Miami on New Years Eve

 Basketball

Hola!  Buenos dias!  Bienvenidos a la dia del juego contra Miami.

...

Wait a minute...wrong language.  Let's try that again.

Hello! Good Day! Welcome to gameday against Miami.  My apology for the slip up, I've just returned from a wonderful break with my family from Cabo San Lucas, and I had a shocking amount of the spanish language return to my communication capability over the week.  I took spanish in grade school for many years, but thought I had long since forgotten it all, but no, when the time came, I was able to dredge a fair bit of it up for use.

In any case, I'm back in the Ville, rested, recharged, and ready to see this Louisville Women's Basketball team kick off conference play today with this matchup against Miami.  Case already did an overview of the team's schedule yesterday, so in anticipation for the game today, we'll look a the players a bit more.

Miami has had two players pass the 100 points mark for the season thus far, Jasmyne Roberts - 121, Sheyann Day-Wilson - 101.  From distance the biggest threat on the team is Lymyah Hylton, with 16 made 3 buckets from beyond the arc, good for a .381 clip.  Close behind are Day-Wilson and Roberts.  Rounding out the double-digit beyond-the-arc threat is Jaida Patrick and Ally Stedman.

As a team, the Hurricanes have outscored their opponents thus far, by about 200 points total, for an average scoring margin of over 18 points.  Of course, expect that number to fall some as they enter the tougher conference schedule.  The only statistical category that this team has fallen behind their opponents is in the free throw percentage, hitting just .601 for the year.  That definitely isn't going to be getting any F's in their Fred reports.

This is a later start in the day than is typical on a Sunday as it is, of course, New Year's Eve.  The game is also scheduled on the linear ACC Network, which also has a tendency to push it to later in the day.  4pm will be the tip-off in Coral Gables, Florida, giving you plenty of time to make it to your New Years celebration of choice.

No Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

With Paulie recuperating, me traveling, Daryl getting some wedding planning in, and really just not much of significance on the calendar for the week, The CCRHP also took a week of vacation, and should be ready to start off the new year with a bang.

Happy New Year to all, and please, be careful if you're going to be driving late this evening.  Obviously we all knew just how dangerous it can be to drink and drive, just don't do it!  But drowsy driving can be just as dangerous.  And even if you are awake, alert, and sober, there will unfortunately be plenty of others on the roadways tonight that won't be.

Be safe, and cheer on the Cards!

-- 

JMcA

Cards in Action Tomorrow -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

One More Sleep til Game Day

Like kids on Christmas Eve, Cardinal fans are buzzing with anticipation today as the Louisville women's basketball team will be back in action tomorrow against Miami. It's a 4 PM tip, so it will be like when you go to Christmas at your uncle's house for dinner and have to wait all day for presents, but it's better than nothing. On the plus side, you can roll the end of the game straight into your New Year's Eve plans or, better yet, take a nap between the game and staying up to watch the ball drop. 

In an effort to leave Jeff something to write about on Sunday, I won't do a complete game preview here, but let's take a quick look at the season so far for each team. 

Louisville is coming off of a bounce back win over Washington after the dismal second half against UConn on December 16th. Tomorrow will be the 11th day since the last Louisville game, so the team will be well rested from a long break, but hopefully they will have stayed mentally sharp. Louisville won their first four games of the season before falling in that weird game against Alabama on Black Friday. They then won six straight before meeting UConn. Louisville has one ranked win on the road, which they picked up against Ole Miss on November 29th.

Miami would be Louisville's second ranked road win, depending on which polls you look at. The Canes are 10-1, suffering their only loss in San Antonio against Baylor two weeks ago. Miami also played on December 20th, but they've played a game since Christmas, as they beat Alabama State 81-36 on December 28th. A Thursday game against a team like that is not likely to have beaten Miami down much physically, but it will have gotten them back in the zone after the holiday break. That, combined with it being a home game, could give Louisville some fits. Miami also got their only ranked win of the season on the road in the ACC/SEC challenge. Miami's victory came against Sam Purcell and the Bulldogs of Mississippi State. Outside of that, the Canes have played a pretty light schedule. The two teams' only common opponent is DePaul. Both Louisville and Miami won at home, with the Cards winning by seven and Miami winning by five.

It'll be a close game, so be sure to tune in to ACC Network as Louisville WBB closes out 2023.

No Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

We'll be out this week as holiday travel and other plans have the crew mostly out of commission. We're going to work to continue the show in the next couple of weeks, but noon games for MBB will have Jared out. We'll play it by ear, so be sure to check the site Saturday mornings to find out the latest.

