Softball Travels to NKU -- NCAA Final Four -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Louisville Softball Visits Norse in Highland Heights

After coming over their first ACC series win of the season against Pittsburgh, Louisville softball steps away from conference play for a moment. They remain on the road with a quick trip up I-71 to face Northern Kentucky. First pitch is slated for 5:00pm ET and will be streamed on ESPN+.

Currently holding a 22-14 record, UofL needs to get a few wins to match last year's win total of 36. This is one of 18 games remaining. Three of the remaining games come against in-state opponents- Northern Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky, and Kentucky.

The Norse enter the game 14-11 and have won three straight after sweeping Purdue Fort Wayne over the weekend. NKU has had an odd schedule that features getting run-ruled by Eastern Kentucky but also upsetting Michigan. 

Northern Kentucky is batting .269 as a team with 94 total runs scored. Their bullpen has a 3.13 ERA and have allowed a .240 batting average to opposing teams. Ella LeMonier (.420) and Olivia Pastin (.343) are the only Norse players hitting above .280. The latter has five of the Norse's nine home runs on the season.

UofL has found some success in the circle behind Alyssa Zabala, who leads the ACC and ranks third in the country with 15 wins. Riley Frizell leads the Cards with nine home runs and 39 RBIs. The RBI mark ranks fifth in the ACC and 23rd in the country. Kiley Goff has been hit by pitch 18 times this year. That number is best in the conference and second nationally.

NCAA Final Four

The 2024 NCAA Women's Final Four is set.

1-seed South Carolina, 3-seed NC State, 1-seed Iowa, and 3-seed UConn have punched their tickets to Cleveland. The Elite Eight featured all 1-seeds vs 3-seeds

The Gamecocks defeated 3-seed Oregon State 70-58, but had difficulty against the Beavers. It was a two-point game midway through the third quarter and Oregon State closed the deficit to four points down the stretch. But this is a battle-tested team and dawn Staley knows how to win on the big stage so it comes as no surprise that South Carolina is back.

NC State celebrated big time on Easter. The women's and men's teams advanced to the Final Four within hours of each other. Wes Moore's squad defeated 1-seed Texas 76-66. They outscored the Longhorns in all but one quarter and held a decent halftime lead. Texas never got closer than within six points in the second half.

Iowa defeated 3-seed LSU 94-87 in a rematch of last year's title game. Caitlin Clark did Caitlin Clark things as the Hawkeyes utilized a big third quarter to pull ahead. LSU tried to battle back in the final quarter but could not overcome the magic of Iowa. Personally, for me, I was happy to see Kim Mulkey get sent home.

3-ssed UConn held on to defeat 1-seed USC. The two teams were tied at halftime but the Huskies used a run in the fourth quarter to build a double-digit lead. The Trojans did everything they could to come back but fell just short. UConn was extremely lucky not to have any players foul out despite many of their players having three or four fouls early in the final quarter. Looking at this officiating crew, not seeing more foul calls is a bit of a shock. Louisville has fallen victim to the whistles of some of this crew before.

The Final Four will be played this Friday with the first game coming at 7:00pm ET. ESPN will carry the game.

Happy Tuesday and Go Cards!

Jared

Softball Hosts Indiana -- WBB Sweet Sixteen -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Softball Welcomes Indiana for Battle of the Border

Louisville softball is quick to being back in action this week with a 48-hour turnaround. The Cards welcome Indiana to Ulmer Stadium for a 6:00 pm first pitch. This one will be televised on ACC Network.

The Cards are coming off a 1-2 series result against #4 Duke in which Louisville won a game on a walk off home run. The two losses came by a combined three runs with the game-tying run on base both times.

Indiana is 22-9 on the season but ride a five-game losing streak, all at the hands of Penn State and #10 Florida. The Hoosiers did take down ranked Oregon early in the season but have dropped games to ranked Clemson and Arizona in the mix.

The Hoosiers hit .307 as a team with 193 runs scored and 38 home runs. Their bullpen has a cumulative ERA of 2.46 and 194 strikeouts.

I hope to be out there for this one weather pending.

Women's Basketball Down to Sixteen Teams

The NCAA women's basketball tournament is down to the Sweet Sixteen. While Louisville is no longer in the tournament, the ACC has three teams remaining: 2-seed Notre Dame, 3-seed NC State, and 7-seed Duke. The Blue Devils are the lowest seed remaining with most of the field being chalk. 

