Thursday, February 19, 2015

Cards "weather" VA Tech 69-49 -- Friday Cardinal Couple



10-0 second half run boosts Cards over VT



Despite a slow start in Blacksburg, Louisville used a 9-0 first half run and 10-0 second half run to pull away from a determined Virginia Tech squad Thursday night in Cassell Coliseum. 

On Senior Night...in sub-zero weather...the Hokies heated up the gym early and led Louisville 7-3 four minutes into the contest. Louisville had four turnovers and a lone score on a Mariya Moore three.

Jeff Walz went to the bench and inserted Arica Carter, Shawnta' Dyer and Emmonnie Henderson to jump start the sluggish visitors and the Cards responded with a 9-0 run over the next three minutes to lead 12-7 after Henderson scored inside, Moore knocked down another three and Bria Smith added a jumper. 

The Hokies weren't ready to concede the first half just yet and cut the margin to 14-12 with 11:20 remaining. The Cards responded after the media timeout, though...steadily growing the lead back and going up 23-15 after a Carter free throw at the 5:25 mark. 

The defense was solid for Louisville...finally figuring out the VT zone...but the offense wasn't playing up to par. 

Two shot clock beaters...one off a Mariya Moore three with 1:13 to go in the half and a Smith jumper with 16 seconds to play boosted the Cards lead to 34-23 at the halftime break.


Louisville shot 50% for the first twenty and had forced 12 Va. Tech turnovers while committing eight first half miscues. Moore had nine points to lead UofL on three threes and Walz got strong minutes from Smith and Shawnta' Dyer ( 8 points each) off the bench.

The second half produced another sluggish Cardinal start.

Virginia Tech whittled the Cards lead to 36-31 two minutes in after a Conyers 3 and it was 38-33 with 17:00 to go. 

Shawnta' Dyer went to work for Louisville, scoring five points in a 10-0 run over the next three minutes to give the Cards a 48-33 edge after her jumper at the 13:35 mark.

The Hokies would get no closer the rest of the way.


Louisville led 62-41 after Myisha Hines-Allen canned two free throws with five minutes left. Hammond and Henderson went to work after that...scoring the Cards final seven points for the 69-49 win. 

A good win that saw the Cards play well at times and struggle in a few spots. Louisville placed three in double figures with Dyer's 15 leading the way. Moore ended up with (4) threes and two free throws for 14 points. Smith added 12 in 27 minutes of play. 

Henderson turned in one of her best performances of the season with nine points and strong board play at both ends of the court. Hammond finished with eight, Hines-Allen six, Carter three and Jude two. Walz played them all...Vails started but went scoreless and Freeman saw late action with no points. 

The Cards are the best defensive team in the ACC...in terms of opponent's point production...as they proved again tonight. 10-15 second half free throw shooting solidified the fact that Louisville is the worst free throw shooting team in the conference. Strong inside offensively, not much a threat from beyond the arc. 

Strengths and weaknesses...but a stellar 23-3 overall and 11-2 record in the ACC. 

Smith appears to be getting a little further out of the "self imposed" doghouse she's in...Walz mentioning she's been getting in extra shooting practice and finally understands "how to work hard after four years". We hope it continues...the off-the-bench role has worked two games in a row now.

Henderson keeps getting stronger in offensive recognition and performance but is still a defensive liability. It prevents her getting more minutes...since Walz is hesitant playing her and Hines-Allen together because of lack of defense when the two are on the court at the same time. 

A 20-point win on the road on the opponent's senior night isn't anything to gripe about too much. Solid off-the-bench bench performances from Smith, "E" and Dyer is very encouraging. 

We'll see if it can be maintained in the Cards next outing...a 'Big Monday' test at Notre Dame.

SIDEBARS



-- Did anyone else besides me notice that VT coach Dennis Wolff looks like "Mike" from the TV shows 'Breaking Bad' and 'Better Call Saul'?