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

Last weekend of 2023 -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

FRIDAYS WITH DARYL 

Hello readers, its our last Friday of 2023.   This time of the year always about some conflicting emotions for me.   Reflections, gratitudes, motivations and resolutions for the future.   If I haven't mentioned it here yet,  Thomas and I decided we would like to have a New Years Eve wedding next year so this time next year will be a whirlwind I'm sure so I am trying to take this one a little easier.   

Since there are no games going on,  I wanted to go through the 2023 seasons in pictures from our own Jared Anderson's archives and pick out my favorite four from each sport.   Enjoy!! 

Volleyball

Field Hockey

Basketball

Soccer

Softball 

Lacrosse

Shoutout to our reliable photographer, Jared Anderson.  He covers the women's side of the game for Cardinal Couple but he is also out there covering the mens squads so there are rarely off days for him.  He also tries to keep up with a full time job and marriage as well.   Everyone say THANK YOU JARED for these wonderful pics of our favorite teams each week!

Also want to shout to the fearless leader Paulie and wish him a speedy recovery.  Dont worry boss, we got the Cardinals covered!!

I want to wish everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR!    

As Always,

Go Cards

~Daryl 

No News in the UofL Women's Sports World -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

As expected during the holiday season things have been quiet in the world of Louisville women's sports. We see the occasional transfer in or out announcement such as the news Case provided yesterday.

Wintertime is when we tend to focus more on basketball since most of the sports we cover either have concluded or have not started their seasons. Just to recap the fall sports we cover here and how they fared:

Field Hockey

Justine Sowry's squad went 15-7 on the year with a top five strength of schedule. The Cards went 3-3 in conference play and fell in the ACC semifinals. Louisville made its fifth straight and 12th overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament, where they advanced to the Elite Eight.

Soccer

For Karen Ferguson-Dayes and Co, this season was anything but joyful as the Cards went 4-9-5 including 3-5-2 in conference play. While the season was disappointing, Louisville ended on a high note when they upset ranked Duke at home to close out the season. The Cards failed to qualify for both the ACC Tournament and NCAA Tournament.

Volleyball

The threat of Dani Busboom Kelly leaving Louisville to go home to Nebraska grows every season, but she still reps the Cardinal bird on her attire as of right now. This season, Louisville went 27-5 and finished #6 in the final rankings. The Cards finished third in the ACC, one game out of first, and then advanced to its third straight Elite Eight. Louisville has been to the NCAA Tournament a whopping 32 times, more than any other school currently in the ACC.

Positive Update on Paul

I heard back from Sonya yesterday afternoon, who provided a positive update on our fearless leader Paul. He went in for a procedure the day after Christmas. Here is what Sonya sent me:

"The doctor was pleased with his outcome. He is doing well but is in pain."

Paul will still be in the hospital for a few days recovering but you can send him get well wishes via email or mail to his PO Box. Paul is not actively checking his phone or email so he won't be able to get back with you for at least a few days.

Email: cardinalcouple@twc.com

Mail: PO Box 91521, Louisville, KY 40291

We are happy to hear that his procedure went well and we hope he has a swift recovery so he can rejoin us here at the site in the coming weeks.

Happy Thursday and Go Cards!
Jared

Cards Still Idle; Transfer Portal Isn't -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

In Paulie's absence, you may get a bit of whiplash as the writing schedule bounces around a touch. We had hoped to introduce our fill-in writer today, but we haven't quite been able to nail that down, so it will wait for a little longer. We're still wishing Paulie the best in his recovery and hoping you all get the chance to hear from him soon.

Volleyball Transfers Galore

Louisville volleyball hasn't landed any major transfers in the portal since the season wrapped up, but they have seen a player depart. Nina Moorer will transfer from the University of Louisville to Texas State University to continue her college career. Moorer's transfer comes after her first season following a redshirt saw her play just two sets in one match. Moorer had three kills on three attempts and added two digs on September 22nd against Syracuse. While Louisville ultimately turned out to not necessarily be the right fit for Moorer, we hope for her success in a return home. Moorer is from Missouri City, Texas (a suburb of Houston), and Texas State is in San Marcos, about 2.5 hours away between Austin and San Antonio.

