Anticipation - Sunday Cardinal Couple

Hints of Activity

There are indications on campus of sports gearing up for the beginning of the school year.

Of course, our favorite athletes and coaching staffs keep plenty busy throughout the summer, just in ways that we don't typically see as much.  But some visible signs of the times are starting to be seen.

WBB moves in to the new Denny Crum Hall

Rosters have been updated on the official GoCards site for all of the sports that I checked, with new head shots from recently completed photo days.  Athletes are moving in to their new housing.  And tomorrow, the calendar flips over to a new month where we can see official events.  The first of those events, a Women's Soccer exhibition game, is less than two weeks away, even!

I hope you're as excited as I am getting for fall sports to begin.  It won't be long, now.

Hines-Allen Shoe Auction

The Mystics have created an event where they are auctioning several pairs of custom sneakers, hand drawn by artist Sammy Handler around themes picked by the athlete that will be wearing the shoes.  The proceeds from the auctions will go to charities picked by the athlete.  Myisha Hines-Allen is one of the athletes participating and the theme of her shoes is animal adoption, with proceeds from her shoe auction will go to the Humane Rescue Alliance.

Myisha Hines-Allen and Ace

The shoes are custom Nike Air Force 1s and have depictions of the Washington D.C. skyline, Hines-Allen's number two jersey, the Mystics logo, and most adorably, her dog, Ace.

Beware, if you want to bid, that the current (at the time of writing) bids for all of the shoes are at least $800, with Ace helping to draw a current bid of $1,000.  Elena Della Donne's Pride and The Trevor Project themed shoes are approaching $2,000.

Myisha Hines-Allen's custom Nike Air Force 1s
featuring Ace

CCRHP Break

We took a week off from the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast this week as a confluence of scheduling events conspired against us.

We should be back next week with, (and if this doesn't drive home how close the fall seasons are getting, nothing will) an actual game preview for Women's Soccer in exhibition against Cincinnati.

- JMcA

More Awards News -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Fourteen Named to IWLCA Honor Roll

Louisville's lacrosse squad is full of student-athletes that excel in the classroom as well as on the field. After having four named to the All-ACC Academic team and putting the entire team on the Athletic Director's Honor Roll, the Cards had 14 players named to the IWLCA Honor Roll. The IWLCA honor is awarded to juniors, seniors, or graduate students who earned at least a 3.5 cumulative GPA. Louisville's awardees were Carolina and Sarah Blalock, Allegra Catalano, Magdalena Foster, Grace Jenny, Sydney Kirchenheiter, Rachel Lifson, Hannah Morris, Ashley Osborne, Kirsten Parker, Kirsten Pezzullo, Paige Richbourg, Abigail Roskovich, and Alexa Steffens. 

Louisville Live Wins NACMA Gold Medal

Louisville basketball's change in venue for Louisville Live this year turned out to be quite popular. The Horses & Hoops event drew a significant crowd to Churchill Downs, and, as it happens, drew the attention of those outside of the Derby City as well. The National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators gave their awards for the past year and Louisville's team grabbed the gold medal for Best Event Attendance Promotion. As someone that happened to be at Churchill Downs for a wedding and got to see the event get started, I have to say it looked like quite the spectacle. I think it was a much better setting for fans and hope they continue it in the future.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast Break

With the stars aligning against us this week, we'll be taking the week off from the show. Paulie is out and about, Daryl is at Slugger Field, and I can barely string a coherent thought together for more than a couple of sentences at a time. We should be back on track next week.

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

Card Earns Post-Grad Scholarship -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

With the Bats in town, Daryl is otherwise indisposed pressing buttons at Slugger Field. In the case of Thursday's game, those buttons probably included "seek shelter" due to the thunderstorms that rolled in. At any rate, I'm feeling well enough to get back into these pages as I'm just about fully recovered from my first bout with Covid (nearly 900 days before I finally got got), so you'll get me today and tomorrow.

Michaela Dukes Named NCAA Post-Grad Scholar

Every year the NCAA hands out 126 postgraduate scholarships: 21 each to men and women from the three collegiate sports seasons. The scholarship is a one-time $10,000 award granted to a student-athlete continuing their education in an accredited graduate program. Any student-athlete who has graduated is eligible to be nominated by their school for selection. In addition to athletic and academic performance, community service, leadership, and other extracurricular categories are evaluated to determine the recipients.