I was wondering I'd see Walt and Jessie in the stands eating Los Pollos Hermanos chicken...

-- What's up with that annoying bell that kept going off during the ESPN 3 broadcast? Was it someone's phone? Or was someone ringing a cowbell next to the announcers?

-- Walz's postgame with ESPN3 color analyst Mack McCarthy got scrapped after 15 seconds because of no audio. If you're going to interview, make sure the microphone is on...


-- Louisville is assured one of the "double bye" or top four spots in the upcoming ACC Tournament with NC State's win over Miami Thursday night. 

-- ESPN3 play-by-play announcer Danny Nokes has a whiney voice...especially when the Cards messed up or the Hokies made a big shot. It got annoying. If the delay hadn't been so bad between TV & radio, I would've bailed on ESPN3 audio. Maybe I'm spoiled by the smooth call of Matt Andrews and A.J. game after game. This "Hokie homer" mirrors the team he covers...


  

paulie
xxx 

42 comments:

  1. Nice summary. Great to see everyone getting minutes and contributing especially Bria and E. Good to get the W. You know Ms. Moore has arrived when they throw a box and one at her.

    Hoping for a big game in South Bend. Need Bria to shut down Jewell Lloyd then if we hit some threes and our free throws we've got a decent chance to get the win.

    And...the Kittens get beat by the Aggies in Lexington! Good Stuff. If they hadn't dodged the bullet in their double overtime win vs. Mississippi State the three straight loss prediction I laid on The Gov the other day would have come true. They've got their hands full now.

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  2. Those jumpers by Smith tonight were such a breath of fresh air. According to Jeff, she has been working on those after every practice because she is required to do it to stay on the team. Those will be open all day vs ND. I think they will try something similar defensivel to Moore like they did to hold Greenwell to just 4 points. They will box and triangle Mariya and will make someone else beat them. ND is good but certainly beatable. They have struggled against some teams this year but will be hard to beat on the home floor.

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  3. Emmonnie Henderson gave the Cards a great effort last night. I don't quite understand why you think she and Hines-Allen are incompatible on the court because of defense though. Walz is playing Vails out there and she couldn't guard a Brink's truck.

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    1. I did not interpret Jeff's Tuesday show comments into saying that E was a defensive liability.
      "It prevents her getting more minutes...since Walz is hesitant playing her and Hines Allen together" because of a lack of defense...

      I understood Jeff to say that he did not play them together because neither talks enough to tell backcourt what is happening like a pick... so he can't have them in together as his 4 & 5 players because at least one of those positions needs to talk to the others.

      Maybe this results in a lack of defense but I did not interpret that as Henderson being a defensive liability / at least that is not what I heard said / maybe someone else can interpret ?

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    2. I get where you were going with playing Vails v defensive skills of others in the determining of playing time but do not forget her contribution to the shutting down of Britney in the Baylor game -- which we could not have done without.

      Also we need to remember that her playing injuries has contributed to the current and long term lack of good mobility of her body. I know that no harm was meant but I certainly do not want this site to start sounding like others that are out there.

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    3. Walz's post-game comments Thursday night were the basis, Sandy.

      Paulie

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    4. not sure how closely you follow defensive patterns on court sandy. vails e and hines-allen are the weak links. dyer and hammond need to be out there with one of them. i also heard walz talking about this thursday night with matt andrews on the post game show. all e does is foul hard. hines allen will be good in time. vails looks lost at both ends of the court.


      nick o

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    5. This site is a breath of fresh, clean crisp air compared to the others out there where gripers and crybabys reign. The basketball IQ here is excellent and there are no real flamers except for Mrs. Gov. who I suspect is tongue-in-cheek most of the time.

      I would assume Coach Walz is aware that he has two good defense paint players and three that need work. Vails does what she can with what she has. Hines Allen will improve defensively with work and experience. Henderson can improve also if she is willing to put in the work.

