arrive in Dallas?

3-seed LSU

The first team to punch their ticket is LSU. Kim Mulkey is in her second season as the head coach for the Tigers and has one of the best younger classmen in the country in Angel Reese.

LSU cruised past 14-seed Hawaii 73-50 in the opening round and wrapped up their time in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center by cruising past 6-seed Michigan 66-42. Their first game in Greenville was one for the ages as the Tigers held on by a hair to defeat 2-seed Utah 66-63. With Indiana having an early exit, LSU faced the lower-seeded 9-seed Miami and relied on a tight defense to win 54-42.

2-seed Iowa

Another non-one-seed earned their spot in the Final Four shortly after LSU. After getting upset in the second round last year, Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes were determined to make some noise this time.

Iowa overwhelmed 15-seed SE Louisiana 95-43 in the first round. Carver-Hawkeye Arena was filled one more time as the Iowa took down 10-seed Georgia 74-66 the next round. The Hawkeyes opened up play in Seattle against 6-seed Colorado and came out on top 87-77. Iowa then took on 5-seed Louisville on Sunday and came away with a 97-83 win.

1-seed South Carolina

For the third straight year, South Carolina is back in the Final Four and has its eyes on back-to-back titles. Dawn Staley continues to help South Carolina build its legacy.

The Gamecocks easily took down 16-seed Norfolk State 72-40 in the first round. Colonial Life Arena played home to South Carolina one more time on the year as the Gamecocks defeated 8-seed South Florida 86-45. A quick trip over to Greenville was easy for South Carolina, as they beat 4-seed UCLA 59-43. 2-seed Maryland tried to play upset mode but feel to them 86-75.

1-seed Virginia Tech

Kenny Brooks' squad guarantees the ACC will be represented in the Final Four by clinching their first ever Final Four berth. The ACC is also the only conference to have a team in the Final Four in both the women's and men's tournaments.

In the opening round, VT defeated 16-seed Chattanooga 58-33. They played at Cassell Coliseum one final time this season as the took down 9-seed South Dakota State 72-60. In their first game in Seattle, the Hokies beat 4-seed Tennessee 73-64. They then battled it out with 3-seed Ohio State and earned the win 84-74.

Lacrosse Travels to Ohio State

After a brutal stretch against several top five teams, Louisville lacrosse heads to Columbus to take on Ohio State at 4:00 p.m. ET today. Louisville is currently 4-6 on the year and have lost four straight.

Ohio State brings a 4-7 record into the season and remains winless at 0-3 in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes are on a five-game skid. 

Having been outscored 128-105 this season, Ohio State has struggled to score, averaging 9.5 goals per game. Defensively, the Buckeyes have been average, allowing 11.6 goals per game.

Nicole Ferrara paces Ohio State with 25 goals while Jamie Lasda has scored 16 times and Jamie Level adding 14 goals. Regan Alexander has been the primary goalkeeper and holds a .474 save percentage.

There is no tv listed for this game, but live stats are expected to be available.

Cardinal Couple Pick Em

(Give Walz her number and Twitter handle)

Things have finally started to take shape as we hit the final stretch. A few brackets are already complete, based on future incorrect picks. Below are the standings I have based on submissions in the comments. I know Paulie had a couple that were a win and loss different so I'll have him provide his numbers.

THE "DONE...THANKS FOR PLAYING...PLEASE EXIT TO YOUR RIGHT" CATEGORY

42-21: David Watson

35-28: Bea, Cindy

33-30: Nick O

THE "STILL BREATHING... BUT A FEW IN HERE WE NEED TO CALL A PRIEST FOR" CATEGORY

46-14: Karen J, Jared

45-15: Jeff, WahooCard, Joe Hill

44-16: Daryl, Sonja

43-17: Katy, Jason, K Stark Sr, Thomas I,

42-18: Kenny S, Paulie, Case, Arthur, David W.

41-19: Curtis, Farris P

40-20: Mike D, Vivian

39-21: Blue Lou

38-22: Becky N

35-25: CC Chimps,  Bea

Three games to go

HERE'S THE SITUATION::

(Oops, wrong situation.)

-Karen and Jared are tied for first and both can only get two more picks right, with both having South Carolina winning the championship. If South Carolina wins their next game then Karen and Jared are guaranteed the top two spots. The tiebreaker would have to be used.

-Jeff can only get two more picks right, also having South Carolina winning the championship, so he has been eliminated from the top two.

--WahooCard can only get one more pick right if LSU wins next round. If LSU wins AND South Carolina loses in the Final Four then WahooCard will tie Karen and Jared, and the tiebreaker would have to be used.

--Joe Hill can still finish the bracket 3-0. He has Virginia Tech defeating Iowa. Joe Hill can win the Pick Em outright if both Virginia Tech and Iowa win next round.

--Daryl can still finish the bracket 3-0. She has South Carolina defeating Virginia Tech. Based on similar picks with other brackets, she is eliminated from the top two.

--Everyone else has been eliminated from the top two.

EDITOR NOTE:

THANKS, ALL, FOR PARTICIPATING IN OUR PICK 'EMS THIS SEASON! WHERE ELSE CAN YOU HAVE SO MUCH FUN FOR NO MONETARY INVESTMENT? WE HAD TO DO A LITTLE PRIZE AWARDING JUGGLING AT THE LAST MOMENT WHEN A "SANDWICH MAKER' DECIDED HE COULDNT SPONSOR THIS YEAR, BUT... I WAS ABLE TO FIND A "COFFEE SELLER" WHO AGREED TO DO SO AND ACTUALLY PROVIDE A LARGER GIFT CARD THAN THE SANDWICH MAKER. THANK YOU, STARBUCKS FOR STEPPING UP !! AND THANKS TO CRACKER BARREL FOR THEIR LONG TIME, CONTINUED SUPPORT ! 

