Cards WBB hosts Oklahoma tonight --WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 #11 SOONERS VS #24 CARDS IN SEC/ACC MATCHUP

Louisville WBB looks to go to 6-2 on the season when they bring Oklahoma to town for a Wednesday matchup in the  KFC YUM! Center. Note the early start time on the contest -- 5 p.m. -- alledgedly a "TV created tip-off time" to faciliate ESPN2, who is supposedly televising the game...we think.

ESPN2, however, lists they are showing a game with Vanderbilt v. Miami in their Wednesday listings at that time, but so is the ACC Network, so...I guess the TV viewers will find out which is where at game time. It is part of the ACC vs.SEC Challenge...it's still hard for me to remember the Sooners are SEC after being BIG 12 for eons. Who's on first stuff...

(How many of the above names are still revelant in college hoops ths season?) 

Maybe your best bet is just to attend the event live... it's gonna be a good one. or check the ESPN2 and ACC Network broadcast schedules tomorrow, if you can't attend. 

Oklahoma is 6-1 on the season, starting the season with six wins...over Southern U, Virginia, Western Carolina, Wichita St., UNLV and DePaul...before falling in overtime to Duke 109-99. The loss saw Oklahoma battle back from a 15 point deficit and force the o.t. on a Payton Verhulst buzzer beater three.  

So, who are these Sooners? One name Cardinals fans will recognize immediately is starter Payton Verhulst, she was...of course... with the Cardinals a couple off years until she transfered out to Oklahoma. Verhulst had a triple-double against #13 ranked Duke (29 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists) last time out. It was the fourth triple-double in the history of OU WBB, and she became one of two players of all time (Caitlin Clark being the other) since 1999 to post a 25 points-scored triple double against a top 25 team. She was named SEC Player of the Week for her performance. (Note: Cardinal Couple did attempt to arrange an interview with Verhulst about her return to Lousville, but our request was denied by the OU sports information staff.) We don't know if Verhulst blocked the request or the school did...but we got the answer Monday after a Sunday request.  

Oklahoma also usuallly starts Reagan Beers, Skylar Vann, Sahara William and Neveah Tot along with Verhulst. . Verhulst, Beers, Vann and Williams all average in double figures for a Sooner squad that averages 92 points a game. Louisville allows just 64 points a night, so it'll be interesting to see how the pace goes in this one and how many points the visitors actually score.  

Coach Jeanie Baranczyk

Head coach Jeanie Baranczyk is going into her fourth season as the head honcho for OU hoops, coming over from Drake, where she was the head coach for nine seasons. She has been very successful in her time at OU, winnng 25 games in 2021-22, 26 games in 2022-23 and 23 games in 2023-24. 

Jeff Walz met with Louisville media on Tuesday to preview the match. You can see that presser at the link below. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnVn3FVXkCM

What must Louisville do to win this game?  i see five keys: 

1) Control the tempo. Louisville wants to avoid a runout against the Sooners. Oklahoma wins those, usually, by 20 points or more.The OU game against Duke may be the exception, but it was an overtime contest and at a neutral site. 

2) Go to the boards. OU is not a exceptionally tall squad, with Beers being the tallest starter at 6'4" The Cards won't see a "monster" center, like they did at UK or against UCLA. Cochran and Harris need to be invested in this one and rebound the basketball. Elif and Isla could also be key contributors in this one. 

3) No one's guarding you, make the shot. I speak of free throws, the Cards are only sinking 64% of those this season. Roberts and Cochran must do better at the charity stripe for a UofL win Wednesday.

4) Get that big second quarter run. It's been a staple of success this season for the Cards, they're out-scoring the opposition 143 to 78 in the 10 minutes before halftime. 

5) Be "Berry good" from beyond the three point arc. I use the pun because Imari Berry is showing alredy this season that she can go on three point runs that seem almost automatic. She's 52% (15-29) from the deep. And, not even a starter. She needs a few more than 18 minutes a game she's averaging, in my opinion. 

It should be a fun one tonight and, hopefully, a Cardinals win. 

paulie