This year, Michaela Dukes was named as one of the awardees. Dukes is a Kentucky native on the rowing team who graduated with a degree in Health and Human Performance / Biology. She was named to the Dean's List twice and was named a Dean's Scholar in six other semesters. In 2020-2021, Dukes was named to the All-ACC Academic Rowing team. Athletically, Dukes competed on the V8 boat for the Cards. She was on the crew that placed sixth in the Grand Final at the ACC Championships and picked up multiple victories during the season. 

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

Counting Down the Days Until... -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

We'll keep today's write rather short and sweet as we give a little countdown to our various fall sports that are set to start in the upcoming weeks.

Number of days until...

Women's Soccer

Exhibition - 15

First regular season match/first home match - 21

First conference match - 51 days

Volleyball

Exhibition - 23

First regular season match - 29

First home match - 36

First conference match - 57

Field Hockey

Exhibition - 22

First regular season match - 29

First home match - 43

First conference match - 50

For those who don't plan to travel, most home and conference matches are expected to be aired on either ACC Network or ACC Network Extra. Many of the non-conference road matches for the various teams will be subject to the host school's video services.

Happy Thursday and Go Cards!

Jared

Kianna Smith Gets Another Seven Days with L.A. -- Gabriela Leon NCAA Woman of the Year nominee -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

SPARKS RE-SIGN KIANNA SMITH TO ANOTHER SEVEN-DAY CONTRACT

The story of Kianna Smith getting another run with the still-playoff eligible LA Sparks would normally grab a bit more news than it has for the club, but Liz Cambage walking off the team has overshadowed Kianna's return 

She'll be eligible for the Sparks visit to Phoenix Thursday night for a 10 p.m. contest. At 12-15, they're hoping for a few wins to grab third place in the WNBA Western Division. Phoenix needs a win as well, at 12-16/ The best eight teams (regardless of division) make the next round. LA is currently tied for eighth overall. and, adjusting to not having Cambage will ramp up the pressure on rookie Olivia Nelson Odoba. 

Smith played in two games in her first seven day contract with L.A, She helped L.A. beat Phoenix on July 4th. in eight minutes of play and also saw action in the July 7th game against Seattle, where she scored her first WNBA points. The Storm destroyed L.A. by 37 points in that one. 

She'll be the sixth guard on the Sparks roster (along with Lexie Brown, Jordin Canada, Chennedy Carter, Brittany Sykes -- no relation to me but she DOES have that famous Sykes humor-- and Kristi Tolliver. and she'll get in three games It looks like. At Phoenix, Minnesota and at New York (where she'll see AD). .

Whether it be with L.A. or someone else, Smith deserves a full-time gig with a WNBA squad. She's a proven scorer, decent three-point maker and team player. Let's hope Kianna makes the most of this "week with LA" and it leads to a full-time chance down the road. 

GABRIELA LEON NOMINATED FOR NCAA WOMAN OF THE YEAR CANDIDATE AWARD

Gabriela Leon is one of two ACC student-athletes who has been nominated for the award with NC State's Jaeda Daniel (women's tennis). The two hope to go from conference nominee to the top 10 in Division I. 

Leon makes perfect sense as a nominee.. After all, she's the only one on the UofL campus who can answer to the title "NCAA Champion". Her community service resume is quite impressive. She's worked with mentoring children at Norton's Hospital events. Read Across America program, time volunteering with Parkland Boys and Girls Club and Blessings In A Backpack.  

Ten candidates from DI, DII and DIII get pared down three per division (nine overall) -- and from there, the top choice is made. 

13 ACC nominees were reduced to two. Tori Dilfer was one of the 13 but did not make the final cut. 

To learn more about the award, go to https://www.ncaa.org/sports/2013/12/9/ncaa-woman-of-the-year.aspx

Best of luck to Gabriela ! 

paulie

Jared Predicts Fall Sports Records -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Jared Picks the Fall Sports Records

As Paulie mentioned yesterday, women's soccer is two and a half weeks away. Field hockey and volleyball follow suit by just a few days. Yes, fall sports are just about here!

We often like to break down schedules, which we have done in several articles and on our podcast. We also like to take a stab at guessing the records. We were fairly accurate with women's soccer and field hockey last year, but volleyball laughed at our guesses en route to an undefeated regular season and Final Four appearance. One must tip their cap to the Volley-squad for their determination on that.

So how will the big three fall sports show out for their 2022 seasons?