IN THE "THANKS BUT NO THANKS" CATEGORY, I DID HAVE A "NIGHTCLUB FEATURING SCANTILY CLAD WOMEN" OFFER FREE ADMISSION AND A LAP DANCE "ON THE HOUSE" AS A PRIZE. I PASSED ON THE OFFER , AFTER A BIT OF DELIBERATION. 

BACK TO YOU, JARED...

paulie

Happy Tuesday and Go Cards!

Jared

FINAL FOUR for the CARDS -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Final Four Baby!!!

LOUISVILLE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL IS BACK IN THE FINAL FOUR! Louisville was in a tight battle all game against Michigan before pulling away in the final five minutes to win 62-50. For the fourth time in school history, the Cards are headed to the Final Four. a game ending 10-0 run sealed the deal for the Cards

Hailey Van Lith dropped 22 points and Emily Engstler hauled in 16 points to lead the way. The Cards limited their turnovers to 12 while forcing Michigan to 22 turnovers.

Chelsie Hall tied her season high with 15 points, most of them in the first half. Kianna Smith added 11. Besides a strong rebounding performance, Engstler has a game-high six steals.

1Q: Louisville 17, Michigan 13

Three-point shooting was lights out for the Cards but a trio of offensive fouls held Louisville back from pulling ahead. Chelsie Hall came to play, showing her long range shooting to help spark the offense. The Wolverines used a 7-0 run to take a 13-12 lead before the Cards scored the final five points of the quarter.

2Q: Louisville 30, Michigan 27

Louisville's notorious drought came early. The Cards missed several scoring opportunities involving multiple missed layups and Hillmon was able to get involved for a Michigan including a big block moments before the end of the quarter. A rare made layup right before the buzzer allowed the Cards to go into halftime with a three-point lead.

3Q: Louisville 45, Michigan 43

After having a chance to take a double-digit lead, the Cards went cold from the floor and were whistled on what seemed to be every possession on defense as Michigan knocked down free throw after free throw to bring the score within two to close out the quarter.

4Q: Louisville - Michigan

Welcome back to the game, Olivia Cochran! After battling foul trouble all game, the forward came in clutch on both ends of the court by shutting down Hillmon and scoring a good portion of Louisville's points down the stretch. Emily Engstler, although struggling to make a shot, found ways to be disruptive on the defensive end and made sure to prevent Michigan from hauling in offensive boards. The Cards closed the game on a 10-0 run.

Following the final buzzer the team showed tons of emotions while celebrating. Close-ups of Jeff Walz, Hailey Van Lith, and Olivia Cochran all showed tears in their eyes. I think we all had tears in our eyes at home too, though.

My favorite quote from the immediate on-court postgame came from Van Lith when asked about what Kobe Bryant would say to her if he was still with us. Van Lith's response triggered a couple bleeps on national tv when she said "Go f-ing when this sh*t, Hailey. We not done." I think we can all agree that Van Lith was the MVP of the Wichita Region after scoring 20+ points in all four NCAA Tournament games so far, the first Louisville player to accomplish this feat. She has certainly stepped up as a leader and go-to player.

With the Cards' trip to the Final Four, we are back to the super cool statement that "Every player to play a full four years under Walz at Louisville has been to a Final Four." That statement is incredibly awesome and is also a great recruiting tool for future recruits.

FRED Report

Fred says, "Let's Play Two More !"

Free Throws- Louisville shot 7-9 from the charity stripe including a couple important ones down the stretch. Despite the Cards only getting seven trips to the line as opposed to Michigan getting 20 (seriously, prison stripes?) the 77.8% shooting earns a capital "F".

Rebounding- Okay, Emily Engstler deserves a capital R+ with a cherry on top for her effort. The next closest player on the floor behind Engstler was still five boards behind her. However, Louisville lost the overall rebounding battle 36-30. Because of the effort of Engstler, the Cards still salvage a lowercase "r" in my book.

Effort/Execution- 24. That's the key number here. Louisville scored 24 points off turnovers, with many of those coming in transition. Remarkable! Louisville also posted 32 points in the paint while going against one of the best post players in the country. When things got tight down the stretch, Louisville went on a 10-0 run to close the game and seal the win. Capital "E".

Defense- Michigan was held scoreless for the final 5:42 of the game. Without the defense stepping up down the stretch, the Cards don't win this game. Louisville's full court press helped force Michigan into 22 turnovers and a pair of shot clock violations. The Wolverines shot 34.8% from the floor. If you take away Hillmon's 10 made free throws, no Michigan player scored in double figures. To top it off, Louisville held Michigan to seven fourth quarter points. Capital "D".

F-r-E-D is a good way to win your Elite Eight game and by the Wichita Regional champion.

The Final Four is Set

Now we have our Final Four. South Carolina and Stanford were the first teams to punch their tickets with wins over Creighton and Texas, respectively, on Sunday. The final two teams- UConn and Louisville- punched their tickets last night. The Huskies took down NC State in a wild double overtime thriller while the Cards downed Michigan.

1-South Carolina vs 1-Louisville will tip off at 7:00 p.m. ET, and 1-Stanford vs 2-UConn will tip off around 9:30. These two games gives us two great match-ups to tune into. Stanford is looking to go back-to-back. South Carolina is hoping to win their first championship since 2017. UConn looks to win their first title since 2016, when the Huskies had wrapped up a four-peat. Louisville has its eyes on the program's first ever championship.