In  the dance? Duke, Colorado, Oregon St, Baylor,Stanford, Texas, LSU, South Carolina, Notre Dame, NCST, UConn, Indiana, Iowa, USC, Gonzaga and UCLA.

So it still appears as South Carolina will be the team to beat after winning both of their games by a combined 99 points. Other high seeds, such as 2-seeds Stanford and Notre Dame and 1-seed Texas had their hands full in the second round. 

CARDINAL COUPLE PICK EM

The leaderboard after 48 games is: 

44-4   KStarkSr

43-5   Blue Lou, Jason

42-6   Nick O, Perry, Katy, Thomas

41-7  Jared

40-8  Paulie, Kenny S, JMCA

39-9  Karen

**If you don't see your name, you aren't a leader, hoss...sorry bout your luck.**..You can reques an update of your total from Jared, here in our comments. 

Who are you picking to win it all? Out of our top 20 participants, it's South Carolina  picked in 10 of the 20 brackets surveyed on top.. Louisville did get three winner predictions.  

Happy Tuesday and Go Cards!

Jared

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

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

Van Lith Named a Region Finalist -- Previewing the Sweet Sixteen -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Calling Dr. Jared, Calling  Dr. Jared

I have plenty of time on my hands today (I always write my posts the day before they publish so I'm not up at 5:00 am typing away) as I get to play babysitter. Katy had some major sinus surgery this morning and is at home recovering. Thankfully, everything went well and her mom drove up from South Carolina to help with the recovery process for a few days.

The extra time on my hands allowed me to take a deeper look into the eight games between sixteen teams that we'll see on Friday and Saturday, four games each day.

Hailey Van Lith Named a Region Finalist

For the second straight year, Hailey Van Lith has been named a region finalist for the WBCA NCAA Division I Coaches' All-American team. The junior is one of 52 named finalists with 10 of them being selected to the All-American team at a later date.

Besides leading Louisville in scoring, Van Lith also ranks 12th in the country in total points scored with 681. Her 88.0% free throw shooting is 20th, nationally. Her 241 made field goals ranks 14th. In 35 games played this season, HVL has scored in double figures 33 times.

Van Lith and 5-seed Louisville square off against 8-seed Ole Miss on Friday at 10:00 p.m. ET on ESPN. The Cards and Rebels will play in Seattle.

Previewing the Sweet Sixteen

*Note* The game scenarios and outcomes listed here are the opinion of Jared Anderon and may not reflect the opinions of the staff and management of Cardinal Couple

From 68 teams down to 16 teams, even surviving this long is quite a feat. Louisville is one of the few to proudly see their name on that list, but what do we know about the other 15?

Greenville 1

1-seed South Carolina vs 4-seed UCLA

The Gamecocks haven't lost since the SEC Championship last season... to Kentucky. South Carolina went on to win the 2022 NCAA Championship that saw them defeating Louisville in the Final Four. They've won by less than double-digits five teams this year: Stanford (Nov. 20), UCLA (Nov. 29), Mississippi State (Jan. 8), UConn (Feb. 5), and Ole Miss (Feb. 19). Aaliyah Boston is the name everyone knows, but Zia Cooke and Camilla Cardoso are also major factors for South Carolina.

UCLA has a much different background, sitting at 27-9 on the year. The Bruins fell to Washington State in the Pac-12 Championship, coincidentally the most recent team to beat them before that. The Pac-12 was one of the best women's basketball conferences this year, contributing to eight of their nine losses with the final loss coming to South Carolina in the fall. The triple threat of Charisma Osborne, Kiki Rice, and Emily Bessoir have helped the Bruins power through the tournament so far.

2-seed Maryland vs 3-seed Notre Dame

The Terrapins fell in the Big 10 semifinals to Iowa, but have a strong 27-6 record. Like UCLA, Maryland also faced South Carolina this season and it didn't end well for them. Nebraska and DePaul both topped them before the New Year, but the Terps haven't lost to a team that wasn't an NCAA Tournament 1-seed or 2-seed since. Maryland loves to play offense and having a WNBA first round prospect Diamond Miller helps tremendously. Abby Meyers and Shyanne Sellers can both go off at any given moment too.