Field Hockey

Some solid scorers return from last season and the Cards still have a sturdy defense to rely on. Losing some midfielders, a couple attackers, and not having a goalkeeper on the current roster leaves plenty of holes to fill that could lead to some early season struggles.

You can trust Louisville to find a way to score through corners, balanced passing, and fast breaks. Louisville has some attackers that can beat anyone one-on-one. The offense will keep the Cards in any match.

What worries me most is the goalkeeper situation. The ACC is tough and an inexperienced keeper can get picked apart.

Not that any part of this year's schedule is easy, but non-conference play has to be considered a break from the brutality of the ACC.

I think Penn State will best the Cards early in the season, but Louisville will find the friendly confines of Trager Stadium to help bounce back. Louisville will boast a 5-1 record as the entire the beginning of conference play when North Carolina visits. That Michigan rematch a week before UNC visits will be one to keep an eye on though. The Tar Heels, still salty over last year's regular season defeat, will pull out the win at Trager. The Cards will close out the home stand with a pair of non-conference wins to improve to 7-2.

A road trip to the east coast for four games provides some conference road game challenges featuring Virginia and Wake Forest. The Cavaliers will be able to defend their home but the Cards will get their first conference victory at Wake. A trip to Liberty isn't simple by any means but the experienced Louisville squad will grind out the win and finish the road trip 10-3.

The final remaining five matches feature a struggling Duke program, subpar Ball State and Cornell teams, and ACC powerhouses Syracuse and Boston College. The Cards will bring their conference record to .500 with a win over Duke and increase their overall record with a commanding win against Ball State. Syracuse will best the Cards up north in a rare Friday night match, but Louisville will finish the season strong with a win at Cornell and then a Senior Day victory against Boston College.

A 14-4 record and 3-3 conference mark will be enough for Louisville to earn a bid to the 18-team NCAA Tournament, but not by much. Nine teams are conference automatic qualifiers, leaving the other nine being at-large bids. Louisville will find themselves dancing in the postseason, but won't be able to match their Final Four appearance from a couple years ago.

Womens Soccer

Plenty of questions about this squad after losing most of its top scorers to graduation or the transfer portal. The offense has taken a significant slide since the graduation of Emina Ekic and Brooklyn Rivers in recent years and needs to find its identity again.

Soccer has two keepers currently listed, but neither have proven themselves with one redshirting their true freshmen seasons and one of them still recovering from leg surgery in the spring.

Louisville has made its game plan known in the past with a park and defend type style of play and this year will be no different. I am not a fan of that mindset, but it has proven to be successful at various levels of soccer. With a veteran back row squad, it's understandable if the Cards stick with that plan.

But praying for goals with almost no offense returning from last year is scary. Finding ways to press forward and give the inexperienced offense plenty of support will be the only way the Cards survive conference play.

Note: NCAA soccer has switched to no overtime in the regular season beginning this year so there is a higher probability of draws (ties) this year with just a standard 90-minute regulation period.

Opening up at home against UIC and Xavier should result in wins and a trip to NKU should be another win if it's anything like the 3-0 win from last year. A 3-0 start to the year can help build momentum but playing at a neutral site against Memphis will be tough. The ranked Tigers will pull off the win to put the first blemish on Louisville's schedule. Louisville will best JMU on the road to get back in the wins column at 4-1.

The Cards will return home to take down Indiana before opening conference play with a win against Miami to improve to 6-1. A road trip to the top two ACC teams from last year in Florida State and Virginia back-to-back is unfair and knocks the Cards down to 6-3. The Cards will close out the road trip with a win at Pitt.

Clemson visits Dr Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium and sneaks by with a win before Louisville rebounds by beating Boston College. Notre Dame will keep the celebration brief as they come into town next and leave with a win and the Cards clinging to a 8-5 record.

A visit to NC State will result in a win but the trip to Duke won't be as kind. North Carolina will come to town to close out the regular season and leave with a win, knocking the Cards down to 9-7. The winning record will be the first since 2019. Louisville gets into the ACC Tournament, but without taking the title, the Cards do not earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Volleyball

Volleyball is in a fairly comfortable position after an incredible season last year. Replacing Tori Dilfer and Anna Stevenson will be near-impossible, but this team returns loads of talent and experience while bringing in quality transfers.

The schedule somewhat mirrors last year's schedule, just switching locations with many of the opponents.