Pick Em

With the Final Four set, the NCAA Cardinal Couple Pick Em continues to be a tight race. Here is the latest standings:

45 wins: Kenny Schneider, Kenneth Stark Sr, Jared, Perry Sosh, Bea

44 wins: Nick O, Jeff

43 wins: Joe Hill, Doug Anderson, Jason Wyrick

42 wins: Blue Lou, Katy

41 wins: Benny J, Case

40 wins: David Watson, Daryl

39 wins: Vivian McAdams

38 wins: Louavulfan35

37 wins: Curtis Franklin, Arthur

36 wins: Paul

33 wins: Sonya

21 wins: CC Chimps

Since it's after midnight and I have to be up in about six hours for work, I'm hoping Paul can double check my work on this to make sure his numbers match mine.

For now, let's enjoy our Tuesday with a little celebration and prepare for Friday.

Happy Tuesday and Go Cards!

Jared

Meet the Wichita Region -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Meet the Wichita Region

The Sweet Sixteen is set and Louisville women's basketball continues to dance. The Cards made it through the opening two rounds by defeating U-Albany and Gonzaga. Nebraska was also in Louisville, but fell to the Zags in the round of 64.

Now, Louisville travels to Wichita, Kans. for their next group of four. We all know how 1-seed Louisville made it to this point so let's look at the other three teams the Cards will be spending time with.

4-seed Tennessee

The Lady Vols (yes, the still keep the name "Lady" in their nickname) improved their record to 25-8 after surviving the first two rounds in Knoxville. Five of their first six opponents of the season made the NCAA Tournament and Tennessee won all of those games. In fact, they lost only one non-conference game- a 74-63 loss at home to Stanford.

Tennessee has faltered down the stretch recently, losing seven of their last 14 games including an early exit in the SEC Tournament to eventual champion Kentucky. In that stretch, they fell to Florida, UConn, Alabama, South Carolina, LSU, and Kentucky. All of their losses on the year came to teams that made the Big Dance and four of the losses to teams who hosted the first two rounds on their respective home courts.

I called in some help from a good buddy of mine who is wrapping up his master's degree at UT Knoxville. With his ties to WUTK Radio Knoxville, he has been familiar with Kellie Harper's squad and their accomplishments this year. He also participated in the Cardinal Couple ACC Pick Em and has a bracket in our current Cardinal Couple NCAA Pick Em.

"Tennessee is a team with good size and decent guard play. They can get hot shooting but can also go ice cold. Manufacturing points when they go ice cold will be the downfall of this Tennessee team and the relative inexperience of the team will be to their detriment when they need to manufacture points to stay in a game. They are on the rise, but they are probably a year or two away from truly competing," Jason Wyrick, WUTK Radio Knoxville.

Tennessee began their postseason journey against 13-seed Buffalo. The Lady Vols held a small lead entering the final period before a strong quarter helped them pull away. Their second round opponent was 12-seed Belmont, and the Bruins put up a big fight in Knoxville. After holding a 12-point halftime lead, Tennessee surrendered the lead and had to rally in the final moments to get the win.

3-seed Michigan

A team that Louisville defeated earlier this season might reappear on the Cards' schedule. Michigan has been a tough match-up for most teams this season due to the size and skill of Naz Hillmon, who is averaging 21.3 points per game and 9.6 rebounds per game.

Besides their loss to Louisville, the Wolverines have five other losses on their 24-6 record, all coming in conference play. Nebraska, Michigan State, Northwestern, Iowa, and then Nebraska again in the Big Ten quarterfinals.

The Wolverines have big time wins against Indiana, Maryland (2x), Iowa, Ohio State (2x), and Baylor. Their 13-4 conference record (game against Illinois was postponed and later cancelled) put them half a game out of first place in the Big Ten and tied for third in conference play.

Michigan demolished 14-seed American by 35 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. 11-seed Villanova was a tad tougher in the second round but the Wolverines won by 15.

Head coach Kim Barnes Arico is no stranger to Jeff Walz, they played each other a lot when she was the HC at St. John's and the two coached together on the 2015 USA Women's U19 World Championship Team. 

10-seed South Dakota

One of two Cinderella 10-seeds in the Sweet Sixteen is South Dakota. The Coyotes have turned heads so far this tournament, but are no strangers to the Big Dance and the pressure and intensity the NCAA Tournament has to offer.

At 29-5, South Dakota was overlooked by many. They had a rough start to the season by losing to Oklahoma and South Carolina back-to-back. They then won a pair of games before falling to Northwestern and Texas A&M. Since the 2-4 start, the Coyotes won 16 straight before their lone conference loss came to rival South Dakota State.

Thought to be a team on the outside looking in, South Dakota "upset" 1-seed South Dakota State in the Summit League championship to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. They also knocked South Dakota State down to the WNIT, where the Jackrabbits have advanced to the WNIT Sweet Sixteen.

South Dakota held a nine-point halftime lead against 7-seed Ole Miss before outscoring the Rebels in the second half as well to send their SEC foe home. They then pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the tournament by taking down 2-seed Baylor by 14. The Coyotes took the first quarter 16-4 and never relinquished their lead.

Louisville and Tennessee will tip off this Saturday at 4:00 p.m. ET / 3:00 p.m. CT Wichita, Kans. time. The game will be aired on ESPN2. South Dakota and Michigan will then tip off at approxiately 6:30 p.m. ET and will also be aired on ESPN2.

Happy Thursday and Go Cards!

Jared

Softball Crushes Western Illinois -- WBB and the CC Pick Em -- WALZ and Players Presser-- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Softball Crushes Western Illinois

Things appear to be running on all cylinders for Louisville softball, who won their eighth straight game following a 15-0 five-inning blowout over Western Illinois.

