Softball Battle of the Bluegrass tonite!...Transfer rumors abound...-- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

CARDS, CATS MEET FOR 38th TIME

UK Softball comes down I-64 to play the Louisville Softball team tonight at 6 p.m. The Cards lead the overall series 19-18. Game time is 6 p.m. at Ulmer Stadium and it is one of the few times you'll actually need a ticket to get in the ballpark. Those are $5 and can be purchased on site tonight. 

The broadcast will be on the ACC Network Extra and our buddies Don Russell and Daryl Foust will handle play-by-play and color commentary. "D" squared...as we like to call them around here...They don't work together very often, but when they do, it's a fun affair. 

Louisville enters the game at 22-12 after going 1-2 at Boston College over last weekend. The Cards are 5th in the ACC standings at 6-4. The Cards couldn't get the bats going against the Eagles...but Nicole Pufahl leads Louisville with a .394 batting average. the fiery red-head from Moorpark, CA. has also slugged six home runs this season, in addition to patrolling center field for Cardinal head coach Sandy Pearsall. 

We hope Puf makes the ball go *poof* over the fence tonight

Coach "P" will most likely send Maryssa Becker to the circle to face the Cats. Everyone's favorite Oregonian is 17-7 on the season and sports a low, low 1.97 ERA. She's also no slouch at bat (when they choose to pitch to her) with a .292 batting average. She has drawn a team high 25 base on balls...mostly intentional. 

The Cats come to Louisville with a 24-11 mark. They are 7th. in the SEC with a 5-7 record. Most recently, they were swept in Knoxville by the Vols in three games. Hitting has been a problem for UK recently as well...they managed only six runs against UT pitching. 

Kentucky goes to Bailey Vick for hits...she's batting .357 and has seven doubles on the season. Abbey Cheek checks in at .347 and has deposited seven taters over the garden fence. Meagan Prince will most likely get the start for the Cats...she's 11-6 on the season with a 1.52 ERA.

Yes, Kelsey Nunley has finally graduated.

Sonja says Morgan Meyer looks like
Marsha Brady. Yeah, I can see that...

Last year the Cats won the only game between the two schools 2-1. Nunley pitched a complete game...surrendering just four hits while striking out seven. It was the "lightning delay" game...action was stopped for almost an hour going into the seventh inning and Louisville leading 1-0. The Cats got their two runs in the top of the seventh after the game resumed and the Cards couldn't push one across in the bottom of the inning.

Becker went the distance for Louisville...allowing 11 hits. The second scheduled game between the two was cancelled due to weather issues last year. This year, only one game is scheduled between the two squads. 

This should be a fun one tonight. It has been decreed a "red out" game...so dress accordingly. 


There's a full moon out...be prepared for anything! 


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


TRANSFER SEASON IN WBB IS UPON US

The middle of April each year usually involves four things for Paulie to negotiate. 


1) Taxes. Yeah, I wait until the very end because I just plain hate doing them. Out of the way, fortunately...a marathon session Monday closed that chore.

2) Getting the lawnmower up and running. Another one to check off the list. A successful yard-cutting was performed Sunday. Each year, it seems to take me longer to do and it isn't because the yard is expanding...

3) Derby season is approaching. Sharpening the handicapping skills, deciding what events to attend and getting a list together of what relatives and friends will be coming into town and where we can put them. 

4) UofL WBB transfers. 

Let's look a little closer at #4. I don't think it is presumptuous or negative for me to expect a few to leave the program. History shows us that the Cards average 2 or 3 a year that leave the program. Last season it was Taja Cole, Erin DeGrate and Syd Brackemyre. The year before that, we saw Megan Deines and Ariana Freeman change locations. 2013-14 it was Starr Breedlove and Monny Niamke. 

Why do they go? It's usually because of one of three reasons. Playing time, wanting to play closer to home or unhappy with current situation. Sometimes it's a little of all three. 

Recruiting is a gamble. The player takes a chance that a school is the right fit for them. The coaches take a chance that the player is the right fit for the program. It usually is....about 75% of the time. Looking at this year's roster, we see that fifteen players were listed at the start of the season. Three graduated. One (Cortnee Walton) spent her entire career at UofL. Three were juniors. All three of them (Moore, Hines-Allen and Carter) have been here the entire time. Two played and one sat out. Three were sophomores. All three started their careers here. Six were freshmen. 