In other Texas news, a few players have decided to jump on the Burnt Orange Bandwagon as they work to try to three-peat. Last week, the Longhorns got a commitment from Nebraska transfer Whitney Lauenstein. Lauenstein sat out in 2023 to focus on her family after losing her father. She has two years of eligibility remaining. Yesterday saw Jerritt Elliott pick up a couple of more big names, one that Louisville fans are likely to recognize: Reagan Rutherford and Averi Carlson. Rutherford leaves UK after four seasons, and Louisville fans will likely be glad to not see the outside hitter across the net from the Cards in blue again. Rutherford was slowed by injury a bit this past season, playing in just 78 sets after eclipsing 100 sets in the last two seasons, but she still put up 271 kills and hit .315 on the season. Not too shabby. Averi Carlson is a setter from Baylor who transfers after two seasons with the Bears. Carlson had 1188 assists in 2023 after putting up 1258 as a freshman in 2022. Her season high came when she had 60 against SMU. Carlson will likely be excited to set to Rutherford after watching Reagan smash 14 kills on 19 attempts against the Bears in the NCAA tournament. 

Louisville will certainly have their work cut out for them if they run up against the Longhorns in 2024, and it seems everyone will be chasing Texas to prevent back-to-back-to-back championships. We'll be on the lookout to see who the Cards may add now that the floodgates of the transfer portal appear to have opened. 

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

The Day After Christmas — TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Ah, the day after Christmas… or as I call it, Recovery Day. The Christmas season can often be so busy with cooking, eating, opening gifts, talking to friends and family, and traveling that a day off is much needed. Fortunately, I am off all week as we are currently in Fort Mill, South Carolina spending time with Katy’s family.

Hopefully Santa Claus had everyone on his nice list. My need for a new suit finally paid off this year so I’m excited to show it off sometime. My previous suit lasted me since high school and didn’t fit anymore.

Boxing Day is when Santa punishes everyone on the naughty list.

We head back to Louisville on Wednesday and will get home just in time to watch Louisville football in their bowl game. We will then spend some time with my family later in the week before I head back to work next week.

For Louisville women’s sports, we still have a bit longer before anything picks up. Jeff Walz has always preached giving his players time off during the holidays so they can go home and spend time with family. They usually come back to practice itching to get back to playing basketball. They resume play on New Year’s Eve at Miami, another ACC squad to make the Elite Eight last year.

We here at Cardinal Couple wish Paulie the best in his procedure today. He will be away from the site for a few weeks as he recovers both in the hospital and at home. You can check his status by contacting his wife Sonya Sykes on Facebook or emailing me.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the Cardinal Couple website, you can email me in the meantime at eupherjared@gmail.com. I check my email daily and will get back with you and quickly as possible.

We will continue to actively cover the Joy and Excitement of Louisville Women’s Athletics in his temporary absence, including in-person coverage at all home women’s basketball games. Speaking of women’s basketball, we will be having our annual Cardinal Couple Pick ‘Em Contests for both the ACC Tournament and NCAA Tournament again. We are not sure what the prizes are yet, but we will announce those closer to tournament time.

Happy Tuesday and Go Cards!

Jared

MERRY CHRISTMAS -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 MERRY CHRISTMAS

FROM ALL OF US TO ALL OF YOU...A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Paulie, Jeff, Case, Jared, Daryl and Sonja

A Letter to the North Pole -- SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Dear Santa,

We Louisville fans have been very nice this year. Please ignore when we yell at other fans or scream at the refs for making bad calls. Those actions don't mean we should be on the naughty list; doesn't everyone deserve a first second third fourth chance? We've been waiting such a long time for a championship in a team sport, and we keep being teased by long tournament runs. Couldn't you find it in your heart to tuck a few more wins into our stocking for 2024? If it's not too much to ask, we'd love for women's basketball to get over the hump this year, for softball to make a deep run, for lacrosse to have a winning record, for soccer to return to the NCAA tournament, and for field hockey and volleyball to break through in their respective tourneys. This doesn't seem too greedy. After all, you do give gifts like that to Stanford and Texas all the time on their way to College Cups. 

If those successes are too much to ask for, then I guess I can keep it simpler. Could you give us some joy and excitement as Louisville fans? There has been a lot of dark around the athletics program and we could really use something not ending in disappointment to lighten things up a bit. If you're going to drive a hard bargain, I guess we could settle for a team championship and an individual championship this year. 

Looking forward to another year supporting our teams, regardless of the ultimate results. I hope this letter gets to you in time. It'd be a shame to find another lump of coal tomorrow morning.