Louisville relied on home runs by Ally Alexander, Korbe Otis, and Carmyn Greenwood to power the offense, which scored six runs in the first and fourth innings and three runs in the second inning. Greenwood's home run was her second grand slam of the year. Two grand slams in one season is incredible! Otis' dinger was her third of her career while Alexander has hit a home run in two straight games to get to two in her career.

Offensively, Louisville was running- theoretically and literally- all over Ulmer Stadium. The Cards earned seven walks and stole six bases. A trio of errors by the Leathernecks allowed the Cards to be even more aggressive on the base path.

Taylor Roby got the start in the circle and improved to 6-3 on the year. Roby struck out seven over those three innings, falling three strike outs shy of tying her career high. Chardonnay Harris came in for the final two innings and struck out three while allowing one hit.

With a pair of injuries to one of the early season lineups, Holly Aprile seems to have settled on her starting 10. Softball includes a designated player in the starting lineup so there's officially 10 players in the starting lineup. That lineup includes four freshmen, a big positive for future seasons.

Hannah File suffered a minor injury while in Arkansas. Although presumed cleared to play, she sat out the last couple of games as a precaution to get ready for conference play. She should be back within a week or two.

Easton Lotus suffered an apparent leg injury in the win against Indiana and appears to be out for a lengthy period.

Louisville wraps up their home-stand with their ACC opener against Georgia Tech this weekend. Friday's game will start the same time as Louisville women's basketball in the NCAA Tournament so we will not be able to provide any live coverage or photos of softball that game. Saturday's game will be at 4:00, which we will be present for. Sunday's NCAA Tournament game time has not yet been announced so we don't know if we will be present for their noon first pitch yet.

WBB NCAA Tournament and the Cardinal Couple NCAA Tournament Pick Em

We are almost to the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. The first two play-in games tipped off last night.

Howard rallied in the fourth quarter to take down Incarnate Word, 55-51. Their reward is to take on South Carolina on Friday.

The second of the two games saw Dayton and DePaul squaring up. The Flyers cruised to a 88-57 win.

Don't forget to get your bracket in soon. With the first round games beginning at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, you must have your bracket submitted by 11:00 a.m. ET this Friday.

The tiebreaker is the final score of the championship game. For example, if Louisville defeats Kentucky in the championship, 60-50, then the final total score would be 110.

So far, as of 11:00 p.m. yesterday, we have received 16 entries. The brackets I have noted are: Kenny Schneider, Blue Lou, Curtis Franklin, Arthur, Nick O, Louavulfan35 (Jules), Kenneth Stark Sr, Joe Hill, Cardinal Couple Chimps, David Watson, Paul Sykes, Sonya Sykes, Bea, Vivian McAdams, Doug Anderson, and Jason Wyrick. If you have already submitted one and your name isn't listed, please let us know so we can get that corrected.

Just for a little clarification on the play-in games: we chose not to include those four games in the brackets due to the fact they started so early in the week and would not give people a fair chance to review their picks. With play-in games starting last night, we would have had to make the cut off yesterday afternoon instead of tomorrow morning. If you did pick a play-in game team advancing further in the tournament such as the Second Round or Sweet Sixteen and have it listed as "Dayton/DePaul", we will count either as the correct answer.

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

Jason Wyrick's bracket

South Carolina, South Florida, North Carolina, Arizona, Georgia, Iowa State, Creighton, Iowa

Louisville, Nebraska, Oregon, Tennessee, BYU, Michigan, Ole Miss, Baylor

Stanford, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Maryland, Ohio State, LSU, Utah, Texas
NC State, Washington State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Indiana, UCF, UConn

South Carolina, Arizona, Iowa State, Iowa

Louisville, Oregon, Michigan, Baylor

Stanford, Maryland, LSU, Texas

NC State, Notre Dame, Kentucky, UConn

South Carolina, Iowa State, Louisville, Baylor

Stanford, Texas, NC State, UConn

South Carolina, Louisville, Stanford, UConn

Louisville, UConn

Louisville - 121

I will have my bracket posted in the comments section later tonight.

THURSDAY PRESSERS -- PLAYERS AND WALZ

Audio only on both:

HAILEY, KASA AND KIANNA

JEFF WALZ

Happy Thursday and Go Cards!

Jared

WBB Rankings -- Favorite Christmas Movies -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Women's Basketball Rankings

Following Sunday's win at a 'neutral site' (LOL) against UConn on Sunday, and some help from some other teams, Louisville Women's Basketball jumped in the AP Poll from #6 to #3. The #3 ranking is the highest of the season for the Cards, now 10-1.

South Carolina (11-0) retained the top spot in the rankings. The Gamecocks are the clear early season favorite for the title. Their schedule is already full of Top 15 wins against NC State (at Raleigh), Oregon (neutral site), pre-Buckers injury UConn (neutral site), Maryland (in Columbia), and Duke (at Durham). Their next game comes against current #2 Stanford tonight at 7:00 on ESPN2.

Stanford (8-2) has been back-and-forth against ranked opponents this season, but did move up to the #2 ranking following a win at Tennessee. Their other big wins have come against Indiana and Maryland while their not-so-bad losses have been to Texas and South Florida. The losses have been by a combined eight points.

Louisville (10-1) has won 10 straight following a season opening loss to Arizona. The Cards have been hot and have climbed from #10 in Week Four to #3 in Week Seven. The Cards have good wins against Michigan, Kentucky, and UConn with the latter two coming by a combined 11 points. Louisville is in the early stages of an 11-day break before returning to action against Boston College on Dec. 11.