People want to know, and I get comments and e-mails about transfers. I get questions and have discussions about the subject. I even had a guy a couple of weeks ago stop me at Churchill Downs and ask me why a particular player was still on the roster. I sarcastically told him it was because the excellent quality of Louisville's water. He was wearing blue. I passed on the opportunity to spend the next half-hour lining out all of UK's transfers. After all, it's the Lenten season

Who will leave this year's team? I'm not a mind-reader nor do I have a crystal ball. It is a subject that coaches don't like to discuss for public record and, quite frankly, a topic that rates low on my list of things I think about when I review the program. Do I have any inside information? Nope. What do I think of all the rumors? It's inevitable, so I deal with them each year. I do look at chemistry and body language from time-to-time. I hear things about so-and-so said this-and-that about so-and so. Always, it seems...from a friend of a friend close to someone in the program. 

So who is leaving and who is staying, Paulie? I was asked...Give me your three most-likely to transfer...the other day. I replied, I could see maybe a freshman going, a possible sophomore and, after that, I'm hard pressed to come up with a third...but will say that maybe someone that people wouldn't consider a likely candidate to go could be leaving. Or not. 

It's like looking at a 15 horse field and trying to pick who will come in 13th, 14th and 15th. 

So, let it play out, dear readers. Time will tell soon enough.

Will anyone come in? That's a question I get, as well. I absolutely love Erin Boley's game and would be quite happy if she chose Louisville as her next destination...but there are hurdles to clear there as well...in terms of conference to same conference transfer issues. And, is she even interested in Louisville or vice versa? 

Time will tell. Twitter up anyone you think might be a candidate and look for clues is the recommendation from one of our readers. Or, just sit back and allow the process to happen. It's out of your control and no need to get frustrated about it. Looking at Keeneland's Wednesday card...that's frustration. 


paulie
xxxxx

Men Handle Duke; Women Host Miami -- SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Top 15 Match-up as Women Host Miami

In the battle of the chicken fast food chains (Canes in the KFC Yum! Center), Louisville will take on it's second straight team from the Sunshine State. After a very disappointing finish against the Seminoles, Louisville will hope to come away from this one with a win. Miami is ranked 14th and the Cards will, once again, not have any time off to lick their wounds after a loss. The ACC is a tough league, and the Cards need this one to stay above 0.500 in league play. Paulie will have a full write-up tomorrow, but if you'd like to see the action yourself, the game tips at 1:30 PM and can be found on ESPN2 (or live on Main Street between 2nd and 3rd). 

Cards Hand Duke Second Straight Loss; Win 78-69

After falling to Florida State earlier this week, Duke came into town desperate for a win before having a week long break until their next game. Desperate teams are always dangerous, and Duke is a dangerous team even without desperation on their side. With their Hall of Fame coach out after having back surgery and a fifth year senior leader sidelined with a foot injury, Duke was depending on a mix of youth and experience to carry them against the Cards. Louisville was able to take advantage of the missing leadership and had great success in disrupting Duke's passing game, as well as a fantastic game down low, on their way to a 78-69 victory.

The atmosphere was electric from tipoff, even though Cards fans were still filtering in. I guess 12:00 start times are hard to get up for in basketball as well as football. The early game was up and down, mostly in favor of Duke, with Louisville unable to hit the broadside of a barn. The Blue Devils stretched their lead to 7 on a fastbreak layup by Grayson Allen before the Cards climbed back into it. After a bit more back and forth, Louisville went on an 11-3 run over two and a half minutes to take an eight point lead. The building was rocking, and Louisville was clicking on all cylinders. Duke took their lumps over the last three minutes and were down by six when Louisville was fouled on a rebound attempt with 30 seconds remaining. Rather than hold on for the last shot, Louisville inexplicably took a bad shot with 22 seconds remaining. The miss allowed Duke to have the final shot instead, which they hit to cut the lead to four at the half. 