Sincerely,

Cardinal Couple

(Case)

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Sports on Christmas Hiatus -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Looking Ahead to Christmas Break

Unlike a number of other teams, Louisville will be off for an entire week in both men's and women's basketball. The men wrapped up their 2023 on Thursday night. I hear some kind of sporting event happened in downtown Louisville but I'm not sure what it was. They'll be off until January 3rd when they go on the road to face Virginia. Joy. The women, on the other hand, will play one more game before the ball drops when they take on Miami on December 31st. The women are coming off of a win over Washington and will look to get a fast start in their first conference game of the season. A quick turn sees them back in the Yum! Center on January 4th to host Duke. Getting to spend NYE in Miami actually sounds kind of fun. I'll bet Jeff Walz gives them a whole 5 minutes of extra time before curfew.

League-leading Clemson played the ACC's last women's game before Christmas last night. They beat ETSU 73-50. Miami will play one more game before facing Louisville as they take on Alabama State at noon on December 28th. Pitt and Duke will join Miami in playing that day (not against each other), and Florida State will host Georgia Tech a day later. New Year's Eve will be a busy day, with 14/15 teams in action. As the road team in Friday's game, Georgia Tech gets the break on Sunday. Florida State will take on Wake Forest with just 46 hours from tip-off to tip-off. 

With the ACC getting underway quickly, Clemson's stint at the top may be short-lived. Florida State could tie them at 2-0 with two quick games, or they could fall to 1-1 depending on how their game against UNC goes. Either way, as Jared wrote yesterday, the ACC is looking quite strong. It should be an exciting conference season, and we'll look for more of the Louisville team that has turned it on against UK and Washington rather than the one that fell apart in the second half against UConn. 

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

We're without Jeff today, which means the show won't be live on YouTube. We'll still have the podcast version available on all other platforms though. There's plenty for the other four of us to cover, with UofL WBB getting back to winning and more news around the league. As always, we'll get started at around 11AM Eastern, so the recorded episode will be up by about 12:30. Be sure to check out whichever playback option is best for you!

Cardinal Couple YouTube: Link

Anchor (podcast host): Link

Apple Podcasts: Link

Google Podcasts: Link

Overcast (free account required): Link

Pocket Casts (free account and app required): Link

RadioPublic: Link

Spotify: Link

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

ACC WBB Stronger Than Ever? -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Happy Friday, Cards fans! Jared checking in here after Daryl and I traded this week. Daryl got to write about a Louisville victory. Thankfully, we only cover women's sports at Louisville so I don't have to recap a pitiful beatdown that Louisville's men's team suffered at the hands of Kentucky.

Louisville women's basketball is off to another strong start this year. The Cards are ranked in the top 25, hold an 11-2 record, and have multiple wins against ranked teams. As difficult as the non-conference slate was, the ACC schedule will be that much tougher.

If the NCAA Tournament started today, Charlie Creme has 10 ACC teams in the Big Dance. Miami, NC State, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Syracuse, Notre Dame, and Louisville all are in the latest Bracketology. Clemson is the only team in the ACC to log a conference win (they defeated Duke a couple weeks ago) so they would get the automatic qualifier in this scenario.

#3 NC State, #14 Notre Dame, #15 Virginia Tech, #19 Louisville, #21 Florida State, and #24 North Carolina all sit in the AP Poll. If you look at the Coaches Poll, you can add Miami to that list.

Does this make the ACC the best conference in women's basketball? The soon-to-be-defunct Pac-12 is the only conference that could make a case against that, but the ACC still seems to have the advantage.

NC State has been a bit of a surprise this year sitting at 12-0. The Wolfpack have wins against UConn and Colorado. Wes Moore has found a healthy balance between building up his roster with freshmen and transfers.

Notre Dame has had a hot start to the season even without the likes of multiple players dealing with injuries. The Irish are 9-1 with their only loss coming at the hands of South Carolina. Their biggest win came at Tennessee. Sonia Citron has seen action in just three games, KK Bransford missed a couple games, and Olivia Miles still isn't cleared to play.

Virginia Tech is having another solid year behind several key returners. The Hokies are 9-2 with their losses coming to Iowa (by four) and LSU. Georgia Amoore and Elizabeth Kitley are one of the best duos in the country. Cayla King also chose to return for another year, adding more veteran experience.

Florida State is making a case as one of the top contenders in the ACC this year. The Seminoles are 9-3 with a 2-1 mark against SEC opponents. Ta'Niya Latson is still the go-to player for FSU, but she has a stronger supporting cast around her this year.