Arizona (10-0) remained at #4. Besides their season opener against the Cards, Arizona has played a less-than-stellar non-conference schedule after their game against Texas over the weekend was cancelled. Besides the Wildcats and Stanford, the Pac-12 has not proven to be much of a threat this year.

NC State (11-2) rounds out the top five. They fell in overtime at home to a mid-ranked Georgia team over the weekend and have fallen to 2-2 against ranked teams. A road win against Indiana and a neutral site location against Maryland have been their big wins.

Maryland (9-3) moved back up a few spots to #6. Tennessee (9-1) stayed put at #7. Indiana (9-2) moved up to #8. Michigan (11-1) jumped up several spot to #9. Baylor (9-2) fell from fifth down to #10 after falling to Michigan over the weekend.

The ACC has four other teams in the AP Poll including Duke (#16), Georgia Tech (#17), Notre Dame (#20), and North Carolina (#25). In-state rival UK sits at #22.

Favorite Christmas Movies

After discovering Disney+ added a few more Home Alone movies to their streaming service, I realized that the Home Alone arsenal is up to six movies. The first two follow the happenings of Kevin McAlister while the third one shifts to a new cast and plot. The fourth one semi-reverts back to the first two. The fifth goes in a different direction. The sixth installment, which was released this year, happens in the same universe as the original two with only Buzz McAlister reprising his role.

Although, I enjoy the first three installments, everything after becomes cheesy and disappointing. Besides the Home Alone films, some of my other favorite Christmas movies include National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, A Christmas Story, The Santa Clause (original one), and Elf as well as many of the animated or claymation films. Do you have any favorite Christmas movies? Also, do you consider Die Hard a Christmas movie?

There are no wrong answers to the questions above.

Happy Tuesday and Go Cards!

Jared

Final Four -- WBB Rankings -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Volleyball Final Four

We are just two days away for the NCAA Volleyball Final Four. For the first time ever, Louisville Volleyball has reached the Final Four, and as the 1-seed and 32-0 on the year, the Cards are the favorite to take the title.

The Final Four is no joke and all four remaining teams are ranked in the Top 10 and have definitely earned their spot in Columbus, Ohio.

Today, we'll take a look at the four remaining teams and how the got here.

1-seed Louisville, 32-0

We all know about the Cards and how incredible of a season they have had. Originally ranked #13 in the preseason AP Poll, Louisville quickly climbed the rankings to reach their first ever #1 ranking before then claiming the 2021 ACC title. Louisville has swept 23 of its 32 opponents and has lost a combined 12 sets all year.

Louisville defeated UIC 3-0 (25-11, 25-20, 25-11) in the first round and Ball State 3-0 (29-27, 25-11, 25-19) at LNFCU Arena. At Freedom Hall, the Cards defeated 16-seed Florida 3-0 (25-16, 25-22, 25-12) and 8-seed Georgia Tech (25-18, 21-25, 25-21, 25-20).

3-seed Pittsburgh, 30-3

Pittsburgh is another team we followed rather closely this year. The Panthers, another ACC powerhouse, have turned into somewhat of a rival for the Cards. The Panthers started the season in the Top 10 and never dropped below #4 by mid-September. Their first loss on the year was a 3-2 loss at Georgia Tech. They came to Louisville, where the Cards took a 3-2 win. At the end of the regular season, Louisville went up to Pitt to take a 3-1 win. The Panthers finished the year tied for second in the ACC.

Pittsburgh defeated UMBC 3-0 (25-23, 25-13, 25-18) and Penn State 3-1 (25-22, 23-25, 25-22, 25-23) in the opening two rounds of the tournament. In the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight, Pitt defeated Kansas 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-18) and 6-seed Purdue 3-1 (25-20, 28-30, 25-20, 25-15).

4-seed Wisconsin, 29-3

Wisconsin hails from a strong Big Ten conference and was able to take the Big Ten title in their final regular season match. The Badgers fell to Maryland 3-2 early in the year before being swept by Purdue 3-1 both times. The Badgers are another team who has been hanging out in the Top 10 all year, including being ranked as high as #2.

Wisconsin defeated Colgate 3-0 (25-12, 25-15, 25-14) and Florida Gulf Coast 3-0 (25-17, 25-20, 25-15) to start open the tournament. Advancing to the NCAA Regionals, the Badgers defeated 13-seed UCLA 3-0 (25-16, 25-18, 25-17) and 12-seed Minnesota (25-18, 26-24, 25-22).

10-seed Nebraska, 25-7

The only 'surprise' in this list is Nebraska. By seeding, the Huskers should've bene knocked out in the Sweet Sixteen, but one of the most successful programs in college volleyball, Nebraska is comfortable when tournament time rolls around. Technically, the Huskers have 26 wins with one of them being a forfeit by Rutgers in late November. Their seven losses on the year all came against ranked opponents ranked #20 or higher. One of those Nebraska losses was when Louisville traveled to Lincoln in September and won in straight sets. They finished second in the Big Ten, one game behind Wisconsin.

Nebraska began the tournament by defeating Campbell 3-0 (25-14, 25-14, 25-17) and Florida State 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-17). Advancing to the NCAA Regionals, Nebraska defeated Illinois 3-0 (25-12, 25-21, 25-17) and upset 2-seed Texas 3-1 (25-19, 25-23, 23-25, 25-21).

Louisville will face Wisconsin at 7:00 p.m. ET, on Thursday at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. If you do choose to travel north for the event please note that there is a mask requirement in place. They have instituted a No Bag policy and the concession stands have gone cashless.