The second half started slow for the Cards, with Duke taking a one point lead two minutes into the half. Louisville has a reputation of "booming" teams, though (a reputation which was bestowed upon them, appropriately, by Coach K following the 2013 Elite 8 game), and the Cards rattled off a nine point run to regain an eight point lead. From that point, Louisville never lost control of the lead, despite being called for eight straight fouls to make the foul deficit 12-5 over an eight minute span. Duke was not called for a single foul after the 8:48 mark until they began intentionally fouling with 40 seconds remaining. No team plays that clean of a basketball game, especially in the ACC. Nonetheless, Louisville was able to put together another 40 minute performance and pull out the win, an important one which improves their ACC record to the plus 0.500 category. Louisville has now beaten Kentucky, Indiana, and Duke in the same season for the first time in program history, and they've done it in less than a month.  

The non-basketball story coming into the game was Louisville's relationship with Grayson Allen. In case you had forgotten, Grayson Allen's villainy really took off when he tripped Ray Spalding last season in Cameron Indoor Stadium. The legend continued when he got into an altercation with Jaylen Johnson in the rematch in the KFC Yum! Center. Allen also joined a small fraternity of players when he picked up 6 personal fouls, being assessed for a technical foul for his tantrum after being called for a charge to pick up his fifth foul. The fans were ready for Allen's return to Louisville, as signs heckling him were abundant. Although I didn't take a sign myself, my roommate and I found ourselves the subject of quite a few videos and pictures after a fellow Louisville fan wandered down the steps and handed us a sign (see picture) saying, "This is for you guys." I assume he hoped his sign would find the screen often since there were two Duke fans seated directly in front of us. In addition to the signs and general ridicule, Louisville fans made sure that Grayson Allen knew they were watching. His location was always known, and he received a chorus of boos whenever possible. Every time his name was announced--entering the game, exiting the game, being called for a foul or getting fouled--he was booed. Every time he went to the line or inbounded the ball, he was booed. And every single time the ball touched his hands on the court, he was booed. The coordination of the crowd was quite impressive, to be honest. 

At the end of the day, the game was relatively uneventful as far as Grayson Allen extracurricular activities went, with the circulating play of the day being a battle for a loose ball between Allen and Donovan Mitchell after which Mitchell incidentally (?) smacked Allen in the face. There was no call on the play. Jay Bilas commented during the game that Allen probably deserves more calls than he gets, but he spends so much time trying to sell every single thing that referees often don't call fouls in his favor because it just looks like he's trying to draw a call. After watching today's game, I think that Bilas is probably right, as Allen does quite a bit of acting on every play. All of that said, Allen is a good basketball player (I think Rick Pitino's characterization that he is a "terrific young man who just made a mistake" is a stretch), and he finished the game with 23 points and nine rebounds. 

Had Duke won yesterday, Allen would have been a clear player of the game choice, but that award typically favors the winning team. For that reason, the player of the game for me (and most others), was Anas Mahmoud. I mentioned earlier that Louisville had a huge game inside, and Mahmoud was a major factor. He finished the game with a career high 17 points and added 11 rebounds for his first career double-double. Mahmoud was part of a 35 point effort from Louisville's 4&5 players, which had a significant impact on the outcome of the game. Anas has made large strides (no pun intended) since arriving on campus and could prove to be a driving force for this Louisville team for the remainder of this year and in future years.

Additional props go to the guard tandem of Donovan Mitchell and Quentin Snider, who finished with a combined 28 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists, and 4 steals, while only turning the ball over 3 times. The team finished with only 11 turnovers compared to Duke's 18, and Louisville amassed 25 deflections in the second half alone. Throw in the fact that more than half of Mitchell's 15 points came after a severely rolled ankle and you can see that this team can be very dangerous when this duo is playing well. 

Louisville's next test will come against a struggling Clemson squad that is hungry to knock off an ACC power. It will be beyond important for the Cards to stay focused (a task which seems to trouble them) and not look ahead to what will likely be a top ten matchup against Florida State.