      Hammond and Dyer are the lock-down paint defenders. If you think any differently, you haven't been paying attention this year when Louiville is on defense. Walton will be one to count on defensively if she comes back healthy. Let's hope DeGrate and Fuehring can D up.

      Paulie nailed it when he said Louisville is the best defensive team in the ACC. That stems from all five on the court not just the 4 and 5

      The Real Joe Hill

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    6. Hey guys. Not for sure the reason for the tenor of the responses to my comment about defensive play of certain bigs but my information was gleaned from the Tuesday night Jeff Walz radio show from Chili's.

      I expressed my interpretation of Jeff's statement that night in response to the question if E and HA would ever be playing at the same time. I remember him saying a lack of talking by each to their team mates was an issue as his response. I did not hear E called a defensive liability but just in case anyone misunderstood - I am aware that this would be a defensive problem - it just was not what I remember to be a part of Jeff's
      response to this particular question on that night.
      What do either of you remember being said by Jeff on Tuesday?

      I also asked for interpretations by others.

      Nick, i don't think we personally know each other or our respective creds but I promise you that my ability to follow defensive patterns is not an issue which caused my comment to be made. I did not speak to defensive talents or the lack there of by E or HA but instead was stating the reason Jeff gave on Tuesday as to why others needed to be out there with either of them. But i hope

      Nick, I agree that it is a tremendous thing that Sara is no longer regularly in foul trouble or we would be done for but I hope you will agree that E is improving. I guess it is possible that you missed her 9 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 1 block while fouling only 1 time against VA must have been during 1 of ESPN3 's frozen transmissions.

      Delete
  4. I know the weather was bad in Blacksburg but did you see the attendance - 1,573. Wonder if that included the band, cheer squad, officials, etc.

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    1. They were averaging 1480...so I guess it was a big crowd for them. They probably count the players, concession stand workers, maintenance staff and event security people.

      Paulie

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  5. You are a bunch of arrogant people here, aren't you? Not everyone is as fortunate as Louisville to have a great facility, excellent coach and All-American players. I was one of those 1500 in attendance last night and I'm proud of this team that lost its best player this year because of injury. These girls haven't given up and wear the Virginia Tech uniform with pride and commitment.

    We were ACC way before you, we have a proud tradition here at Virginia Tech and are friendly and engaging to visiting teams and fans. It would appear that you Cardinals are not.

    Be careful, little Birdies. Your haughty and aloof attitude won't cut it here in the family of ACC schools.

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    1. I don't think most comments here about attendance come from an attitude of arrogance, and if I ever come across that way, I apologize. I do get annoyed at so many fan bases (ours included) where people loudly (and usually drunkenly) proclaim themselves "The Biggest Sports Fan", but never attend any other sporting events than Football and probably Men's Basketball.

      We've very aware that we're far out of the norm on attendance for WBB, and I'm thrilled about it for our team. If you listen to just about any interview with Coach Walz, you'll hear him mention how grateful they as a team are for the support and fans that come out.

      I'll also say, "Thank You" to you for going out and supporting your team, particularly in crummy weather, and to support a team that isn't having the success that I suspect many fans would really like to see. That is commitment and dedication and you are to be commended for it.

      We've got nothing but love for our fellow ACCers here at Cardinal Couple...well, ok, Duke is a bit of a stretch for just about anyone in Kentucky...and we wish you all nothing but the best and sell-outs from now to eternity.

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    2. Dear Anonymous:

      One of the best road trips I've ever had in my life was to Blacksburg back in the 1990's to see a Howard Schnellenberger football team take on Va. Tech. in Lane Stadium. The hospitality of the Hokies fans was off the charts. Sonja and I were welcomed to enjoy a pre-game tailgate (at no cost) that must have had twenty 55-gallon half-barrel grills cooking every kind of meat and poultry imaginable. Unfortunately, that year's UofL football squad was not up to the task that day and VT won handily. We also viewed Cassell Coliseum after the game. All along the way, we were treated very friendly, with respect and courtesy.