Louisville heads up north to take on Northern Kentucky, South Dakota, and Missouri- all wins for the Cards. They come back to the state of Kentucky but head down I-65 to WKU. The Toppers will give the Cards a run for their money but Louisville walks away with a win. The home opening weekend welcomes San Diego and Ohio State, where Louisville will improve their record to 6-0. Purdue is at LNFCU Arena this year and Louisville pulls out the win. Either Xavier or Lipscomb is next, another win for the Cards. Louisville will close out non-conference play with trips to Kentucky and Stanford. UofL will enter ACC play with a 10-0 record.

A trip to Florida State and Miami is next, with Louisville winning both. They come home to Clemson and Georgia Tech where they remain undefeated but have some struggles against the Yellow Jackets. Louisville goes back on the road to take on Syracuse and Boston College and win both. Virginia Tech and Wake Forest come to Louisville, where the Cards take both and improve to 18-0.

The Cards head to Virginia and get a win before taking a trip to Pitt. Still mad after last year's sweep, the Panthers take a five-setter against the Cards and end the perfect season. Louisville responds by taking down Notre Dame, Duke, NC State, and North Carolina to up their record to 23-1.

UofL heads south one final time in the season to face (and beat) Georgia Tech and North Carolina. The Yellow Jackets once again show they have fight. Pitt comes in for senior day and the Cards gladly get revenge. A quick trip to Notre Dame before Thanksgiving closes out the season at 27-1 and another ACC Championship.

Louisville is once again one of the top seeds in the NCAA Tournament, hosting the opening two rounds. The Cards cruise through the early rounds before finding themselves in the Final Four again. Unfortunately, an unlucky match-up with another towering squad causes the Cards to bow out after five sets.

                                                      ****************************

Ideally, we see all three squads go undefeated and win their respective championships, but realistically, that's probably not going to happen. However, without being able to see into the future, I could be proven entirely wrong. For now, we'll just hope and cheer the Cards on.

(All photos from Jared Anderson) 

Happy Tuesday and Go Cards!

Jared

17 Days Until WSOC starts 2022 season -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 

WSOC BEGINS SEASON WITH EXHIBITION VS. CINCINNATI

With Louisville women's soccer being the first of the women's sports squads going into game/match action for the Fall 2022 season (an exhibition at Lynn Stadium on Friday, Aug 12th at 7:30 p.m. against the Cincinnati Bearcats) let's take a look at what we can expect from Karen Ferguson Dayes' squad. UC will come into the contest with an exhibition under their belt -- at Butler in Indianapolis on Aug 7th. The Bearcats went 7-7-3 in 2021. They play in the AAC and were 2-4-2 in conference play. They did face one ACC foe in 2021 and won, beating visiting Virginia Tech

Here are some questions about the team and season. 

-- WHO WILL PROTECT THE NET? 

WSOC will miss Gabby between the pipes. 

2021 goalkeeper Gabby Kouzelos has graduated. The Cards list two goalkeepers on the 2022 roster -- redshirt freshman Olivia Pratapus and true freshman Erynn Flynn ---and neither has played in a collegiate match. It'll be interesting to see who wins this battle and also interesting to see how Ferguson-Dayes uses them. Splitting time on the pitch is a possibility (like we saw with Field Hockey in 2021). Pratapus has the advantage of watching Gabby for a season and practicing against college competition.

-- WHO WILL PROVIDE THE SCORING?

Out of the 12 goal scorers in 2021, seven return, and that includes Emma Hiscock, who tied for most goals in 2021 with four,  With 18 freshmen and sophomores and two transfers on a 30 player roster,  the Cards may look to returning forward Corrine Dente, who returns after sitting out most of 2020 and all of 2021 after suffering a knee injury in the 2020 season opener against Miami. Veterans Maisie Whitsett, Savina Zamborini and Ravin Alexander are all experienced front liners who also might have success finding the net.  

-- WHO WILL JOIN ANOUK DENTON ON THE BACK LINE?

The sophomore English defender looks to be a great one after her successful 2021 debut for the Cards. Who will be see back there with her? I guess a lot of the answer there depends on what formation Coach Ferguson-Dayes goes with.  Sarah Hernandez is an obvious choice, the graduate student has started every game since she arrived on campus in 2018. Madison  (Maddy) Ellsworth, a red-shirt senior from Oregon State, was a starter there and that experience will pay dividends instantly. Hadley Snyder, a freshman from Assumption, was a first-team All-State selection last year. 