An Update on the Yell Leaders

I find my stance on the yell leaders softening just a bit. I still don't like them, nor do I agree with most of the things that they do, but I am starting to believe that there may be a place for such a thing. If you've followed me on Twitter, you'll know that I get frustrated by a lot of things that the yell leaders do. More specifically, I get annoyed that they don't wear Louisville attire while "leading" the student section. I get annoyed that they spend their time researching players' and coaches' family members to make rude/weird/inappropriate chants about them. I get frustrated when they stand on their giant boxes and block people's view of the court during live game action.

All of that said, they're trying. They've become a Recognized Student Organization. They are passing out fliers to get people to join them. They're making a noticeable effort to actually lead cheers. However, it's not quite enough. I still can't tell if the rest of the students even want them around. After all, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink. Additionally, there are so many missed opportunities by this group. They should be jumping to join in on every cheer led by the spirit squads and singing every school song played by the band. These things would give them some credibility. Instead, they mill around, talking amongst themselves or playing on their phones. They don't appear to actually want to lead cheers, they just look like they want to stand in front of the student section and feel important.

It appears as though this experiment does not have an end in sight. To the Ladybirds who are forced to watch the game from the tunnel, if at all, I'm sorry. I hope that, in the event that the yell leaders are here to stay, that some way can be found to return you to the floor. To the readers, I'm sure that there will be more to say on the issue, so stay tuned.

Your Favorite Hour of Radio Programming...

Ever since the Little Orphan Annie duped us all with a crummy Ovaltine commercial, the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour has been far and away the best hour of radio around. Paulie and Jeff were without me in the studio yesterday, but they called me to get my take on the game from inside the Yum! Center. You can catch the rebroadcast at this link and hear the sounds of pregame in the background as I ramble on as usual.


Paulie Picks

Paulie jumps into another week of predicting ACC WBB battles with six games to choose from today and two on Monday. Thus far in league play, the ACC has had ten games decided by single digits. There have also been what could be considered four upsets. 

Paulie puts his 25-6 record on the line. That's good for an 80,6% success rate so far this season. Here's what the crystal ball (which was grabbed by Anas Mahmoud and dunked...shattering it) says: 


-- Syracuse takes their four game win streak to Georgia Tech. Even though this one is in Atlanta, Matt Ryan and Julio Jones aren't walking through that door for the Techies...except maybe to watch...and "Q" and the Orange Grove pluck their fifth straight win. 'Cuse. 

-- Louisville brings in the southern Miami contingent for a tough battle. Adrienne Motley's crew will make a game of it but the Birds should do enough to beat Bassy the Ibus if Myisha Hines-Allen, Asia Durr and Mariya Moore can handle the stormy-weather. Cards.

-- FSU leaves the Donald L.Tucker Center to go Tiger hunting and should find a easy prey in the Clemson variety. This isn't Ben Boulware and Dabo Sweeney...it's 0-4 in-conference Clemson WBB...and Leti Romero's warpath party scalps the South Carolina cagers. Convicts. 

-- North Carolina heads to the Steel City to steal one from the Pitt Panthers. They'll need to disable Brandi Harvey-Carr's motor if they want to win this one...but after a couple of Roethlesberger's and fries...they should ram the Panthers into the Allegheny. Heels win. 

-- Virginia provides a landing path for the Boston College Eagles in Charlottesville and should be able to wahoo the visitors in what may be the closest game of the day. No cavalier attitude here...UVA gets their first ACC win over Baldwin's bunch. UVA "W"".

-- In the Raleigh-Durham Invitational...NC State invites the Duke Blue Devils into Reynolds Coliseum for hoops du jour. I see Mr. and Mrs. Wuf huffing and puffing their way to a win over JoAnne P's Brown and Green(well) visitors. Wolfpack gets the "W". 

-- On Monday, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest celebrate MLK Day with a 1 p.m. tussle in the Cassell Coliseum. The visiting Demon Deacons will have their hands full trying to grab the Gobblers and VT sends Wake back to the forest with a "L". Virginia Tech wins. 

-- A nice out-of-conference match up for Notre Dame down in Knoxville against the University of Tennessee Monday night. Little Miss Muffet McGraw's court-dwellers provide the knocks in this match-up and decline the Volunteers application. Irish spring for a win.

Until next time, Go Cards.

