Tuesday Cardinal Couple -- Running, Running, Running!

TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

(Staff columnist Sandy Walker brings us her weekly jaunt through Cardinal womens' athletics and more! Adjust your seatbelt, put your tray in the upright position and prepare for take off!)

This week Sandy will spend her time exchanging dirty laundry for clean clothes during brief stops home between attending matches and games.

Fans will need to put their running shoes on as

Wednesday

is basketball with Eastern KY,

Thursday and Friday are the opening rounds of the NCAA Volleyball Championship

and Sunday is the UK basketball game.

BASKETBALL – TENNESSEE MARTIN GAME

The now 7-0 Louisville women again did not trail during the course of their game and for 25 minutes looked to be unbeatable by anyone but then they also again managed to spend some time with a lost focus, while becoming sloppy and allowing too many unforced turnovers which opened the door for Tennessee Martin to reduce a Louisville 26 point lead to 11 with only 4:56 left.  They managed to keep it together for a 79-61 win but went for a period of time where the broadcaster said they appeared at times to be brain dead.                                          

In his post game interview Coach Walz said that they just were not mentally tough and it seemed Coach Walz was extremely upset at everyone including UofL play-by-play announcer Matt Andrews but did praise the team for a good job of guarding. 

(Editor's Note): The thing about Coach is that he can parody and feign anger, indifference and rage with the skill of a Shakesperian actor. It made for the best 10 minutes of radio of the evening...including Walz staying on to read the post-game UofL stats over the air and delivering a flawless recap of them...including a brief synopsis of each player's acheivements. The bottom line is that Coach was probably as upset over the Cards losing a 26 point lead with 15:16 to go as we were at home...listening to the game. And, he has a lot more vested in the outcome than we the fans do.

               

Fortunately the women were able to come away with the win with Bria Smith (16), Sara Hammond (14), Megan Deines (15) , Shoni Schimmel (16) and Monique Reid (10) all shooting double figures.  Deines appears to improve with each outing.  Her 3 pointer will soon not only match but exceed Becky’s Big Shot threat.  Tonight was a break out game of sorts for Bria Smith who added a game high 7 rebounds to her status.  It appears that over the summer Bria has added an outside shot to her lay-up arsenal and it is paying off.  Also note that this was Sara’s 4^th game of the season with double shooting figures while last year she only had 4 games which showed double figures.   Shows what an intensive and dedicated summer can do.  In addition, Louisville out rebounded UTM 40-22.

Looking forward to a solid 40 minutes of play this Wednesday against Eastern Kentucky as a primer for UK on Sunday.

Again I want to give a shout-out to the OVC network which allowed Louisville fans to watch the game while listening to Matt and A.J.’s radio broadcast.

Louisville outrebounded the SkyHawks 40-22 and shot a sizzling 55.4% for the game (31-56). They also sank 6-20 from 3-point range. Shoni had four of them and Megan Deines two. 19 turnovers for the Lady Cards, compared to 17 for UTM. Hats off for the free throw shooting! 11-13, which is the best outing of the year at the charity stripe.

We mentioned Monday that Newsome and Butler would be ones to watch and they were, indeed. They made 14 of the 25 baskets UTM scored and had 33 of the 61 points.

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VOLLEYBALL

The Louisville YUM! CENTER and our 10^th ranked Volleycards have been awarded the first and second rounds of the 64 team Division I national championship tournament.   

This is the 15^th consecutive year for the Volleycards to gain an NCAA bid and is a testament to the strength of the program.  Louisville’s match on Thursday is with OVC winner Belmont.  Wins on both nights will send them to Berkley for regionals before a return to the championships.  The marketing department has been promoting that the road to the championship begins and ends in Louisville.

Tickets for both the first and second opening rounds and the Championship can be obtained by contacting the Louisville Ticket Office during normal business hours (Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.) by phone (502-852-5863) or e-mail (ticketoffice@louisville.edu).  Opening rounds are scheduled for this Thursday and Friday and both nights can be seen for a total of $20 by adults and $10  for students and children.   The Championships are set for December 13th and 15^th   with ticket prices subject to age and arena location.

VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT BRACKETS

 

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BASKETBALL SCHEDULE CHANGES

Wednesday’s game against Eastern KY has been changed to 7:30 from 7:00.

Sunday’s game against UK has been changed to 6:00.

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“NELL ON WHEELS” WITH NELL FORTNER COMING TO LOUISVILLE

Nell Fortner will be in Louisville for the UK game with her road show.  Information about the new show can be found at  http://www.fullcourt.com/ncaa/22157/nell-fortner-takes-road-game-day-show but more importantly everyone on Sunday needs to be at the YUM! CENTER a full one hour early before the start of the UK game.  Nell’s RV road show will move indoors to the lobby where her show will be taped for later distribution.  UK fans are arriving by bus and plan to arrive in time for her show which will feature open discussion with fans of both teams and perhaps featured guests which she will later select.  Those present should feel free to be a part of the video – otherwise the UK folks will appear to out-number us at our own arena.   Remember: SUNDAY -- BE AT THE ARENA LOBBY ONE HOUR BEFORE TIP OFF AND JOIN IN THE PRODUCTION.

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LOUISVILLE CARDS MOBILE APP

Today I learned that the Louisville Cards Mobile App also has available a live game day audio and video premium option.  My excitement is that I now have the ability to listen to the live game broadcast while at the game.  Readers who know of other options to do the same please share it with our readers through the comment section.

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WOMEN’S GAMES ON TV THIS WEEK

There are a large number of games being publically broadcast this week.

Note: The schedule above lists the Louisville/KEntucky game at 2 p.m. Just a reminder...it is at 6 p.m.

 

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BASKETBALL WOMEN WINS HARDWOOD TOURNMENT

The women beat Oregon on Thursday to win the Hardwood Tournament which was played at Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.  High scorers were Shoni Schimmel with 15 and Sara Hammond with 17.  The team ended the tournament at 6-0 for the season.

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TOP 100 PROGRAMS

SBN has the full list of Top 100 programs in women's NCAA Division I basketball.  It can be found at http://www.swishappeal.com/2012/11/3/3596590/top-100-programs-womens-ncaa-division-i-basketball-full-list with Louisville coming in at # 10.

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ATTENDANCE

 SBN also has compiled a great article which came from the study of NCAA Division I attendance figures for men’s and women’s basketball.   One of the revelations for me is that due to our above average attendance at Louisville for both the men and women’s teams that we are unaware of most of the rest of the team situations. The average men's college basketball attendance for home games in NCAA Division I is 4,994. The average women's basketball attendance for home games is 1,583.   Not 14,000 vs  1500 but 4,994 vs 1,583.  This averages to 3 fans attending men’s team games per 1 fan attending a women’s game.  My second revelation is that there are actually schools where the women’s teams outdraw those attending the men’s game.   Baylor and Notre Dame are among those schools with higher attendance at the women’s basketball games than those who attend the men’s game.   Surprised/shocked -- yea  -- me too!  My remaining question is how much longer is it going to be before Louisville is added to this list as their team play is organized and exciting to watch?

Just for the record

                                     MEN              WOMEN                   RATIO

           

Louisville	21,503	10,670	2.02
Kentucky	23,721	6,282	3.78

The complete article can be found at http://www.swishappeal.com/2012/11/21/3659730/ncaa-womens-basketball-attendance-mens .

Sandy W.
 

Tuesday Cardinal Couple -- Sandy catches up with Cardinal womens' sports

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TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

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#6 ranked Louisville women's basketball wins easily tonight in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico over Central Florida 94-73. Five Cards in double figures and Walz played the bench most of the final ten minutes of the second half after leading 55-33 at half. Louisville gets winner of Missouri State v. Gonzaga tomorrow night at 9:30 p.m.