The Irish are a team Louisville fans are all too familiar with. Injuries to Dara Mabrey and Olivia Miles have set Notre Dame back, but Sonia Citron and Maddy Westbeld have stepped up to handle their increased roles with no trouble. Notre Dame boasts a 27-5 record with their most recent loss coming at the hands of Louisville in the ACC semifinals by 26. Maryland beat the Irish in South Bend by two on Dec. 1 so this rematch should be interesting.

Greenville 2

4-seed Villanova vs 9-seed Miami

The Wildcats have the best non-Power Five player in the country in Maddy Siegrist. She's helped lead the Big East runner-up to a 30-6 record. Villanova was swept by UConn this year while the other three losses came at the hands of Baylor, Creighton, and Iowa State. Lucy Olsen and Christina Burke have been able to fly under the radar thanks to the skillset and talents of Siegrist.

Possibly the biggest surprise of the tournament, Miami is still finding ways to survive and advance. The Hurricanes rallied from a huge deficit to defeat Oklahoma State before stunning Indiana in Bloomington on Monday. Miami is 21-12 on the year and finished sixth in the ACC. Louisville handled the Hurricanes well back in February in a stretch where "The U" lost three of five games. Destiny Harden has been the go-to player in a bind, but having Haley Cavinder and Lola Pendade helps spread the floor from the paint to the arc.

2-seed Utah vs 3-seed LSU

The Utes were considered overrated by a few folks, but a 27-4 record on the year and not having lost at home in 13 months are both great marks. All four losses for Utah have come in the past month and a half with two of those coming from Stanford. Utah has one of the highest-scoring offenses in the country and they shoot 35% from three. Alissa Pili scores at a high rate and her shooting percentages are well above average. Gianna Kneepkens and Jenna Johnson both score in double figures and shoot over 50%.

LSU lost twice all year with one loss being a blowout loss to South Carolina and the other one coming in a two-point loss to Tennessee in the SEC semifinals. Kim Mulkey's squad was shocked at home in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last year, but that team didn't have Angel Reese. Reese is a walking double-double and should be one of the top returners in the country next year. Alexis Morris and Flau'jae Johnson have played big supporting roles behind her and have been a major reason when LSU has a strong offense and a top notch defense.

Seattle 3

1-seed Virginia Tech vs 4-seed Tennessee

The Hokies are having a program record-sitting year, much to the thanks of Elizabeth Kitley and Georgia Amoore. The ACC Player of the Year (Kitley) and one of the most dangerous three-point threats in the country (Amoore) have been the dynamic duo for much of the year. Transfer Taylor Soule has started to show the same spark she previously had at Boston College now that the post-season is here. The ACC champs need one more win to break 30 wins on the year and they haven't lost since Duke took them down in late January.

The Lady Vols (yes, they still use "lady" in their name) aren't back to their glory days yet, but a 25-11 record and SEC runner-up finish are both encouraging for the once proud program. Rickea Jackson has been a bright spot for Tennessee and the tournament is only helping the senior improve her draft stock. Jordan Horston has been another key contributor for Tennessee, but the loss of Tamari Key back in late November set the Lady Vols back some.

(Geno,,,around the time the Beatles were becoming recognized...)

2-seed UConn vs 3-seed Ohio State

UConn and the NCAA Tournament have been together in every sentence for two decades, it seems. The Huskies have been to 14 straight Final Fours. Despite dealing with more injuries than any other team in the country including the Paige Bueckers injury. The Huskies still went 31-5 and won the Big East. Aaliyah Edwards, Azzi Fudd, Lou Lopez-Senechal, and Dorka, Juhasz have all been crucial to the success of this year's UConn team.

The Buckeyes have had some similar experiences as UConn when it comes to injuries this season. Fortunately, for Ohio State, their injury woes seem to be behind them. Ohio State has gone 27-7 up to this point that includes a Big 10 Championship loss to Iowa. Five of their losses came in a seven-game stretch in January and February as the injury bug was hitting. Six players average in the double figures highlighted by three-point threat Taylor Mikesell. The return of Jacy Sheldon, who hit the game winner against North Carolina last round.

Of note: Dorka Juhasz started her career at Ohio State before transferring to UConn.

Seattle 4

2-seed Iowa vs 6-seed Colorado

Caitlin Clark and Company is the more accurate phrase for Iowa. The Hawkeyes run everything through the junior. After a second round exit last year, the Hawkeyes look to continue their run this year that began with a Big 10 title. The Hawkeyes are 28-6 and lost just once in their last 10 games. Iowa has broken 100 five different times. Monika Czinano and McKenna Warnock also average double figures.