      Don't blow that image I have of VT fans, please. Don't come over here to slap us on the wrist under an anonymous "shield".

      I can assure you that Cardinal fans are not not aloof, arrogant or haughty. I think you would find we are as gracious, out-going and friendly as any ACC school in the conference if you visit for football, hoops or any sport we participate in.

      If my column has caused you displeasure, please kindly remember that
      we are a fan-based website and not University paid or employed spokesmen. Louisville WBB has been where VT WBB is currently and long term fans of the program well remember the years of less than 1000 attendees to games and playing in high school gyms.

      We are thankful for was we have. Feel free to contact me directly at cardinalcouple@twc.com, I'll gladly provide my phone # and we can discuss your concerns if you want.

      Moving forward, best of luck in rebuilding your WBB program and boosting your attendance figures. I've seen Cassell Coliseum packed with screaming, enthusiastic fans for MBB (remember Ace Custis?) and hope to see the same down the road for WBB.

      Paulie

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  6. Anonymous, I certain will cast no dispersions on your program at Virginia Tech, nor the fine young lady who play basketball there. My disgust is for those sports fans in practically every program that dismisses women' sports as unimportant compared to the men's program and, yes, here in Louisville we have one of the biggest fan basis in the nation for women's basketball at nearly 10,000 people per game, but that pales in comparison to the men's attendance of more than 20,000 per game. Our Daily newspaper frequently buries the reports of women's sport way back in the sports section, if they report it at all. That is one of the reasons that i no longer receive the paper.

    I just think that women's sports do not get the respect they deserve.

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  7. Add me to the group that thinks calling out other programs for low attendance (or should I say attendance that is low by Louisville standards) is bush league. We in Louisville are fortunate to have the fan base that we do. Would it surprise you to know that the average attendance in all of D1 WBB last season was 1,579? Or that the average in the ACC (pre-Louisville, of course) was only 2,729?

    As for the quality of the ESPN3 play-by-play guy....we're darn lucky that ESPN3 carries as many live games as it does. And the way they do that is to use local talent. So there is often a lot of "homerism" but I'll gladly put up with that for the privilege of getting the live view.

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    1. Agree with the coverage, it's great and nice to watch. I'll even back off my comments a bit about Va.Tech play-by-play guy. You get what you're dealt, I suppose. I didn't like the hand I was forced to play (or listen to), though. Tried turning down the sound and listening to Matt and AJ's call but the time sync was off and I really dislike hearing a play on the radio and waiting for it to come about on the screen.

      I've heard a lot of play-by-play guys and gals over the years, Mike. I do believe I've obtained the knowledge and skill to determine good vs. bad. And, I'll comment about it. I'm a fan just like you and I'll express my opinion. And, take the commentary pro and con about it. If we were all the same in opinion and thought, we'd be like UConn fans. LOL. Diversity and opionion difference are always welcome here and subject to discussion and debate as long as it stays "clean" and relevant.

      You create good attendance by putting a successful and watchable product out there on the floor that people want to see. It's how Louisville got there. Other programs are perfectly capable of doing the same if they put in the work that UofL has over the years in promoting, marketing and developing the product. Yes, we have a knowledgable and fervent fan base and we're awfully lucky to have it...but would we be drawing 9,000 a game these days if there hadn't been a Angel or Shoni or Walz? Tom Collen had good teams and he brought Angel here but those atttendance levels back then in Freedom Hall rarely got over 5,000.

      Perception and performance can lead to acceptance and following.


      Paulie

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    2. Paulie, I agree with everything you just said. I never said the guy last night was good....he was pretty bad. I was just making the point that the way ESPN3 works you get a lot of "local talent" and their hometown prejudices often come through over the air. I also tried listening to Matt/AJ but the time lag was just too much to deal with.

      One of the reasons that I really like this forum is that you do welcome differences of opinion and people keep it civil. Discussions on way too many internet forums quickly get to "you're an idiot" (or more likely the laughable "your an idiot").