The Cards finished 11th out of 14 ACC teams last season (Georgia Tech does not field a team). Can they better that in 2022? The league has belonged to Florida State and North Carolina the last 10 years, with Virginia breaking that trend in 2021. It would be quite the accomplishment for UofL to climb into the top six of the league this season, the three mentioned should be loaded again, and Duke, Wake Forest and Clemson are year in and year out over .500 in winning percentage squads. 

The Cards were 7-7-2 (3-6-1) in the ACC in 2021 and lost four games by just one goal in 2021.. They did lose five of their last six and scored only four goals in those games. . 

We'll see what Case's thoughts are when he returns to the pages in a few days. 

paulie

NIL Can Help Others - Sunday Cardinal Couple

Van Lith, Robinson and Carr Give Back

Family Scholar House is a charitable organization based here in Louisville that works to end the cycle of poverty by supporting single parents and their children trying to gain an education.  They provide holistic support for both the parent and kids that are looking to forward their education.  That support can include housing and other financial support, along with tutoring services and other educational support, and more.

Hailey Van Lith and Cardinals WBB student-athletes Mykasa Robinson, and Chrislyn Carr used some of their star power and teamed up with Family Scholar House and J C Penney to gift a $150 shopping spree to Family Scholar House kids.

Athletes at the University of Louisville and other schools are broadly involved in charitable activities and giving back to their community in various ways, and occasionally the efforts are significant enough to "make the news".

This event was part of an NIL deal between Van Lith and J C Penney.  As part of the deal J C Penney put on this event and included two of Van Lith's teammates in the event as well.  It included a portable stage set up outside Mall St. Matthews, food and games outside, and of course, the shopping spree inside. 

Originally today's article was going to have some critique of the media coverage of the event, which almost universally focused on Van Lith's involvement, to the point of not mentioning Robinson or Carr in most of the coverage.  But the event was a result of Van Lith's NIL deal, so to some degree the focus on her specifically is warranted.  Kudos to Eric Crawford's coverage for explaining the background of the deal, how it came to be, and Van Lith's emphasis on including such philanthropic efforts as part of her NIL deals.  This background information was completely absent from most media coverage of the event.

Family Scholar House is doing some great things in our community and is a growing organization with worthy goals.  It's good to see UofL WBB athletes teaming up with the organization and using their privilege to lift up others.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

With 3/5th of a full house, Jared, Paulie, and myself joined up to put out another episode of the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast yesterday.  With the Bats in town this weekend, Daryl was unavailable, and Case came down ill and was a late scratch.  We hope for rest and recuperation for Case, of course.

The three of us discussed the big three fall sports and what fans should expect and some tips on how to prepare for attending Field Hockey, Women's Soccer, and Volleyball.  Check it out at anchor.fm or just about any podcast directory:

https://anchor.fm/cardinal-couple/episodes/Preparations-for-Fall-Sports-Begin-e1ljk97

JMcA

How solid is the ACC? -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 IS THE CONFERENCE STRONG AS THE SHUFFLING GOES ON? 

(Case is out sick today, so you get a Paulie article today, you lucky kids...) 

Fall 2022 in "life in the ACC" should be some interesting times. As other conferences knock and "huff and puff" at the conference's door, wooing Clemson, Notre Dame and other ACC powers, where people wonder if the ACC should fire a pre-emptive strike and bring in a powerhouse school or two, and the Big12 reacts to being raided...how does the conference we joined in 2014 look?

First off, we are the newest member of the 15-team ACC conference, the "junior" in the family, but arguably the most successful athletic program in the ACC since we've joined. I can remember playing in the Missouri Valley Conference...where only Drake and Bradley remain as members when we were in there...and Cincinnati, Memphis and St, Louis were our big rivals. 

Our "bouncing around" to the Metro, C-USA, Big East and AAC hasn't seemed to affect our excellence in athletics too much. The real question is: Has Louisville reached the pinnacle of conferences to be involved in? Is it an SEC world and we're all just living in it, or can a revamped Big12, Big 10, Pac 12, and ACC square off toe-to-toe with the SEC. 

In women's sports, which is what we cover, but, sadly -- pretty much a non-factor in conference-realignment figuring -- I think the Louisville women's sports programs could hold their own and rise to the top in any conference out there. WBB, Field Hockey and Volleyball obviously leading the way -- with swimming right behind them and soccer, softball and lacrosse showing huge growth potential. 