North Carolina is another team relying heavily on key returners. The Tar Heels are 8-4 on the year with a three-game skid to close out November being the killer. Deja Kelly, Alyssa Ustby, and Paulina Paris are all back with another year of experience under the belts.

Miami is fresh off a Cinderella story run last year and are 9-1 to start the year. They fell to Baylor but pulled off wins against Sam Purcell's Mississippi State squad and DePaul. Katie Meier went to the transfer portal to help reload this year.

Louisville went 11-2 in non-conference play. They fell on the road to UConn in a blowout and lost to Alabama in a nail biter down in Texas early in the season. The Cards have wins against Gonzaga, DePaul, Washington, Ole Miss, and Kentucky. Jeff Walz went deep into the transfer portal to fill up the roster.

ACC play begins after the holiday break and it appears to be a free-for-all for the ACC title this year.

(PHOTOS BY MISTER IOSO EXTRANO)

Happy Friday and Go Cards!

Jared

WBB hounds the Huskies 59-51 -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Hello readers and Happy Thursday to ya. It's Daryl covering the Cardinal coverage this morning as Jared and I switched days this week.

He's got us covered on the photos for today's recap and I'll break down the game.



WBB

photos: Jared Anderson

The three amigos Paul, Jared and myself got to hang for this holiday matchup at the Yum Center in front of about 8,000 fans.  

Louisville secured another top 25 victory and handed Washington their first loss of the season to move to 11-2 on the season heading into the Christmas break.  

Against the Huskies, Olivia Cochran led the effort with 14 points and seven rebounds, shooting 5-8 from the field and 4-4 from the free throw line, and Nyla Harris joined her in double digits with 11 points and four rebounds. Kiki Jefferson and Sydney Taylor totaled eight points each, Jefferson adding eight rebounds and two steals and the latter adding five rebounds and two assists.

Starters for the Cards included Sydney Taylor, Kiki Jefferson, Nina Rickards, Nyla Harris and Olivia Cochran.


End of 1Q 13 all

FG %
6-19 31.6% Cards
6-15 40% Huskies
Reb. 11-10 Cards
3-pt %
1-4 25% Cards
1-5 20% Huskies

After starting 0-2 on shooting, Rickards put the Cards on the board first to even the score.  The Huskies scored first but then the Cards went on a 10-0 run and Washington called timeout.

Washington was finally able to find some offense making the score 10-6 Cards but both squads went cold... missing their next several shots.  This was the only quarter the Cards had a three-point basket.  


End of 2Q 18-13 Cards

FG %
9-15 60% Cards
5-13 38.5% Huskies
Reb. 10-4 Cards
3-pt %
0-0 0% Cards
3-6 50% Huskies


Rickards started the scoring for the Cards again in the 2Q putting them up 17-15. Eylia Love came in and made her presence known with a couple big rebounds and put backs.

Taylor went 3-3 for 6 points and 2 rebounds in the quarter. The Huskies had 5 assists on 5 made buckets including 3 made threes, 2 of them from Sayvia Sellers. The Cards out rebounded Washington 10-4 in the quarter. The Huskies had 11 of their 26 points scored come from the bench.

photo: Jared Anderson

HALF 31-26 Cards


End of 3Q 13-12 Cards

FG %
6-18 33.3% Cards
3-11 27.3% Huskies
Reb. 12-8 Cards
3-pt %
0-2 0% Cards
3-7 42.9% Huskies


Washington got another couple threes from Sellers in the 3Q while the Nyla Harris went 4-5 from the field for 9 points and 3 rebounds in the quarter.


End of 4Q 15-13 Cards

FG %
5-8 62.5% Cards
5-13 38.5% Huskies
Reb. 7-4 Cards
3-pt %
0-0 0% Cards
0-5 0% Huskies

The Huskies would not go away quietly. The #23 rankled squad in the country wanted to give the 100 some-odd Huskie fans (maybe some of them were in disguise) in attendance something to cheer about so they did their best attempt at an offensive run before the Cards stifled each attempt. 

FINAL 59-51

photo: Jared Anderson

Nyla Harris and Olivia Cochran after win over Washington

THEY SAID IT: 

Cochran and Harris post-game presser

Walz post-game presser

Cochran and Harris:

Thoughts on Washington squad:  Nyla said Washington give the veteran vibe as a team like they've played together for a while.

Second half the team was able to find better ways to execute to offense. 