Colorado is 25-8 on the year and handled their own in the Pac-12 before falling victim to Washington State in the conference semifinals. The Buffaloes are a defensive minded team that has relied on Quay Miller and Aaronette Vonleh to clog the paint. The duo post players are part of four players averaging 10+ points per game for Colorado and have been a key part on the defensive end that has forced 552 turnovers this year.

5-seed Louisville vs 8-seed Ole Miss

The Rebels were the first team to take out a 1-seed in the women's tournament this year and one of two teams to knock a 1-seed out so far. However, the Ole Miss win didn't seem as surprising... seeing as they've taken teams such as South Carolina, LSU, and Utah to the wire this year. Ole Miss is 25-8 after a huge turnaround under Coach Yo (Yolett McPhee-McCuin), who is in her fifth season at the helm. Angel Baker, Madison Scott, and Marquesha Davis have been the driving force to this revamped Ole Miss squad.

Of course, we all know about Louisville. The Cards broke 25 wins again as they sit at 25-11 on the year and finished runner-up in the ACC Tournament. Louisville has taken down some top tier teams such as Notre Dame, Texas, and North Carolina. They also took down another Sweet Sixteen team in Miami back in February. What many argue as a "down year" for the Cardinals has still resulted in a sixth straight Sweet Sixteen, if not better. While Hailey Van Lith has stolen the spotlight on offense, any Louisville fan knows Mykasa Robinson deserves an equal amount of praise due to the fifth-year senior's defensive skills.

While we don't do any bracket redo's, there are some interesting match-ups going forward. With the absence of two 1-seeds, a 3-seed, and a 4-seed, the opportunity has opened for several other teams.

Greenville 1

I still think South Carolina is the team to beat in this tournament. The first two rounds haven't caused my confidence to waver. With the absence of of Miles and Mabrey, I think the luck of the Irish runs out against an offensive juggernaut in Maryland. While the Terps and UCLA have both battled South Carolina well, I think the Gamecocks still get to the Final Four with ease.

Greenville 2

No Indiana opens the door for a few other teams. In my opinion, LSU comes out of this region. The whole weak non-conference schedule debate has been shot down as of like as the Tigers have been on cruise control so far. Utah has the offense to make it an interesting game, but Kim Mulkey isn't a Hall of Famer for no reason. Now, does Miami continue their Cinderella run or does Villanova prove to the world that you don't have to be a Power Five team to go far? Had Maddy Siegrist been on a top-10 team in the ACC, SEC, or Pac-12 then she'd be the favorite for Player of the Year. I think the Wildcats get past Miami but fall to the other felines of the bunch in LSU.

Seattle 3

There has been split decisions on if UConn will continue their Final Four streak or if Virginia Tech will snap that streak. Don't look that far yet. Tennessee's offense has gone off this tournament, averaging 94.5 points per game. The Lady Vols will be able to match watch Georgia Amoore can do on the outside, but I think the Hokies come out on top due to what Elizabeth Kitley does in the post. A healthy Ohio State team can go far, but I don't think they'll be able to handle UConn. The Huskies in the post-season are a different breed. VT vs UConn has the makings of being a game for the ages, but I think Kenny Brooks' squad comes out on top by a slim margin. The winner of this region will end up in the championship game.

Seattle 4

With Stanford out of the picture, Iowa wants to make a case on why they deserved the 1-seed. While Colorado was able to crush MTSU and upset Duke in the second round, I don't think they will have an answer to Caitlin Clark. Louisville vs Ole Miss is a match-up of teams that had to take down host teams on their respective home courts to get this far. This will be a defensive battle that I think Louisville comes out on top on. I don't expect Louisville to drop 70 or 80 points per game, but I think breaking 60 points will be enough. As impressive as Louisville has looked the last few weeks, I think their season runs out in the Elite Eight against Iowa, and then then Hawkeyes fall to eventual champion South Carolina. There is no shame in an Elite Eight appearance.

While these are all just my guesses and predictions, there is no guarantee any of this will happen. Don't forget, I had Stanford in my Elite Eight and Indiana falling in the final. We'd would love to hear your thoughts on how the rest of the tournament plays out.

The Cardinal Couple NCAA Tournament Pick 'Em contestants see it this way:  South Carolina (11 picks), Louisville (4 picks), Connecticut (3 picks), Indiana, Iowa and Virginia Tech (2 picks) and Notre Dame, Maryland, and Ohio state (1 pick). 