Sadly, it is not women's sports that determines a conference change-over or re-alignment. We all know the SEC didn't include Oklahoma because of women's soccer or Texas because of softball. The women's sports become "passengers, not drivers" in schools jumping to new conferences. Was Maryland Field pleased when the Terps joined the Big 10 in 2014? Probably not, in terms of quality of in-conference competition originally...but the Big 10 schools knew they had to get stronger in Field Hockey to compete with the Terps and they did. Six Big 10 schools were atop the DI Field Hockey RPI's in late November. 1-6 they were, with Liberty 7th and Louisville 8th. 

The SEC would undoubtedly love to raid Clemson, Notre Dame and maybe even FSU to add strength to their football contingents. South Carolina and Florida would probably howl at this move (just like Kentucky would growl if the SEC courted Louisville) . When (and where) does iy end , though?  Does it all eventually become five conferences, with subdivisions, for the 350 DI schools? And, would we join the SEC if asked? After all, they DON'T play Field Hockey or Lacrosse. OK, they're not huge money makers, but they have a strong and loyal fan base here....plus two quality and highly regarded coaches.  

And, what kind of role will the NCAA play in future shuffling and changes?  Could there be a "power of 64" schools that pull away from the NCAA, form their own jurisdiction and governing body and create their own schedules, opponents and conference alignments? Yes, dear reader, the almighty dollar xould be the main underlying factor here.  

 It makes sense, this super-alignment of powerful schools' athletic programs. Surely Louisville (and Kentucky) would be a part of it, maybe WKU as well. 

Remember when?

But, I think the ACC is safe and solid (for now). I'd like to see an expansion to 16 teams (invite WVU and they'd come running) and create a solidarity where "invading conferences" would have to pay humongous amounts of money to raid the ACC and leaving schools pay a bunch, too, to leave. 

STAY TUNED, though. This is a horse race where five contenders are all within a length of each other as they turn for the stretch. Throw in the big factor (money) and simmer slightly until you're ready to serve.  

What are your thoughts on the ACC? Sound off in our comments section, if you've got a "take". 

CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR PODCAST

Looks like there will be three of us on the podcast today, with Case out sick and Daryl busy at work. And, Jared is still recovering from "the COVID" so we'll see how effective he is. I'm OK and I'm guessing Jeff is (as of 10:30 a.m.) 

Join us at 11 a.m. today. Go to THIS LINK to listen.

paulie 

Non-Conference Opponents WBB Should Schedule -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

COME AND CUT ME FREE

Quarantine has been absolutely miserable. Fortunately, I have the capability of working from home. That, plus video games and streaming services have helped pass the time somewhat, but I'm ready to get out and about again.

After COVID-19 came through and wiped out a good percentage of folks at work, including myself, we've all found ourselves confined to jail, I mean home. I've been lucky enough to be asymptomatic and have avoided Katy like the plague. In a pair of PCR tests this week, she has been negative so fingers crossed she stays that way.

Boredom has led to some plenty of random conversations with friends lately, including one that I found interesting enough to talk about today. After having been highly successful over the last couple decades, Louisville women's basketball could schedule pretty much any team they wanted. So who should Louisville schedule for non-conference opponents?

Should Schedule Every Season

Kentucky. The Cards vs Cats rivalry is a no brainer. This is a game circled on the schedule every year and draws in a huge crowd. The Wildcats hold the 34-22 advantage but Louisville is on a five-game win streak.

Bellarmine. Now that the other big in-town school is DI, it will be a fun way to connect Louisville and Bellarmine. For the foreseeable future, Louisville should win these games with ease, but it will almost always be the biggest game on the schedule for the Knights. Louisville is 12-2 in NCAA regulated games against Bellarmine after the Cards thrashed the Knights last season.

Play at Least Every Other Season

UConn. What used to be a single-sided rivalry has turned into some memorable match-ups over the last few years. Walz vs Geno is a guaranteed TV spotlight game and is a great resume builder for when tournament time rolls around. Louisville has won three times in 21 attempts against the Huskies, most recently in the state of Connecticut last season.

Cincinnati. Bring back the old Big East rivalry. These games may not get as heated as football did, but the I-71 battle was a classic. Plus, former Louisville assistant coach Michelle Clark-Heard is currently the head coach of the Bearcats. Louisville has nearly doubled up Cincinnati in the all-time series, 41-24.