What they want to improve on:  Make sure this team isn't committing silly turnovers.

Olivia Cochran talking about loss to UCONN and asks for forgiveness in the effort in Storrs.  Nyla reflected the apology. They just feel like that wasn't what Louisville basketball is about.  

Nyla strong game able to put the ball back up and in and personally believes those wouldn't have gone in last year.

Walz: 

Walz says the players will go home today the 21st & come back on the 26th. They will be sent film to study.

Cards are now 3-1 against ranked opponents. Walz says 'I'll take that' for his team to be 11-2 heading into the break

UP NEXT

Louisville at Miami

 12/31

4 p.m. on ACCN

FRED REPORT

Fred Flintstone is ready for the Cards game!

FREE THROWS -- The Cards were 6-8 at the charity stripe good enough for 75%.  The Huskies only managed 6-7 attempts too so this was a pretty clean called game.   Capital F

REBOUNDING -- Louisville dominated the boards 40-26. Olivia Cochran and KiKi Jefferson lead the rebound effort with 7 and 8 respectively.  The really turned it on in the 2Q which is when the Cards started to created some space between the two teams.  Capital R


EFFORT/EXECUTION -- The Washington defense held the Cards to under 60 points, their lowest point total this season.  The Cards average about 20 FTs a game and managed just 8 in this one.   Coach Walz said he liked how the game was called overall though...until the fourth quarter lower case e 

DEFENSE -- Washington had 3 players score in double figures and 1 with double digit rebounding.   Both teams kept the other about 20 points below their average scoring per games, both teams only had 6 points from free throws and 14 turnovers each.   The Cards ground out a solid victory despite not having the best night offensively.   Capital D

FINAL FRED TALLY: F_R_e_D

If I don't get to say it before then have a wonderful Christmas and 


As always
Go Cards!

~Daryl 

WBB Faces Huskies tonight -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 Another Top 25 Test tonight for WBB

(when Robbie sings the National Anthem, Cards win..Get it, marketing?)

Just a few days removed from their second loss of the season. Louisville WBB returns to the friendly confines of the KFC YUM! Center for another top 25 battle. This time, it is the 11-0, #23rd ranked Washington Huskies. 

It's a Washington squad that is showing huge improvement from last season, when they were 19-15 and 7-11 in conference play. This season, defense has been a major building block for the Huskies success, they are #1 in the Pac 12 and #2 nationally in FG perentage allowed at 30.9%. They also outscore their opponents by 25.3 a contest. 

Looking at the schedule so far, UW has wins over Sacramento State, North Carolina Central, Pacific, Seattle, Idaho State, Air Force, Hawaii, San Francisco, Montana St. Washington St. and St.Mary's (CA). Washingtn State was #21 in the nation when they fell to the Huskies 60-55 on Dec. 10th, 

(Lauren Schwartz)

Elle Ladine (12.4 ppg) and Lauren Schwartz (12.3 ppg) lead UW in scoring this season. Ladine is a 5'11" sophomore guard and Schwartz a 5'11" senior forward, out of Union, KY and Ryle H.S. She played on the 2019 Kentucky Girls State Championship squad at Ryle. She began her collegiate career at Rice University, where she saw 51 games in two years before heading to Washington....following her current coach Tina Langley to the school. 

Schwartz played 30 minutes and had six points in the only other meeting between these two schools, back on Nov. 20, 2021 in Seattle. The Cards won that matchup 61.53. Leading the Cards that night were Kianna Smith and Liz Dixon with 13 points each. None of the current Cards on the UofL roster played in that first meeting between the two squads. 

Tina Langley (left)

Tina Langley is the head WBB coach at Washington and is in her third season with the school as skipper. She was at Rice as head coach before taking the UW job, and she has also served as an associate coach at University of Maryland....but was not there when Walz was on the UM staff.

The keys Wednesday for the Cards to give UW their first loss will be finding a way to score against a very good, defensive minded Huskies squad...and to shake off the loss that they suffered in Storrs on Sunday.  Louisville will need a huge game from Cochran and Harris on the boards and scoring from those two, as well as Jeferson, Taylor and Rickards. 

I would hope the Cards paid attention to the scouting report they were provided with for this contest. UConn did the things they do well against our Cards, and we failed to stop them at it. 

It's a 7 p.m. tip and will be on the ACC Network, as well as on 93.9 FM with Nick and Cortnee. We suggest you hop in the jalopy and join the Cardinal Couple crew out there for this one!  

paulie