Happy Thursday and Go Cards!

Jared

SWEET SIXTEEN -- Softball Visits EKU -- NCAA Sweet Sixteen Set -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Louisville Crushes Texas, Advances to the Sweet Sixteen

For the sixth straight NCAA Tournament, Louisville women's basketball is headed to the Sweet Sixteen! The Cards took down host Texas 73-51.

While there was plenty to celebrate, it was the postgame handshake that sparked controversy. It wasn't a case of Jeff Walz not talking to Muffet McGraw. In fact, this altercation didn't involve him at all. Hailey Van Lith was stopped by Texas' Sonya Morris and tv cameras caught part of it. Many tried to lip-read what Morris said and the consensus seemed to be that she said something along the lines of "honorable mention", referring to Van Lith being an honorable mention All-American (if that is what was actually said).

Either way, it appeared that a handful of Louisville players picked up it and were not a fan of the comment. We do not have confirmation on what was actually said. Hailey's post-game comments about the delay in the handshake line were pretty general and did not specifically address Morris being an asshole. 

Here's the ball game recap:

1Q: Louisville 16, Texas 16

The Cards raced out of the gate on a 7-0 with three different players logging a basket. It took Texas three and a half minutes before they logged a basket and got onto the scoreboard. The Longhorns did cut Louisville's lead to three before the media timeout. The Cards pushed the lead back to five before Texas used a 7-2 run to close out the quarter. Despite a rough 1-5 from three-point range, the Cards were tied with the host Longhorns

2Q: Louisville 37, Texas 23

Defense was the name of the game in the second quarter for the Cards, as they limited Texas to seven points. Louisville jumped out to a 9-0 run, including back-to-back baskets by Josie Williams, and forced Texas to burn a timeout. The Longhorns did cut Louisville's lead down to five before the Cards pushed it open to a double-digit lead that ended with a pair of free throws from CC Carr to go into the half.

3Q: Louisville 56, Texas 35

While Louisville was able to extend the lead to 16, Texas then began chipping away and got it back to single-digits midway through the quarter. Then, the Louisville defense stepped in. The Cards held Texas to four points over the final 5:29 of the quarter while going on 16-4 run to close out the period.

(Should I go start the bus?)

4Q: Louisville 73, Texas 51

Understanding that they were one quarter away from a trip to the Sweet Sixteen, the Cards had all the motivation they needed and opened up the final quarter with six quick points for a 27-point lead, the biggest lead of the game. The absence of having a killer instinct and being able to put opponents away had been something Louisville struggled with this season. Well, not this time. Louisville never let Texas get closer than within 22 points the rest of the way.

Louisville struggled to shoot the deep range shot, going 3-13 from three, but excelled in many other areas. Texas is a team known for its size but the Longhorns were limited to just four blocks. The Cards also won the rebounding battle 42-34. Louisville dominated down low with a 38-20 points in the paint advantage.

UofL limited their turnovers to just 10 and excelled in transition with 13 fast break points. The bench provided 25 points. The Cards shot 47% from the field and 66.7% from the free throw line.

Hailey Van Lith had another high-scoring effort with a game-high 21 points. She continues to climb the Louisville record books in terms of scoring in the NCAA Tournament. She was also credited with drawing six fouls.

Morgan Jones was the only other Cardinal in double figures, scoring 10 points, mostly close to the rim. She was a perfect 5-5 from the field. 

While Liz Dixon struggled to score, she dominated the boards, logging 10 rebounds with three of them being on the offensive glass.

Nyla Harris recorded six rebounds with a whopping four of them being offensive rebounds.

Texas struggled from the floor. The Longhorns went 1-10 from three and shot 34.5% overall. Texas turned the ball over 13 times and was limited to five assists.

FRED Report

The "crime dog" would approve of the Cards toughness.

Free Throws- A 10-15 outing is a bit on the lower end for what we want to see. CC Carr was the only Cardinal to attempt more than one free throw AND be perfect on it. The Jeff Walz philosophy includes rebounding a missed free throw for a made basket as a plus. We did see that happen one time. But a 66.7% free throw shooting percentage can barely qualify for a lower "f".

Rebounding- The Cards outrebounded Texas by eight. They turned 15 offensive rebounds into 17 second chance points. Unlike the Drake game, Texas is bigger and plays more heavily in down low. Those numbers in this situation certainly earn a capital "R".