-CH-

Men Fall, Women Hope to Pick up Pieces -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

WBB Stays East of Home

After a tough loss at Duke, Louisville will have to take care of the second of a pair of road games before returning home. This time, the Cards will be facing Virginia in Charlottesville. The Cavaliers are coming off of a loss after having their six game win streak snapped against Syracuse. Despite the loss, Virginia held Syracuse (averaging 81.8 ppg) to only 54 points. After a game in which they managed only 55, the Cardinals will likely need a greater offensive output in this one to come away victorious. 

Tonight's game starts at 7PM and can be found on the ACC Network Extra. Paulie will have quite a bit more to say about it, and we'll hope to see a F-R-E-D in the writeup of a win.

South Bend Curse Strikes Again

This game was decided in regulation, which is unusual for a competition between Louisville and Notre Dame, but it was the Irish that came out on top. Notre Dame is the number one free throw shooting team in the land, with multiple players shooting greater than 90% from the stripe, and that showed last night. Sending the Irish to the line was a bold strategy for the Cards, but they elected to do so often anyway. The officials in the game were more than happy to whistle fouls in both directions, making questionable calls either way. The officials called 38 total fouls in the game, and while the foul deficit was low, the better free throw shooting team will always benefit in a tight game. Louisville did manage to shoot 13-18, a respectable 72.2%, but they were outdone by Notre Dame's 22-25 mark.

Notre Dame's attack was led by Steve Vasturia (who looks like the plucky protagonist in a RomCom), Matt Farrell (who looks like the bad guy boyfriend in the same RomCom), and Bonzie Colson (who is averaging a triple double). The three combined for 64 of Notre Dame's 77 points and shot 23 of Notre Dame's 25 free throws. Colson added 14 boards to the mix and peppered in three blocks. Here's an early scouting report of the March rematch between these two teams: guard these three guys.

Donovan Mitchell continued his ascendance to stardom in Purcell Pavilion, filling up the stat sheet with 20 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 steals. He did all while staying clean, turning the ball over just once (a strange over the head pass that looked more like it slipped out of his hand than anything else) and accumulating no fouls. Unfortunately, Mitchell failed to come away with the most important stat, the W. He also shot only 35%, due largely in part to being 2-10 from behind the arc. He was 4-4 from the free throw line and shot 50% from two point land. Mitchell is a very good player and is right to work on his outside shooting ability. However, when the outside shot isn't falling, it can be extremely beneficial to drive more often. Missed outside shots that lead to long defensive rebounds often have the same effect as a turnover at the top of the key. While it's clear that Donovan will be the go-to guy for the rest of the season, consistency will be extremely important. He played nearly the entire second half and scored only 4 points, making his 16 first half points lose a bit of luster. If you're gonna be the star, stepping up at the biggest moments is a definite requirement.

Like any game against the Irish, this one was up and down. It was mostly down for the Cards who led only thrice in the game, and never by more than two points. A minor comeback (of which Louisville had many last night) to tie the game at 68 was extinguished by a final 90 seconds that was extremely painful to watch for Louisville fans. The Cards will get another chance against the Irish in the regular season finale, this time without having to play in the dreaded Purcell Pavilion. Pitino has not won in South Bend as the head coach of the Louisville Cardinals, which makes having to play there seemingly every year rather unfortunate. 

Louisville finished its holiday gauntlet with a respectable 2-2 mark. An 0-2 conference start isn't pretty, but Virginia and Notre Dame aren't terrible losses to have. The Cards will get Georgia Tech on Saturday. I'd say that the Yellow Jackets would make for a nice team to get the first conference win against, but they knocked off UNC in Atlanta before being absolutely mangled by Duke. Josh Pastner is always an annoyance, but hopefully the Dr. Jekyll version of the Cards will show up rather than the Mr. Hyde. There is a lot of season remaining, and I'm excited to see how it plays out.

Until next time, Go Cards.