BE SURE....to check back for CARDINAL COUPLE columnist Jenny O'Bryan's report on the game in the Wednesday edition of CARDINAL COUPLE!!!

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(Sandy Walker returns this week with her Tuesday recaps on Louisville Swimming and Diving, Volleyball, Basketball, Lacrosse and Soccer. Like Bria Smith picking up an opposing guard at the half court line...Sandy's got you covered!)

Re: You can listen through Cards TV (appears to be premium) for all three games (game tracker also available for the Tuesday USF game) which begin this evening at 7:00 against UCF.  Cards TV is now showing a 6:30 start time for tonight's USF game.

SWIMMING & DIVING

This week the women’s swim team moved up into the 16^th spot from 21.  Details and an explanation of how individual scores are compiled to translate into team scores can be found at:

 http://buzztap.com/link.jspid=17739350&cid=304&source=feed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed. 

Last week’s win over BIG EAST rival Notre Dame was fueled by their strength in the distance freestyle events.  Coach Arthur Albiero reported this as a great road win by a tough and intense team.

Last weekend they continued their success at the Purdue Invite where the women took 2^nd place.  They next travel to Austin, TX for a November 29 to December 2 meet known as the USA Short Course Nationals.

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 BASKETBALL

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RECRUITS

Last week was National Signing Day where Louisville received 3 National Letters of Intent signatures from Star Breedlove, Emmonnie Henderson and Janelle Cannon.  The 2013 class is ranked as high as 16th. nationally.  Recruit fact: Starr Breedlove is a member of the 1000 point club.  This was accomplished while moving through 3 schools in two states.

ACHIEVEMENT

Shoni Schimmel became U of L's 23rd 1,000-point scorer during the Austin Peay game. to Schimmel came into the game with 996 points and sank to free throws in the first half to join the list. Both she and senior Monique Reid have keys to this prestigious club. 

HARDWOOD TOURNAMENT

·         They women take their 3-0 record into the Hardwood Tournament of Hope in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.  The team took a bus to Indianapolis Sunday for a flight to Phoenix and Mexico later in the day.  It was reported that yesterday an intense beach volleyball match took place as a part of the combination team building holiday and work trip continues.  You can see a picture posted by Mary Beth Whitaker of the team at practice yesterday.  Go to:

 http://twitter.com/mbwgocards/status/270635481648214017/photo/1.

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·         Beginning today the ladies will play game 1 in a tough grind of  3 games scheduled in the next 3 days.   You can listen through Cards TV (appears to be premium) for all three games (game tracker also available for the Tuesday USF game) which begin this evening at 7:00 against UCF.  All broadcasts will also be on 790 WKRD AM in Louisville.  Editors' Note: WE recommend that you just drive over to Tom Jurich's house and listen to the broadcasts with him. (Bring snacks..)

      If the Cards win, the second match on Wednesday begins at  9:30 pm against the winner of the interesting battle between
      Gonzaga / Missouri State game with the 3^rd game being played against the other 2-0 team from the contests. The official website for the event has the championship game starting at 9:30 EST when  Louisville advances to the title game. Louisville’s official site indicates a TBA start time.   Paul will provide the details later as they are available.

·         REGULAR SEASON

·         The women are on the road again next Monday at UT Martin with a 8:00 tip off.   Again audio is available on Cards TV and WKRD AM 790 radio.  The next home game is on Wednesday against Eastern Kentucky where they will begin a 3 game home stand which includes UK.

UK GAME

December 2 once again brings UK to the KFC YUM! CENTER and also a tip-off time change to 6:00 pm instead of the original 2:00 due to the decision of ESPNU to broadcast the game.  Get your ticket early and bring friends as the match against the 6^th ranked feral Wildcats will show the state and nation the huge level of support enjoyed by our Card Nation women.  For tickets, contact the U of L ticket office at (502) 852-5151 or go online at GoCards.com.