      I don't go back to the high school gym / Cardinal Arena era - I started with Angel at Freedom Hall. She and her teammates (and Walz) absolutely laid the groundwork for today's attendance and Shoni and her teammates (and the new arena) moved that forward. If Asia Durr is anywhere near the player I think she is, and if her fellow 2015 freshmen and the current freshmen do what I think they can do, we'll be opening the upper arena for every game in a year or two.





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  8. You Cards readers never fail to amuse. Here you are playing so well in your new conference and have a great recors and you are whining and sniffling like two year olds without a teddy bear.

    Over in the real world (The SEC) the Cats are finding out what life in the toughest women's college basketball conference is like this year. The SEC is truly a league where anyone can upset anyone on any given night and if double digit bids are not extended to the league come NCAA Tournament time, it would be a misjustice.

    Meanwhile in the ACC, it's the Big Four and not much more. LOL

    Matthew Mitchell for Governor

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    1. Right Gov - I guess if my team was sitting sixth in the conference and we had lost three of our last six games (and were lucky it wasn't four) I might throw up some goofiness like your post too. Double digit NCAA bids...you really shouldn't be hitting the sauce before noon (at least). You should just relax a bit and hope your kittens make it to twenty wins.

      Maybe Walz will hold a clinic for head coaches after the tourney that focuses on balancing player resources, making sure the bench is ready for the post season and peaking at the right time. I'll bet he'd be willing to save a front row seat for your buddy Matt.

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    2. MM, Charlie Creme over at ESPN has both SEC and ACC with eight bids. Both leagues are tough as nails at the top. Some of the bottom-feeder ACC teams are pretty bad, but so are teams like Alabama and Auburn.

      We'll see what happens in March and April, when it really matters.

      But, as I've said before, you have earned the right to talk a little trash here -- those four straight losses to UK hurt.

      Delete
    3. LOL Burn. No doubt Walz would have a front row seat at Matt's clinic on how to beat an in-state rival. Mike D. glad that you get it. I can see maybe seven ACC schools dancing.

      ND, Cards, UNC, Fla. St, Miami, Syracuse, Duke

      Paulie, don't fret over bad announcing. I've heard your radio show. You put the B in bad. LOL


      Matthew Mitchell For Governor

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    4. (Doing Redd Foxx/Fred G. Sanford backwards stagger with hand over heart)

      "It's the big one, Elizabeth. Comin' up to see ya so you can finally complain about my cooking..."


      Gov, I have no doubts that I'd be a study in frustration and hilarity if I ever tried to do what these announcers do. Probably way too long ago and insignificant for this readership base...but if anyone ever heard the late Ed Kallay call a game...that'd probably be my approch.

      "Louisville brings it downcourt. Someone scored inside, maybe Unseld? Not sure. Can't believe that the zebras didn't call a foul on #24 for the Shockers. Fourth missed call this half. Wichita State scored....Cards have it back and here comes Beard! Hey, ref...call 'em both ways, OK? "

      LOL...

      Paulie

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    5. Paulie, you got Uncle Ed just right. I was living in Indianapolis when I heard on WHAS radio that he had died. Made me feel like shedding a tear or two. I grew up with him and the Magic Forest.

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    6. You're killin me Gov - I don't know where you matriculated but eight (if Creme is right, which I doubt) is not double digits the last time I checked. I know counting can be confusing but just do it slowly and it might make sense to you. If not ask for help.

      Mike's entitled to his opinion but here's what I "get"...try to find a Card WBB fan who would swap our post season performance over the past four years for four early season warm up losses to the kittens. Trust me when I say that it would be a very short list. Maybe you missed the memo but our Cards are a national program and we play that way. In state rivalry wins are nice but they don't get you the top recruiting class in the country. NCAA tourney performance and exposure do along with the WNBA successes of our graduates.