-CH-

Louisville women's basketball -- Despite the trickery, Cards fall to Blue Devils 58-55...Tuesday CARDINAL COUPLE

TRIO IN DOUBLE FIGURES NOT ENOUGH AS CARDS FALL TO BLUE DEVILS BY 3

Photo by Carolyn Chang - The Chronicle 

Myisha Hines-Allen recorded another double-double, Asia Durr and Mariya Moore joined her in double figure scoring and the Cards pulled off the con job of the 2016-17 basketball season...but erratic shooting, ball-handling woes and getting outscored 17-11 in the final ten minutes all contributed to Louisville first ACC loss Monday night in Durham, NC. 

The Cards well-planned trickery paid off to start the second half when Louisville sent Hines-Allen, Cortnee Walton and Asia Durr underneath the DUKE basket prior to Moore tossing the ball in-bounds to Briahanna Jackson to begin the third quarter. The Duke starting five dutifully followed them down there. Unfortunately for the Blue Devils, they needed to be defending the other basket and Moore flipped the ball to Jackson...following her down the court as she trotted to the unguarded rim and put in an uncontested layup. 

Classic Walz afoot there. The mad scientist strikes again!

The mis-direction gave the Cards a 27-23 lead...which they would increase to 44-41 by the end of the period...but the Cards ended up taking the 58-55 loss due to some steady free throw shooting by Duke guard Lexie Brown and a couple of less-than-perfect offensive possessions at the end of the contest. 

The Cards started slowly, trailing 15-12 after the first quarter. The Cards regrouped to lead 25-23 at the half. A 6-0 closing run had Louisville on top 44-41 after three. The loss comes after Duke takes the fourth 17-11. 

Carolyn Change -- The Chronicle

Let's face it. Stretches of this one were sloppy and "choppy"...a term used by the ESPNU talking head who accompanied Brooke Weisbrod on the play-by-play. A man who still thinks the one-and-one still exists in WBB. Who hasn't figured out Asia Durr is left-handed yet. Sailing masts and regatta dinghy's aside...the Cards committed 19 turnovers and shot just 6-23 from the deep to take their third loss of the season. 

Coach Walz explains it sufficiently: 

"We took a lot of really good shots. Unfortunately the ball just did not go in. When go you against a team that's going to play zone for 40 minutes...you've got to be able to knock down open shots and that just what we didn't do."   

Head Duke coach Joanne P. McCallie put her own spin on the win: 


"We played a lot of match-up and that takes away a lot of passing angles to those post players. It starts with the guards and, of course, with the posts. You're connected at the hip -- all five players -- it's always team defense." 

Thanks for that, Coach "P". I'll have to study it and look at the pictures. Five players connected at the hip... 

The 3-2 Duke employed was, in part, responsible for Louisville shooting under 40% but I'm going with the off-shooting night for Durr and some silliness at the end causing Louisville's loss. Plus the 7-0 Duke run to the start the fourth quarter.

It was a 53-52 Louisville lead with 1:27 to play after Hines-Allen's jumper but after Rebecca Greenwell gave the Dookies a 54-53 lead 30 seconds later on a nice inside move...the Cards get a three pointer blocked and then start fouling Brown...who had made 40-something in a row coming into the game. Twice she's fouled and twice she sinks both. Sydney Zambrotta's last-second, sprawling, falling potential game-tying three almost banked in...but the Cards suffer an ACC road loss 58-55 to a team that has also downed Kentucky and South Carolina this year. 

I realize you can't always pick who you have to foul at game's end...and the obvious choice (Duke's Chidom) was throwing the ball in...so that pretty much eliminated her...but putting Brown at the line was like tossing tennis balls into a trash barrel from a yard away...you're probably not gonna miss. 

Ten played for Louisville (Hines-Allen, Moore, Jackson, Durr, Walton, Fuehring, Jazmine Jones, both Johnsons and Zambrotta.) Six scored (Hines-Allen 16, Durr 15, Moore 14, Walton 4, Fuehring 4 and Jackson 2).   

Lessons learned on a road trip. The need to finish on the offensive end. To make the layups. The need to overcome poor shooting nights with lock-down defense. On a night where tomfoolery got national attention, the Cards ended up with the joke on them. How big a game was it? Let's close with another JoAnne P-ism: 

"Big games only occur in April. March and April. Nothing's big about this or any other game. What we learn from this game will be the test for us. What we learn and how we move forward." 