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ONLINE TICKET OPTIONS

Those of us who have wanted the option to online manage, purchase, exchange or donate our athletic tickets up until 2 hours before a game now have it.  Go to:

https://oss.ticketmaster.com/html/home.htmI?team=uofl

and register your personal account where you can forward purchased tickets to a friend or client until two hours before the start of the game.  We all know of great seats which go empty because the ticket holder cannot attend but to date has had no easy way of allowing the ticket to be used.

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VOLLEYBALL

NCAA TOURNAMENT MATCHES

The U of L VolleyCards are the 2012  Big East Conference and Tournament Champions.   Nothing is for yet for sure but we at Cardinal Couple are projecting that Louisville will be awarded the 1^st and 2^nd rounds of the NCAA tournament to go with the December 13 & 15 Semi-Final and Final NCAA Championship matches.  Great seats are still available at the ticket office for the final 4 rounds. Open dates at the YUM! Center are November 29 and 30^th which would lead us to believe that opening NCAA championship rounds could be scheduled for those dates.  We will know no later than this Sunday, the 25^th, where there will be a live ESPNU broadcast of the tournament selection.  We would assume that tickets will be available next Monday the 26^th.   Check Cardinal Couple or the ticket office for updates. 

 

FINAL REGULAR SEASON MATCH

On Friday the 28-3 Volleycards will play the OVC Champion Belmont at Cardinal Arena.  As you know seating and standing room is limited so get your tickets early.  If you get shut out for a ticket, live video of the 5:00 pm match is reported to be available on Cards TV.

AWARDS

Senior Lola Arslanbekova became the first volleyball player to be named Big East Player of the Year in consecutive seasons since 1996-97 and she is the first four-time All-Big East first-team since the 2006-2009 seasons.  Lola also is the only active NCAA Division I player with 2,000 kills and 1,000 digs. 

Senior Gwen Rucker was named as Big East Tournament MVP and made the first team all tournament team while Brooke Mattingly and Caitlin Welch made the second team. U of L’s Coach Anne Kordes shared Coach of the Year honors.

Additional BIG EAST Tournament information is available at :

http://www.gocards.com/sports/w-volley/recaps/111812aaa.html

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RANKING

Monday’s NCAA Poll finds the U of L Volleycards ranked as 9th
in the nation with a RPI rank of 4th.  Go CARDS!

LACROSSE & SOCCER

The Lacrosse & Soccer team members joined together to support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, TN.  by volunteering at the St. Jude’s children’s walk Saturday at the Louisville Zoo.  Pictures of them in the kids zone can be seen at:

 http://twitter.com/LouisvilleLCARE/status/269818918854606848/photo/1 .

(EDITORS' NOTE: Sonja and I are BIG believers of the life-changing work done at the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Thanks to the sponsorships of individuals, companies and corporations...no child at St. Jude is ever turned away because of a family's inability to pay. When St. Jude was founded in 1962, survival rates for children with catastrophic cancers and diseases was 20%. It's now 80%. St. Jude's motto is: Finding Cures. Saving Children. Two very important things....).

Who will speak for the innocent children who cannot speak for themselves? You can, with a donation or by coordinating a fund-raising event for St. Jude.

You can read more about the St. Jude story at:

www.stjude.org
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Lady Cards defeat UTM 70-57

CARDINAL COUPLE GAME REPORT:

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Thursday with the Couple & cast...

-Lady Cards down Tennessee-Martin 70-57.

-Reports from Sandra, Phil and Jenny on the game.

-Let's go to the movies...

(Special thanks to Sandra, Phil and Jenny for the coverage. Arrived back in

Louisville at 7 p.m. tonight. Trying to get 3G coverage in the Appalachian Mountains....spotty at best. Louisville did win by 13. Good to be home. The fun and excitement of attending bowl games never grows old...but I won't be back to this particular one if the Cards draw the invite again. Paul's new bowl philosophy #1. Bowl games need to be played in warm weather. That is where I'll attend them from now on.)