      We've all had to put up with the tired "SEC is the greatest" and South Carolina is just the tip of the dominance iceberg talking points all season and then just as everyone that isn't a SEC troll knew and got to observe UConn destroyed them by 25 on Big Monday in a game that was effectively done after 8 minutes. So do us all a favor and don't go on about how great the SEC is.

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    7. AH, yeah...the Magic Forest...on at noon. Uncle Ed screaming at the New Mexico State cheerleaders to get out of the way so he could call the game. John Dromo coming over to complain about fouls loudly right in front of Ed so the listening audience at home could hear. LOL. The late John Tong once told me that Uncle Ed couldn't call a two team sack race but his entertainment value was the best in sports radio.

      Paulie

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    8. Actually I "matriculated" at UofL but have been a true "Blue" fan my entire life. It might surprise you, but I go to some UofL WBB games each year because I love WBB. I never miss UK WBB games and have actually been in the YUM! for the home games that didn't conflict with UK WBB.

      So, my "math" came from UofL professors a bit but I only had to take two math classes at UofL as part of my general studies. The rest of it came from grade, middle and high school.

      Paulie, I knew long ago that "3" is better than "2". It is admirable that Jeff Walz is reaching out to you and offering to get you up to speed on basic math. It's a shame the Electric Company isn't on PBS anymore. Here's another one for you. 4 is better than 0. That is how many UK has won in a row against the Cards and how many UofL has lost.

      Matthew Mitchell For Governor

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    9. OK Gov - It seems like you're making a bit of progress on your basic math skills so lets try a little more advanced word type problem now. We''ll give you enough hints so even a UK fan can't screw it up.

      Start with your total kitten losses for this season so far (here's a hint - it's 7) and divide it by the total U of L losses for the year (another hint - that would be 3). What is the result (here's another hint it's 2.3)?

      An easier way to understand that result is that your kittens have more than double the number of losses so far this year than our Cards do. Isn't math fun?






      Delete
  9. Eating Los Pollos Hermandos chicken. Love it. Maybe Saul fixed the game on over/under. I miss Breaking Bad

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    1. Gus and Jessie would have made a lethal backcourt combination but this team lacks a center. Badger big but slow.

      Coach Skylar

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  10. 22 assists on 27 made baskets for UofL last night. Great, great, great!

    Curtis Franklin

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  11. Dear Virginia Tech. You really took my comments the wrong way. I think it is very sad that dedicated players - clearly like those at VT - have so few people show up for a game. I don't go to the men's games and much prefer the women's game. Our coach repeatedly has said, bring someone to a game then the fun and excitement of the game will bring them back. I hope that all 1500+ fans that attended the UofL vs Virginia Tech game will bring someone to the next Virginia Tech game (guess that will be next year since it was Senior Night) and that the fan base grows.

    I have heard several comments from different schools, not all of them in the ACC, pointing fingers and saying "uppity" because UofL has a good and faithful fan base. It isn't uppity. Yes, we are proud and will continue to be and hope that those schools that seem to be throwing stones will find their programs growing.

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    1. Vivian, I can assure you not all ACC or Hokie fans feel that way toward your comments or Louisville. Louisville is an exciting and storied program to add to the ACC mix and I would surmise that the vast majority of ACC schools and fans are quite happy to have the Fighting Cardinals in our mix.

      This is my first time to this website and I am really impressed with the basketball knowledge and overall layout that exists at Cardinal Couple.

      Paulie, you and Jeff are very knowledgable and informational writers. I listened briefly to your radio show from the link and was quite impressed with it as well. I will share it with all my fellow Hokies fans and friends and look forward to your reports on Cardinal and ACC women's sports.

      Paulie, I remember that football game you attended. JTM Meats is wonderful in their support of VT football.

      P.S.
      I have a Timmy the Intern type at my place of employment. Ha Ha!

      Welcome to the ACC, UofL! Glad to have you on board and look forward to football games again against the Cards in Lane Stadium and your beautiful Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. Iwas unable to attend the women's game Thursday night. I had work requirements. When I can, I try to see as many VT sporting events for men and women as I can.

