Cards WBB faces Michigan tonight -- Softball beats Clemson -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 TRIP TO FINAL FOUR AWAITS CARDS IN MICHIGAN GAME

A rematch stands between Louisville and a trip to the Final Four.  

On December 2nd, 2021, the Cards hosted Michigan, returning back to the friendly confines of the KFC YUM! Center after a three game road swing out west. To say the Cards were happy to be back home would be as big an understatement as saying race track aficionados like the  Kentucky Derby, and the Cards entertained an appreciative crowd with a 70-48 rout of Michigan. A 24-6 second quarter for Louisville in that December matchup and 39-15 halftime lead for UofL..The Cards were beginning to realize just how good Emily Everything was going to be in a Louisville uniform and Louisville women's sports fans were also fired up because Volleyball was kicking off their NCAA run with a convincing win over the UIC Flames. 

When Louisville faces Michigan tonight at 9 p.m. in Wichita, they'll face a Maize and Blue squad that has improved leaps and bounds since the last time these two met. Entering the NCAA Tournament as a #3 seed, the Wolverines probably weren't expected by many to play in the final game of the Wichita Regional, since #2 seed Baylor was a "shoo in" by many experts and participants in our "pick em" to advance. Someone forgot to tell South Dakota that Baylor had the golden road lined out for getting to Wichita and the Coyotes walked into Baylor's home arena and left with the "W", 

Welcome to March Madness, Nikki Collen.

 

Michigan struggled against the Coyotes to get to tonight's game. But, in Survive and Advance City, the mean streets of the brackets care not how much you win by, any ol' "W" will do to get your name advanced across the bracket. 

We know how good Naz Hillmon is. We know that Kim Barnes Arico is an experienced and successful coach who has gone 7-1 against top 25 teams since that loss to Louisville. 

Ask guard Maddie Nolan of the Wolverines: 

"We've learned a lot and we've grown a lot and I think we've learned how to play with each other a lot more. ." 

Louisville held Michigan to their lowest point total of the season in the previous matchup.  Kim Barnes Arico will tell you she's also fully aware of what Cardinals fans have known all season -- the defense sets the tone for Louisville. 

“Their defense in that first game really surprised me,” Barnes Arico said. “Great, outstanding, probably better than I anticipated. Kind of a little bit of a wake-up call of, ‘Holy cow, this team just dialed it up against us. How are we going to handle that pressure?’

“I think they have been able to do that against a number of teams this year, and that’s going to be a challenge for us tomorrow. That’s one of the many strengths of their team, their defensive intensity.  

The Cards play a little offensive, too, Kim, and they have a significant number of players who dial that up, also.. 

SOFTBALL GETS A 4-2 WIN at CLEMSON

Hiya, Carmyn Greenwood ! How nice of you to salvage a rough weekend at Clemson for Louisville Softball with your eighth inning, two run "touch 'em all" against the Tigers yesterday.  The Cards broke a 2-all tie with the extra inning blast and Taylor Roby spent eight productive innings in the circle to push the Cards record to 18-12. 

paulie