If you have not purchased tickets but need to do so, I have attached the link below. Note: sometimes links do not appear correctly when viewing from a mobile device.

https://www.ticketmaster.com/artist/31541

Women's Basketball Rankings

There has been a bit of a shakeup in the women's basketball rankings. Following a recent loss and the injury to star Paige Bueckers, UConn has dropped several spots in the polls and Georgia Tech has jumped up out of nowhere to join the rankings.

South Carolina retained the top spot in the rankings after remaining undefeated. The Gamecocks have separated themselves from the rest of the country. NC State also stayed put at #2. Stanford moved up a spot to #3. Arizona leapfrogged Baylor to take the #4 ranking while Baylor remained at #5.

Louisville climbed a spot up to #6 while UConn and Tennessee are tied at #7. The Huskies dropped down from #3 and the Vols moved up from #9. Maryland is #9, having dropped one spot and Indiana stayed at #10 to round out the Top 10.

#15 Duke, #18 Georgia Tech, #21 Notre Dame, and #25 North Carolina are the other four (out of six) teams from the ACC in the Top 25. Following back-to-back losses Kentucky fell to #19.

Louisville hosts EKU this Thursday at 8:00 p.m. (yeah, the game time conflict with Louisville Volleyball is unfortunate). The Cards then head up north to square off against UConn on Dec.19 at 3:30 p.m., before taking a short break for Christmas.

Happy Tuesday and Go Cards!

Jared

Anne Donovan dies...Today Is Flag Day -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

HALL OF FAME COACH DIES OF HEART FAILURE

Anne Donovan, a women's collegiate and professional coach of immense stature and respectability in the basketball community, has passed away at the age of 56. 

Donovan, who was 6'8", coached several NCAA squads...Old Dominion, East Carolina and Seton Hall...and also prowled the sidelines for several WNBA squads. She won the WNBA Title in 2004 coaching the Seattle Storm. Anne also had an amazing playing career...going to the 1984 and 1988 Olympics to represent the USA. She was also a Hall of Fame inductee. Anne won a national championship during her playing days at ODU. 

Back in 1984, there was no WNBA. Collegiate players like Anne had to go overseas to continue their playing careers after graduation. Anne did...for five years...before retiring and becoming an assistant coach at her alma mater. 

My memories of her focus on her visit to Louisville and the newly opened KFC YUM! Center back in the 2010-11 season. The Cards were in the Big East then...and were playing their final regular season home of the year. A Saturday afternoon event and it was Senior Day. At 18-10 and 9-5 in Big East play...Louisville was coming off an impressive win over #7 DePaul on Wednesday night 68-55. 

Anne was bringing in a Seton Hall squad that wasn't faring nearly as well. The Pirates entered the downtown arena with an 8-19 record and 1-13 in the conference. She was easily the tallest person on the sidelines and as I entered the Arena, she was stoically watching her squad warm-up. 

The Cards got off to a slow start that night and trailed 6-2 before Tia Gibbs and Monique Reid assumed control of the contest. Louisville held the Pirates scoreless for abut four minutes and held a 28-21 halftime lead. Anne was non-stop on the sidelines, shouting out instructions and occasionally giving the referees a piece of her mind. Keisha Hines started the second half strong for Louisville, Asia Taylor had an impressive second half and Louisville eventually took the contest....leading by 22 at one point before taking a 59-49 win. Walz substituted pretty much the final ten minutes of the game and the Pirates went on a game ending 15-3 run to get back within 10. 

I remember Donovan not giving up. Not sitting on the bench with a disgruntled look or head in hands. Actively encouraging her squad, pointing out things on the court and pacing the sidelines. 

Checking the Cardinal Couple recap of that game, David Watson was in town and contributed to the Cardinal Couple column the next day. He wrote: 

DAVID WATSON was in the stands for the Seton Hall game with his youngest daughter and files this report...(We like the fact that David is in town for two days...and is taking us out to eat Sunday Night.) 
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It was a good day for being in downtown Louisville yesterday. The pizza at Impelliezeri's post game is always top notch and the weather conductive to strolling down 4th Street Live after. The action in the KFC YUM Center was less than perfect but it goes to show what I've been saying for the last couple weeks...Seton Hall isn't the push-over patsy that most people consider them to be. Anne Donovan has made big strides coaching this young team ( 1 senior, 7 freshmen and sophomores) this season and will continue to do so. Watching Anne on the sidelines (she's hard to miss at 6'8") is a lesson in coaching. She is on top of each and every play, rotating between shouting out assignment and switches to her players, keeping a rolling and lively dialogue going with any officials within earshot and talking to her assistants. Anne, like Jeff Walz, doesn't spend much time sitting down. 
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Her players are hustling, aggressive competitors that may have skill sets a bit behind the cream of the league but won't get out-worked. Give her a couple of years and the battle for women's college basketball supremacy in Jersey might just tighten up a bit.

Anne didn't quite fulfill the prophecy David predicted for her but he was perfect in describing her efforts.  
A
Two years later, she brought the Pirates back to the YUM! and suffered another 10-point loss to the Cards. This was after she'd announced she'd be leaving Seton Hall at the end of the season to take over the head coaching job with the Connecticut Sun. By then, the "newness" of this tall woman on the sidelines had worn off and my memories of that contest aren't as clear. That, of course, was the year that Louisville marched to the NCAA Championship Game against UCONN. The upset of Baylor...the Easter miracle in Oklahoma City...there were quite a few things to celebrate that season. 

Jenny O'Bryan had the write up for that 2013 contest but didn't write about Anne. It was Senior Day and the Cards were graduating the original "Attack Yorkie" -- Shelby Harper and Monique Reid. 