      Thomas J. Smith
      Lifelong VT Fan

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    2. Good post. Just to reinforce, because I'm out here in the West and only a couple miles from Tempe / ASU I'm pretty aware of exactly how exceptional the U of L fan support is.

      The PAC 12 has three clubs in the AP Top 25 this week. Check out their average home attendance this season:

      #7 - Oregon State - 2,728
      #12 - Arizona State - 2,867
      # 18 - Stanford - 2,573
      Total - 8,168

      So...our AP #8 Cards are averaging attendance that is within spittin distance of the TOTAL of all three AP top 25 squads in the PAC12. That rocks.

      I don't think that success is something we need to be apologizing for. People need to build their programs.

      I missed Throw Back Thursday but here's a good idea of how that works at tourney time.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFQu47A9UQU

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  12. Burn, your attendance numbers are a bit low (old?). OSU is averaging 3828. Still a far cry from UofL.

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    1. Didn't check direct but pulled from a blog which is run by a west coast WBB coach and educator. It's a good link for general WBB info.

      http://hoopism.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2015-02-16T11:52:00-08:00&max-results=10&reverse-paginate=true

      The post with the quoted detail is the one titled "college crowd size depends on record". The post itself isn't more than a week or so old and is linked directly back to the PAC 12 league site. Can't speak to the accuracy of the PAC 12 site other than to say that it should be the data reported directly from the teams and ought to be accurate.

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    2. Pac 12 site currently has the following home attendance averages:
      OSU 3828
      ASU 3303
      Stan 3585

      But again a long ways from UofL

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    3. Could very well be. I just used her blog numbers. It is weird that she would use the wrong numbers tho...

      In any case as you note they're still a long way from U of L results particularly considering we should go over 20,000 for BC on Senior / Native American Night in our last game.

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    4. Burn, I want to address your earlier comment regarding my reply to "MM for Gov."

      I totally agree that, at the end of the day, success in the NCAA tournament is what really matters. Based on that measure, Louisville is much more successful than UK and has a higher national profile because of that.

      But here in Kentucky that rivalry game does matter, and UK certainly owns the bragging rights recently. Hopefully that changes next year although Cards will be awfully young when they go to Lexington.

      Delete
    5. Hey Mike - I hear you and agree. I had the fortune (or misfortune) of living and working in eight or nine different states during my career and without exception the traditional in state rivalries were always huge, particularly to folks that were natives. Nothing is more irritating than losing to an in state rival, particularly if you have to deal with their fans on a semi-frequent basis...like wives, inlaws or The Gov. I'm lucky that I don't live in KY and don't have to hear it first person.

      I'm optimistic about next year. As much as I love Jude having a big, strong scoring threat at point guard in Durr will make a big difference. It's too bad that our seniors never beat the kittens but my sense of it is that with our recruiting classes over the past two years we're going to be in good shape in Lexington next year. Let's just hope Walz does as good a job with next year's freshman class as he did with this year's.



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  13. For you attendance worriers.

    The ACC has 15 teams. Here is the home attendance stats.

    ACC WBB has one team averaging over 9.000 a game. It is Louisville.

    One team averages over 8000 after that. It is Notre Dame.

    The rest is

    Duke 4553
    UNC 3525
    Virginia 3222
    FSU 2775
    NC State 1751
    VT 1480
    Pitt 1250
    Miami 1128
    Ga Tech 972
    Wake Forest 966
    Clemson 815
    Boston College 797
    Syracuse 626

    Here is another interesting number. Louisville's average attendance (home and away games) this year is 6868 for 24 games. That is 6868 per game.

    Enjoy the support UofL fans. Me and less than 1000 fellow fans watch our teams home games.




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    1. Interesting numbers. Why so low at the 'Cuse? They play well and have an entertaining coach.

      Delete

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