OK, to the reports...

From Sandra: 12:35 p.m.

Starters Shoni, Asia, Sherrone, Bria and Becky. He (Coach Walz) started the same game of musical chairs with players  One mistake and out. Becky dropped a pass early and we just now saw her return again at 6:58.

Sara (Hammond) might be having a better game. Looks stronger. More confident.

From Sandra: 1:31 p.m.

We will win but no blow out. Jeff keeps messing with combinations that are not his best players. Bewildering.

From Phil: 3:50 p.m.

So, I watched the game this morning (I've signed up for that pay per month service) and have my laptop connected to my TV. I have to say that I think Walz proved my point again. What should have been a blowout was much closer than it should have been until the very end.

Here's what we got out of the game from the effectiveness per minute ratings:

Starting at the post, Warren (1.0) and Vails (.83) were both very effective but they only played a combined 26 minutes.

Dyer (.79) and Hammond (.65) were both very effective but played only 24 minutes combined. Dyer's minutes ( 11) came at the "5" .

You have four "bigs" who play a combined 50 minutes.

Why was this game close? Burke with a negative (-.17) in 29 minutes and Harper with a negative (-.06) in 16 minutes. Those two played only four minutes less than the "bigs" we mentioned above. Go figure. 

I could go on about some bizarre substitution patterns and lineups. The bottom line is that the Cards are doing something here that I'm obviously
missing. Someone please explain it to me.

Jenny's game article below...

The Lady Cards took to the hardwood today after a brief holiday break On the sidelines were both Tia Gibbs and Monique Reid. Tia, who had surgery after exams, was sporting some kind of sling keeping her arm/shoulder immobilized. Mo was obviously favoring her leg, but was standing and walking unassisted. Last report we had on Mo from the west coast had her on crutches, so it was good to see her able to bear weight.

While the Cards came out of the game with the win, it was a rusty effort at best. Sherrone Vails easily won the opening tip off, getting it to Bria who drove to the hoop and drew a foul. She cashed in on 1 of 2...UT-Martin held Louisville without a basket until the 16:51 mark when Cierra Warren finally connected. Bria Smith picked up two early fouls, but Walz let her play through it for a few minutes. Once she left, she stayed out the rest of the half. The Cards did eventually go out two first half runs of 10-0 and 8-2. UT-Martin stayed close though - by hitting five three-point attempts. The Cards did force 17 Skyhawk turnovers in the first twenty and had a 35-30 lead.

The second half started with two quick fouls on Smith. She left at the 19:04 mark and and returned later in the game before fouling out with 3:01 left in the game. The Cards could never pull away from UTM in the second half. Shoni sealed the win by leading Louisville in a late run for the 13 point victory. 

UTM played their starting five 180 of the 200 minutes available. Those five had all the Skyhawk points. Heather Butler had 13 and Perica Glenn and Jaclissa Haislip added 12 each and had double-doubles with 10 boards each. 

The Cards got 16 from Shoni Schimmel and 14 out of Cierra Warren. Sara Hammond grabbed a team high 9 rebounds to go with 8 points. A strong game from the freshman, nearly getting a double-double. Louisville was out rebounded 43-41. Second chance points was won by the Skyhawks 15-2. The Cards forced 26 turnovers while committing 19 of their own. Louisville also won the assists stats 15-12 .

WHAT JENNY LIKED ABOUT THE GAME...

-SARA!  I've thought from the beginning she was a baller. She got off to a slow start this season, but today I saw the confidence and strong play that won her Kentucky Miss Basketball last year. She did have a few defensive breakdowns, which netted the usual sideline reprimands from Walz, but overall it was a good game for her and hopefully a sign of good things to come.

-SHAWNTA Dyer also had a nice stat line today. Seven points in 14 minutes. 3 grabs, 3 steals, an assist and block.

-STEALS. 15 today. Active hands. I liked it. Keep it up.