Every in-state school that isn't Kentucky and Bellarmine. It's always a good thing to establish positive relations with other schools in the state. Western Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky, Northern Kentucky, Murray State, and Morehead State might not be top of the line programs when trying to create the strongest schedule possible, but who doesn't love the in-state match-up? WKU is the only of these five schools to have a winning record against the Cards, holding a 20-18 advantage.

Play Every Few Seasons

Memphis. Talk about a throwback. This Conference USA rivalry was feisty and has been a rivalry fans on social media have begged to revive for years. Sadly, I was too young to remember this one without having to re-watch film. Also, Memphis has some good food and I wouldn't mind going back to Beale Street or the Rendezvous for some BBQ. The series is tied at 23-23.

DePaul. DePaul is team that has spurts of greatness and spurts of not greatness. DePaul upset the Cards in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2016. In return, Louisville dropped 116 on them a couple years ago. The Cards trail the all-time series 16-17. Or, schedule just for seeing Doug Bruno on the sidelines/ One of the "great ones" in women's college basketball. 

Tennessee. If the Lady Vols are returning to their glory days, this would be one heck of a non-conference match-up between ranked opponents. Surprisingly, these two teams have faced each other a total of four times and the series is split even. Prior to her young career at Tennessee, Kellie Harper was at NC State for four years so Louisville has seen her before. Harper was at Missouri State briefly between NC State and Tennessee. Former assistant coach Sam Williams is now an assistant at Tennessee.

South Dakota State. This is more of me wanting to see one of the most successful mid-major women's basketball programs go up against the Cards. The Jackrabbits run their offense to mimic their mascot- fast. Who else is known for running a fast-paced offense? Louisville. How about a 40-minute sprint of a basketball game? Louisville is 2-0 against South Dakota State, having played in 2016 and 2017.

Are there teams you think should be on regular rotation for Louisville to play? It can be based off history with that team or just because you think it would be a fun match-up to watch.

Happy Friday and Go Cards!

Jared

Summer hobbies -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Hello readers! No, you didnt get your days mixed up.  It's only Thursday.. and it's Daryl here with you.  Jared and I switched our days this week since today is my boyfriends birthday, so we have dinner plans this evening, he just doesn't know it yet. 

Photo taken by Jared Anderson 
Paulie gave Thomas and I his football tix for UofL vs Clemson 2021 (it did not go our way)

As the guys have been getting us ready for the squads we get to watch on their particular fields or courts, I can help but catch myself often looking for the real things all around me.   I've mentioned it before but it's one of my favorite hobbies to watch cardinal birds near me.  I could be stopped at a red light with the windows down and hear the call of a Cardinal bird and trying to locate the red beauty while stuck in traffic on Third Street near Belknap campus.   Which some could equate to the feeling of a long volley and score at L&N Arena or the pass inside the box and into the back of the net at Lynn Stadium. 

In true Louisville Cardinal fan fashion..  I made a TikTok to share :) Give it a view! 

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRkgC3j2/?k=1 

Thomas and I also came across an informative video into the lives of Cardinal birds.  It had some interesting facts I didn't know about our beloved mascot.  Check it out in the link below and let us know if you learned anything new about the birds!

https://youtu.be/JPDKqpkEULI

Here are 4 interesting facts about our favorite bird!!

Fact #1:

Cardinals are typically the first bird to visit feeders in the morning and the last to visit in the evenings.  Early bird gets the best pick of the seeds! 


Fact #2:

The Northern Cardinal’s name dates back to the time of the United States founding colonists, stemming from the similarity of the males’ vibrant red plumage to the red biretta and vestments of distinguishable Catholic cardinals.

Fact #3:

Northern Cardinals are classified as granivorous animals because they live on a diet consisting of mostly seeds. Their short, stout, cone-shaped beaks are specially designed to crack open the hulls on seeds and shells on nuts.  I'll refrain from making a sports related joke on that note.  Sunflower seeds are the Cardinals' favorite so load up those feeders! 

Fact #4:

The Northern Cardinal is the official state bird of 7 eastern states: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia.

As we get ready for the 2022 season, I thought you might like a little background knowledge on the mascot. We always like to know how many goals a player has scored or blocks a player has created, today....you get Louie's family's stats. 

As Always, Go Cards!   Our great STATE Bird!!! 

~Daryl