Louisville WBB on the Rise
After head coach Jeff Walz's 499th and 500th wins over the past week, Louisville has seen themselves move back into the top ten of the AP poll. The Cards moved up from 13th to 10th, taking advantage of their opportunities as other teams fell. LSU lost a pair of games to drop from 5th to 12th, and Iowa State and TCU each lost one game to drop them behind the Cards. Louisville is the highest ranked three-loss team in the poll, with Baylor (13-3) checking in at 16th after their win over then-#10 ISU.
The USA Today Coaches Poll releases on Tuesdays, so we'll see how many spots the Cards gain there, but the NET ranking shows that the games played matter as much as the results. Louisville remains 12th in the NET, as home games against middling opponents added a Q2 and Q3 win each. Those don't get you a ton of credit, but they're better than losses, to be sure. LSU, after two Q1 losses, remains fifth in the NET.
Louisville's four ACC wins keep them at the top of the pile in the league, but they still haven't distanced themselves in this early season. Virginia, NC State, and Duke also sit at 4-0. All three of those teams have won six straight games, one behind Louisville's current streak of seven. Notre Dame dropped back-to-back ACC games with an overtime loss to Georgia Tech in Atlanta and an 82-68 loss in Durham. The Irish have given up more than 60 points just five times and have lost four of those games (won 78-65 at James Madison). They've also failed to score 70 just four times and lost three of them (won 61-59 against USC).
Louisville will put their rankings to the test in the coming weeks, starting with a road trip to Coral Gables to take on the Miami Hurricanes. Miami is 10-5 this season and 2-2 in the ACC. They find themselves ranked 45th in the NET, which isn't much to write home about, but four of their losses came in their four Q1 opportunities. They'll be looking to snag a big win when the Cards come to town on Thursday. After that, Louisville returns home for a classic trap game against Pittsburgh. The Panthers are 8-9 (1-3) this season and they are ranked 243rd in the NET. The following game week is huge for the Cards as they travel to Notre Dame and NC State on the 15th and 18th, making it a prime opportunity for Louisville to lose a bit of focus after their road game against Miami.
Just like I said last week, there is a ton of basketball left to play. Teams left and right are showing how easy it is to slip up or underestimate an opponent. Louisville has had a few games this season where they have "gotten away with it," and we'll hope that the signs of consistency we've seen more recently are here to stay. This year's team has shown they can match up well with really good opponents, so we'll see what the rest of the season brings.
Until next time, Go Cards!
Case
This UofL squad is "riding a lightning bolt" with seven wins in a row, and it is truly a multi-player team effort. At 14-3, atop the ACC ...the true testis 3 of the next four away from the YUM! Center.
ReplyDeleteDanny the Jerk
I think this team is definitely better than last year's. The three transfers from the portal, Laura, Skylar, and Reyna, are elite. The freshmen class that are sophomores now are progressing well, taking big steps, which shows they were a good class. The sophomore-turned-junior, Eilf Istanbulluoglu , has stepped up big time and raised her level of play. This year's freshman class is promising, especially Grace Mbugua, once she gains stability.
ReplyDeleteOne of the best coaches in women's Division 1 basketball, Coach cjw continues to excel despite the challenges.
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