I reached out to Coach Walz about Anne and he provided these thoughts about her: 

"Her passing is a tragic loss for basketball. Anne was a pioneer in the game. When I coached against her in the Seton Hall games, she was always very kind and gracious. When she shook your hand, it was sincere and she was always passionate about the game we love." 

The eventuality of life assures us of several things. We all are going to die, we'll lose close friends along the way to death and the rest of the world will carry on after we're gone.

Remembrance of the departed, the stories that will be told...are the debatable part. How will you (or I) be remembered? Did you "live" your life, or watch it pass by? 

I like the remembrances of Anne that David wrote back then and I commented on also. She was an integral part of helping WBB in general gain the respect and headlines it truly deserves. We'll remember Anne fondly. I'd like to think she's gone to that "big gym in the sky" and I have no doubt that she's on the sidelines coaching one of the heavenly all-star teams or striding the court against putting moves on post-defenders. 

I never got the chance to interview Anne. Of that, I have regrets. How nice and informative it would have been to talk to her about her experiences and stories. 

Go easy, Anne. Your memory and legacy will live on forever. 


WHAT DAY IS IT?

For those who like the recently Jared-neglected commentary on what day it is, it's Flag Day! Is yours up and being proudly displayed? 

I fly two each and every day. The American and the Cardinal. I am an American and proud of it. I'm a Cardinal and damn proud of that as well. 

A bit of audio to go with the occasion? Sure, you bet! 

LINK: YOU'RE A GRAND OLD FLAG


paulie
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Louisville women's basketball -- Investment -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Investment hopes to pay big dividends in April

We start you out this morning with the concept of investment. Webster's Dictionary tells us it's the creation of capitol or goods capable of producing other goods or services. Don't let me be misunderstood here...I'm not implying that Jeff Walz or Jessica Laemmle have a sure-fire investment strategy for you that will turn $100's into $1000's...or that by following David Levitch's betting advice on the ponies..you'll turn those tens into twenties (although, he is a pretty sound race handicapper...). We're going to look at investment in a different light. 

Investment in your program. In the 12 players' portfolio that met yesterday for the first time this season on campus, it has to be the #1 strategy. (Dana Evans will join the squad in July...after she graduates from high school in June). The rule. The guiding principal. What can you create to produce a payoff come April? Are you fully on-board? Are your goals aligned with what the team philosophy is? Are you willing to assume the responsibility of helping guide this unit to Final Four status? 

Louisville head women's basketball coach Jeff Walz tells a great story about his first days on campus after being first interviewed by Tom Jurich. He had a sit-down with several of the key returning players from the 2006-2007 squad. They they had advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament the previous season before getting bumped off the dance floor by Arizona State in Los Angeles. They wanted to know what Walz could do to get them to the next level. How was he going to get them to the Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight or Final Four? 

He told them there was nothing he could do. He was a bad shooter and had slow feet. He told them that they had to invest in the program to get it to the next level. He asked them if any of them had contacted the four incoming freshmen. A call to them to let them know everything was going to be OK despite the coaching change and that they were there for them...as future teammates... to answer any questions or just talk about the team. The players looked at each other in silence. No, they hadn't thought to do that. Walz indicated that maybe they should invest in their future.

The next day Patrika Barlow, a returnee on that squad, stopped Walz before his second meeting with Jurich. She reported that the squad had called and contacted Kiara Evans, Dez Byrd, Laura Terry and Keisha Hines. Assurances were made, the investment in the future had been accomplished. 
And, as we know, Jeff Walz was offered the job. 

Investment. Some aren't willing to make them.

Some are more stuck on the idea that they want to play closer to home. That leads to another Walz story where he joked about maybe needing to go on recruiting trips with a map of the United States to show the players where Louisville is and where they are. Sometimes, after a year or so, a player suddenly...or gradually realizes that a particular spot maybe isn't the place that they want to be. The lure of family and friends in Texas, California,Virginia...wherever...overcomes to commitment to the current scenario. In that case, it's best to go. For some, it comes earlier than others. Some just want to play. They choose to make a new investment in a more favorable market or scenario. 

Investment...even if you aren't a principal in the scheme. Jeff Walz will tell you that he never promises anyone that they'll be a starter when he recruits them...but he'll give them every chance to earn that role. Competition ensures. Some turn out better than others. Coaches will tell you that they don't have favorites on their squads...that aside, the girl who consistently sinks the mid-range jumper or blocks out on a rebounding attempt probably gathers a little more praise that the player who doesn't pass the ball or dribbles like she's getting points for each bounce.

"Not in front of my friends, Dad!" 

Another great coaching story involves a guard that was prone to dribbling. The coaching staff pulled her out of practice and put her in front of a rack of balls. They told her that, for the rest of practice, her role was to dribble each of them and make sure the air pressure was right for the rest of the squad...since she had shown them what her primary skill was. 

Investment. Whether you're a starter, sub or practice player...it is the most valuable skill a player can bring to a team. It is true in field hockey, lacrosse, cross country or golf. What are you willing to invest? 

I go back to a story from a few years ago. I had an interview scheduled with Louisville's lacrosse coach...Kellie Young. We had received a light bit of snow that morning and as I walked up to the coach's office...I noticed a solitary player on the pitch of the lacrosse field, practicing shots in a area that had been cleared off. I asked Coach about it. She told me it was Nikki Boltja. She told me that she was the hardest working player she had ever coached. Rain or shine, light of day or dark of evening, blazing hot or bitterly cold...Nikki was going to get her shots in. Working on the investment. She ended up second on the total goals scored at Louisville career list. She parlayed that into an assistant coaching job at Stetson University after serving as a volunteer coach at Louisville after graduation. She'll also play professionally this summer for the Baltimore Ride in the United Women's Lacrosse League. 