JENNY'S THINGS TO WORK ON:

-Slow starts. Another one today. In the BIG EAST, these will put the Cards in a big hole early.

-Rebound, rebound, rebound. Two of our four "bigs" had only 3 rebounds each. an embarrassing 13 offensive rebounds and two second chance points. I know you can do better.

The girls will hit the film room Thursday to review and discuss. One game at a time is the current Walz credo. Without Tia and Mo, it's a wise one. Each contest a challenge now that the non-conference schedule is complete.

Louisville begins BIG EAST play Tuesday, Jan 3rd. in the friendly confines of the KFC YUM! Center against Marquette. Hope to see you there!
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(A nice report from Jenny and photos, too!)

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(After getting a good night's sleep and reviewing everything we could find about the game yesterday, Paul and Sonja have come up with five things that Coach Walz may want to hit the pause and rewind button on when the team reviews the film.)

-The lack of blocking out on the boards. Should have quite a few opportunities
to review the lack of this from what we've heard and read.

-Freshman fouls. This segment could star Bria Smith, but it's a good teaching tool to show players how to avoid significant "pine time".

-Catch, set, square and shoot. Burke isn't going to shoot this badly each time out. Maybe a review of the three point attempts will teach "how not to."

-"Sho" them how it gets done. Shoni Schimmel put the team on her back and carried them to the win late. Maybe the rest of the team could pick up a pointer or two on "ready for prime time" basketball.

-Five pictures. Walz should pick his five starters for Tuesday this morning, put their pictures on the screen and challenge the rest of the team to play good enough to grab one of these spots. We'd go with Shoni, Sherrone, Sara, Jude and Cierra. Make Burke, Nita and Bria prove they want it. Good, challenging competition. Challenge Asia to pick it up. Have Shelby ready for a few back-up minutes. Make Shawnta your first off the bench and get 25 (minutes) 10 and 10 (rebounds and points) from her each night.

BIG EAST is around the corner. Grab your lunch pail and go to work, Lady Cards.  

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TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-UT Martin comes to Louisville remembering last year

-Report from the road...It's raining in Charlotte

The University of Louisville women's basketball team returns to the
KFC YUM! Center on Wednesday noon...looking to avoid a repeat of
last season. The Skyhawks ran into a Louisville team that was looking
for some redemption after losing two out of three games in the Duel In The Desert holiday tournament in Las Vegas. The 9-5 Cards had no troubles with
Tenn-Martin, winning 92-67. Shoni Schimmel led the way with 24 points and
Monique Reid added 20. Louisville led at the half 50-25 and shot 39-78 (.500)
for the game.

It was the last non-conference game, as it is this year, before the Cards went into mainline conference play. Let's look at the 2011-12 Skyhawks:

Record: 6-5

Wins: Belmont, Air Force, So. Miss, St. Louis, Evansville, S.Ill-Carbondale

Losses: Purdue, Ind. State, Memphis, Vandy, Central Arkansas

Current Streak: 2 wins in a row.

Who to watch:

-Heather Butler, a 5'6" soph. guard who averages 21.1 points per game. She had 29 against the Cards last year, playing all 40 minutes and going 7-14 from three point range.

-Jasmine Newsom, a 5'7" soph. guard that is good for 18.9 points per game. Newsome had 16 points against Louisville last year in 29 minutes.

-Jaclissa Haislip, a 6'0" soph. guard/forward who leads the Skyhawks with 6.0  rebounds a contest. She grabbed six vs. Louisville last year and had six points in 22 minutes.

The Skyhawks play in the Ohio Valley Conference and shoot .389 from the field, allowing opponents
.434. They are 98-289 from three point range (39%).

Louisville looks to carry on with their current four game win streak. At 11-2, the Cards are #13 in the nation. Faced without the prospects of having last year's leaing scorer Monique Reid the rest of the season, Louisville will look for alternative ways to score in the paint. One candidate who may challenge for that role is redshirt freshman Shawnta Dyer. She's had two big games in the Lady Cards last two outings and is playing with more confidence and talents each time out.