Effort/Efficiency- There's no doubt the effort was there for Louisville. The hustle and energy have been present nonstop since the postseason began. Despite the struggles from three-point range, Louisville shot well overall from the field and had a 1-1 assist to turnover ratio. They maximized scoring opportunities including making layups. Capital "E".

Defense- Fans questioned the defense from Saturday. There's nothing to question here after the win against Texas. The Longhorns never scored above 16 points in a quarter including a single-digit second quarter. Texas had difficulty getting good looks, which was a big part of their poor shooting. Also, giving up just 51 points to a team that was averaging 73 points per game is remarkable. Capital "D".

f-R-E-D is the verdict following the win.

5-seed Louisville now gears up for a game against 8-seed Ole Miss on Friday March 24, time TBD. The Rebels upset 1-seed Stanford last round and recently took South Carolina to overtime in the regular season before falling. Ole Miss is not a walk in the park by any means, but when it comes to March, Jeff Walz has his team ready to go and the Cards won't go down without a fight.

For us, we get to continue celebrating the joy and excitement of Louisville women's basketball a little bit longer this season.

POST GAME PRESSER WITH COACH WALZ, KASA , OLIVIA AND HAILEY BELOW: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5Pt4YFfkRY

Softball Visits EKU

Fresh off a series sweep against Pitt, Louisville softball hits the road for a midweek game against Eastern Kentucky. First pitch is set for 6:00 p.m. ET, and will be aired on ESPN+. Louisville is 18-9 on the year and is currently on a three-game win streak.

The Colonels bring a 15-11 record into the game following being on the wrong end of a series sweep to Liberty over the weekend. Prior to that, EKU swept Valparaiso in Richmond.

Three Colonels are batting over .500: Vianna Barron (.371), Maggie Pertee (.368), and Jasmine Miller (.303). EKU has outscored opponents 142-119 on the year.

In the circle, EKU boasts a 3.89 ERA. Lauren Narvaez leads the pitching staff with 37 strikeouts while Brooke Davis has the best ERA at 2.57.

NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen is Set

The final games of the second round of the NCAA Tournament concluded yesterday and the Sweet Sixteen is set. All games will be played March 24-25.

Last night's scores:

5-seed Louisville 73, 4-seed Texas 51

3-seed Ohio State 71, 6-seed North Carolina 69

4-seed Tennessee 94, 12-seed Toledo 47

4-seed Villanova 76, 12-seed FGCU 57

9-seed Miami, 70, 1-seed Indiana 68

2-ssed UConn 77, 7-seed Baylor 58

6-seed Colorado 61, 3-seed Duke 53

4-seed UCLA 82 vs 5-seed Oklahoma 73

I didn't get a chance to stay awake to see the back half of UCLA vs Oklahoma (early alarm for work), but the Miami win over Indiana did some major damage to brackets, including a couple brackets that had the Hoosiers winning it all. Most brackets had the Cards getting the win over Texas. Before I went to bed, we saw three upsets in terms of seedings last night including the second 1-seed of the tournament go down.

So, it's down to South Carolina, UCLA, Notre Dame, Maryland, Ole Miss, Louisville, Colorado, Iowa, Miami. Villanova, LSU, Utah, Virginia Tech, Tennessee, Ohio State, and UConn. 1/4th of the field ACC.  1/4th of the field SEC. 

Our condolences to all of our Hoosier fan readers...locally and across the Ohio River from us. I think a lot of us were wanted to see Grace Berger and her squad go a little further.  It's a mad, mad, mad, mad tournament...though.  (I know a guy selling IU Sweet Sixteen t-shirts VERY cheap...)

CARDINAL COUPLE NCAA WBB BRACKET PICK 'EM  UPDATE

HERE are the top 25 in the Cardinal Couple NCAA WBB Bracket Pick 'Em Contest. If you don't see your entry....well, better luck next contest !

38-10   Katy, Jason, Jared, JMCA

37-11   Sonja, Kenny S., K.Stark, Vivian

36-12   Arthur, Paulie, Wahoo Card, Joe Hill, Faris, Thomas, Daaryl

35-13   David Watson, Case, Vivian

34-14   Blue Lou

33-15   Curtis, Mike D., Becky, Cindy

32-16   Nick O. 

31-11   Bea

Happy Tuesday and Go Cards!

Jared