Cards Back in Action vs Pitt -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 Louisville WBB Returns to Action, Visits Pitt

Louisville women's basketball has returned from a brief hiatus due to COVID-19 protocol. They head up north to Pitt in the final stretch of the regular season.

Following a positive test within the program, the Cards went on a brief break, but return after just seven days. It was not announced who had the positive test whether it was a player, coach, staff, or someone else.

The Cards can pick up their 20th victory on the year by beating Pitt. A win would extend the 20-win season mark up to 11 straight years.

At 12-1 in the ACC and rocking a .923 win percentage, Louisville holds a 2.5 game lead over both NC State and Georgia Tech. The victor will be decided based on win percentage this season.

Pitt enters the game boasting a 5-9 record with a 3-8 conference mark. They have had six postponements on the year on top of loss of games from Duke and Virginia cancelling their seasons.

Just two days ago, the Panthers topped Boston College by three, ending a five-game losing streak. Their other two conference wins were both against Clemson.

Pitt was supposed to come to Louisville back on January 7, but never did due to going on pause.

Offense has not been a strong suit for the Panthers, as they average 69.14 points per game. They have shot a solid .391 from the field. From the free throw line, Pitt has been atrocious at .686. Only three players have made more than two three-pointers.

Jayla Everett is one of two Panthers averaging double figures. The junior is posting a team-high 15.4 points per game. Sophomore is close behind at 13.1 points per game.

Rebounding has been by committee with five players averaging between 4.6 and 6.6 rebounds per game. Pitt has outrebounded opponents by 2.0 rebounds per game. They average 16.3 on the offensive end, ranking second in the ACC and 13th in the NCAA.

Louisville owns the all-time series 20-2. Since joining the ACC, Louisville is 12-0 vs the Panthers. Almost one year ago to the day, Louisville visited Pitt and won 79-47. Four Cardinals scored in double figures and Mykasa Robinson posted a career-high eight assists.

Tonight's game is set for 8:00 p.m., and will be aired on ACC Network. You can also tune into 790-AM WKRD to hear Nick Curran and AJ call the game.

Let's hope for a dominating win by the Cards as they hope to try and close the door on the rest of the conference.

Walz Named to Naismith Coach of the Year Watch List

We all know the greatness of Jeff Walz and what he has accomplished at Louisville. The rest of the country seems to feel the same as he was named to the Werner Ladder Naismith Coach of the Year Watch List, joining 14 others on the list.

There are plenty of other reoccurring names such as Wes Moore (the only other ACC coach on the list), Geno Auriemma at UConn, Dawn Staley at South Carolina, and Tara VanDerVeer at Stanford.

The Big Ten, Pac-12, and SEC each have three coaches on the list.

Dawn Staley won the award last year. VanDerVeer won the award back in 2011 and 1990. Auriemma holds the record by winning the award eight times. The late Pat Summitt won it five times including the inaugural award back in 1987.

Track And Swimming Results

-- Host Louisville women's track and field squad won the Lenny Lyles/Cardinal Invitational indoor meet yesterday, besting Notre Dame, Bellarmine and EKU.  The Cards totaled 182 points, Notre Dame 101, Bellarmine 58 and EKU 58.  Winners for Louisville were Jaelyn Williams (50m dash), Brooke Weimer (60m hurdles), McKenzie Bell (400m), Riley Burger (long jump and triple jump), Gabrielle Leon (pole vault) and Victoria Farley (shot put) . 

-- In the ACC Swimming Championships in Greensboro, the Cards women are in sixth place after Day 1. Virginia leads the way with 165 points, while Louisville is in a three-way tie for sixth at 124, wuth Miami and Georgia Tech. Action starts today at 11 a.m. 

Lacrosse Today vs Colorado 

Louisville Lacrosse is scheduled for a 4 p.m. match at the Louisville Lacrosse Stadium against Colorado today. The Cards (0-1) fell to #7 Florida 14-7 to open the season. 

Colorado is ranked #24 in the nation and today's game will be their first of the season.  This will also be the first time the Buffaloes and  Louisville have ever met. 

Today's match will be on the ACC Network and the call comes from Leah Segundo and Sheehan Burch. Paulie will have (as far as we know) post-game remarks from Louisville head coach Scott Teeter shortly after the match and we'll try to get a link of them for you to hear in tomorrow's Cardinal Couple.   

Softball postponed 

Louisville Softball was scheduled to play today in Raleigh, NC today against NC State, but this game has been postponed due to icy conditions on campus. The Cards are schedule to play several games in North Carolina as part of the first ACC Softball pods, we'll keep you updated as the week rolls on...

Happy Thursday and Go Cards!

Jared