How are their investments doing?

A quote goes..."it's what you do when no one is watching that is the true test of character."  Which players will invest in the additional hours in the gym, working on the weak points of their game? Figuring out what it is they can do to be fully invested in the program. Working when there is no one around or with a teammate on free throws, rebounding...conditioning. The coaches get two hours a week for the next eight weeks or so to work with their "investments". The key is....what will the investments do with the other 166 hours of the week to contribute to the cause?

What are you willing to invest to get the desired result? It's a question all of us ask ourselves at one time or another. And, most importantly...will you follow through on it? 



"Successful Investing takes time, discipline and patience. No matter how great the talent or effort, some things just take time: You can't produce a baby in one month by getting nine women pregnant."  -Warren Buffet.






paulie
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Baseball strikes early, holds on late for 5-3 win vs UK...What is happening at Maryland? -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

CARDS CORRAL CATS 5-3

Our custom here, as the regular reader knows, is to cover the joy and excitement of UofL women's sports. There were plenty of UofL women's athletes on hand at Jim Patterson Stadium last night, watching and celebrating Louisville baseball's 5-3 win over UK. A crowd of 6210 in attendance to see the annual battle of the Bluegrass on a beautiful Tuesday evening.

Louisville wasted no time in getting the party started.  Five runs in the first three innings gave the Cards a comfortable margin over the visitors and a revolving door at pitcher getting the work done...Louisville used seven hurlers in the nine innings. 

UK made it interesting in the end. Scoring three runs in the ninth and loading the bases before catcher Colby Finch threw out Zack Reks on a steal attempt for the final out.  

A top ten battle between #2 Louisville and #8 Kentucky that set an attendance record at Patterson. Plenty of blue sprinkled in with the red on the berm and in the stands. 

Cardinal head coach Dan McDonnell breaks it down:

"Our bullpen has been good all year. Fortunately, we got the lead early in that three-inning start. You gotta tip your hat to them. Hopefully, we learned a valuable lesson...that good teams don't quit. They [UK] showed they're a top ten team because they didn't quit..." 

The Cards (25-3) bring in Wake Forest for a three-game weekend set next. 


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THREE TRANSFER FROM MARYLAND

Even though the NCAA WBB season has drawn to a close, there is still news out there in the world of women's college basketball. Three players from the University of Maryland have announced they are leaving the program. Destiny Slocum, Kiah Gillespie and Jenna Stalti have been granted permission to transfer. 

Slocum is big news. The freshman was second-team Big 10 and Freshman of the Year in the in the WBCA Coaches poll and in the Big 10. Cardinal fans might remember that she scored the Terps final seven points in Maryland's win over Louisville back on Dec. 7th...and hit six of nine from the free throw line.  

Gillespie is a 6'2" sophomore forward who displayed a nice touch from outside in addition to her inside scoring skills. Stalti, 6'6" freshman center that saw limited time in the post. 

The Terps also graduate their top two scorers in Shatori Walker-Kimbrough and Brionna Jones. 

So, why the mass departure from a squad that went 32-3 and reached the Sweet Sixteen before losing to Oregon in the Bridgeport regional? 

Let's speculate...Slocum was from Idaho and a long way from an ailing mother with breast cancer. A chance to play closer to home might have been the reasoning there. With Gillespie and Stalti, it's probably a question of playing time. Gillespie had a great start in her freshman year but just never seemed to develop after that and didn't figure into the rotation that much as a sophomore. Stalti never really made much of an impact on the roster...a deep backup to Jones. Players want to play on occasion and other opportunities can come to be more desirable after the realization sets in that your expectations aren't matching your court time. 

Let's not forget that Lexie Brown also left the Turtles a couple of seasons ago...her stated reason was to play against the ACC. 

Transferred in, did well. 

Transfers. Yes. we get questions about them. Do we think this girl might end up here or that girl could leave and go over there? We have readers who monitor Twitter accounts looking for clues on who might leave. And, there's always the "I have a friend who knows someone that talked with someone who overhead that (so and so) might be looking around." 

We have no crystal ball nor direct pipeline to the future. Who goes, who stays? We wait and see, like you do. Do I think anyone will transfer out of or into the Louisville WBB program? I try not to think about it, honestly. We'll cover it if it happens. 

Players come. Players go. It's inevitable. As a coach, you deal with a lot of pressure. From the parents, from the players and from the fan base. The bottom line is this. You play those who give you the best chance of winning. Winning is job stability. Coaches like to be employed. Players have the opportunity to earn their playing time. If it doesn't work out, you decide to work that much harder, accept the situation or move on. 

Let's put it in horse racing terms...since we're drawing close to the Kentucky Derby. A trainer gets a promising two-year old to the race track. The horse runs poorly the first time on the track. You give the horse another chance. Another poor effort. You drop the horse down to a level you think it may compete well in. Nothing. So, you decide that maybe the horse might be better off in another barn and you run it in a claimer-type race. The horse isn't to blame. The horse simply isn't good enough to compete at a certain level. Maybe the horse does better at a lower level or for another trainer at another track. Maybe it doesn't. Or maybe the trainer decides to keep working with the horse. The difference is...the horse can't express their contentment, disagreement or sit down for a long talk with the trainer. 

Transferred out...hopes to do well. 

Players can. They sometimes do. The key is this...what is best for the player? Most coaches want what is best for the player. If it means playing for" fake directional state" instead of "Prime Time U"...then that's how it is. 

Fans speculate. Why did this girl want to go to that school when she could have done "this or that" if she had stayed. What's going on at "this school" to make players want to leave? 

Transfers happen. Get used to them. One man gathers what another man spills.



paulie
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