The game is the first of two in the KFC YUM! Center on Wednesday, the men face BIG EAST foe Georgtown later that evening.

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(From the road, 10 a.m. Charlotte)

CARDINAL COUPLE has troops on the ground (soaked ground) in Charlotte. Here's what we've seen so far...

It was an eight hour drive from the Highlands to Charlotte. Mostly uneventful, passed lots of Cardinal decked out vehicles on the journey and arrived here around 4 p.m.  The Marriott that we're camped in is nice...full service bar with Phil Leotardo (Sopranos) twin brother as our congenial bartender. Beer prices reasonable ($4.50 for 12 oz. Bud Select) and some sort of mini-eggroll appetizers. The game plan is to get over to the Epicenter downtown and go to the UofL Fan Appreciation party on the rooftop. Light rail is the way to do this, from what the locals tell us...our advance scouting party has tested it and it comes recommended...so after a few pre-party suds, we say good-bye to Phil, and the hotel van takes us to the light rail stop about a mile down the road.

Louisville needs a light rail system. We were going uptown to the downtown and I had a pocket full of $1 coins, generously dispensed from the automatic ticket machine. We got there in about 10 minutes, passenger cars packed with Cardinal fans and a well dressed man carrying a big briefcase and looking especially nervous. Unibomber in Charlotte? Nah...just an uptight businessman.

We're about an hour early for the free food and drinks, so we go to an adjoining bar and meet and greet Cardinal fans. We see plenty we know. Bill and Barb, Dana, Ralph, Brucie and the Sportsman Supper Club boys...including the legendary Tasso Harris. The rooftop is packed with Cardinals. It's good to see Valerie Owens Combs. She always smiles and laughs when I tell her she's the fifth best Lady Card in history. She never asks about the four in front of her. 

Denny Crum is here, posing for pictures and signing hats and such. He seems genuinely happy and pleased to be here. I mention we're Facebook friends and he nods and smiles. I think I could have told him that I was Johnny Van Zant and I wanted him to join Lynyrd Skynyrd and he would have smiled and nodded.

Wonder what a signed UofL Belk Bowl hat with Denny's autograph would go for on E-bay? 

The party was a big affair. Hot Sauce is supplying the music, switching from rock to country and hip-hop effortlessly. We Cardinal fans are a dancing bunch. The lead singer refers to the crowd once as the "Kentucky Cardinal fans". We forgive him. It was well intended, if a bit misguided. Things are still going full speed when we decide to head back to the light rail around 10:30 or so. We call ahead and the Marriott van is waiting to haul us back to the hotel. We stumble off the light rail, pile into the van and amuse the driver with our tales of the evening as he barrels down the street to get us back to the lodging. 

Tillie the tour guide has long since disappeared and her twin Flo has surfaced. She's still doing "the Elaine dance" from Seinfeld and I'm trying to convince a
group of dis-interested Charlotte citizens that we will beat N.C. State on Tuesday. A group of teenage girls are giggling in the corner of the rail car. We must be the comic relief.

A final nightcap with Phil, we nod to Tony, Syl, Chris and Paulie in the corner, and it's off to bed. A sound night's sleep. Awaken to the pitter-patter of rain.
Meander down to the lobby for coffee, Internet access and more coffee. Still raining. Breakfast is a fun affair. Tilly needs aspirin, our waitress is from Peru and named Nelly. Lil Wayne, 50cent and Dr. Dre are no-shows. Still raining.
A lively discussion develops concerning the origin of grits and we're informed by a couple at the table next to us that Susan Sweeney Crum was there lat night (I didn't see her) and works for Public Radio now. Still raining. Several of us leave breakfast and return to our rooms. Kickoff is 10 hours away...high wind advisory for this afternoon and rain is supposed to be gone by 3 p.m.

Go Cards!

Paul
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