I'm gonna have to study and think on that. Might need a picture...


HOW DID FRED DO? 

Fred Gwynne -- Herman Munster

Free Throws -- Well, on the Cardinal side they were few and far between (because we know Duke never fouls in Cameron, right?) but one Card actually got to the line and Asia Durr made all three of her attempts. That's 100% and that will get a capital "F". Duke went 8 for 11...if anyone's counting.

Rebounding -- The Cards held a commanding 37-25 advantage on the boards. Hines-Allen corralled 12 and Walton found six. Good enough for a capital "R" in my book. 

Effort/Execution -- Louisville had 19 turnovers, Duke had 12 steals, the Cards shot 39.7% (26.1% from 3-range) and lost the fourth quarter. The effort, although misguided at times, was there but the execution not great enough to award a letter in this category.

Defense -- Brown had a field day against the Louisville guards with 17 points but Greenwell wasn't a big factor with just 10 points. At times, the defense was solid but in the fourth quarter it slipped and after a loss, we usually don't award a letter. That stands today.

FINAL FRED COUNT:  F-R-_-_.


WHAT WE LIKED 

"The Sting". No one but the Cards knew what was going on in the start of the second half trickery. Not the announcers, the refs or...most importantly...Duke. Credit the genius of Walz and the staff for the ploy.  If you missed it, here's the link: Cards WBB fakes out Duke

"You're going the wrong way!
ANOTHER CLASSIC MISDIRECTION LINK

Solid Sam. Sam Fuehring saw only eight minutes in the contest but had two key baskets early in the second quarter to give the Cards the lead and also grabbed four rebounds. The three fouls...well...*meh* but a good effort in a limited appearance for the sophomore. 

Light at the end of the tunnel? Mariya Moore went 4-8 from three-point range which might mean she's over the slump from the deep that has been there the last few games. 


WHAT NEEDS WORK

Closure.  After Asia Durr's jumper at 7:35 in the fourth, it was 46-41 Louisville. We would have liked to see the "killer instinct" take over for Louisville at this point. Instead, a 7-0 Duke run followed over the next two minutes. Gotta seal the deal. 

Ball handling. 14 of the 19 turnovers came from Louisville's guards. Mariya had seven of them. Yes, these were very good Duke guards, no doubt about that...but the miscues were responsible for 18 points off turnovers. Duke won that category 18-10. A telling stat. 

Focus. The Cards were out-of-sync in their possessions at the end...almost timid and unsure of what to do out there. Those possessions resulted in a blocked three attempt, Hines-Allen bucket for two instead of a potential-tying three attempt and a missed desperation three at the buzzer. A little leadership would have come in handy in that last minute. 



SO...

A loss that could have been prevented for Louisville tonight if they had performed better in the fourth quarter. An exciting, in some ways, end to this one...with the score lead going back-and-forth. One to chalk up to experience and learn from as the Cards roll back into it at Charlottesville on Thursday against a Virginia team who surrendered a 17 point lead over Syracuse to lose at home. Surprising NC State also pulls the shocker with a 70-61 win over #7 Florida State. 

ACC. Anything Can Culminate. 



POST GAME WALZ

Coach Walz answers a few questions after the game and Asia observes and serves as a silent partner in the link below. It's obvious that they have no "Paulie" presence in the Duke media contingent...

LINK:  

JEFF WALZ POST GAME DUKE PRESSER




tuesday trauma...
Paulie
xxxxx

Louisville women's basketball -- Fluer de "Durr"...Cards pick off Orange 91-76 -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

ASIA DURR'S 34-POINT SECOND HALF PERFORMANCE HELPS LEAD WBB CARDS TO WIN OVER SYRACUSE.


The Fluer De Lis is the official symbol and seal of Louisville, KY. The English translation from French is "lily flower."  Last night in the KFC YUM! Center in front of 8586 enthused and loud fans...the University of Louisville women's basketball team put its own seal out there and created a new symbol...The Fluer De Durr. Asia Durr was the lily flower of Louisville and was in full bloom in the second half on a cold, raw and windy winter's eve.   

The Douglasville, GA sophomore had 34 second-half points on 10 for 18 shooting that included seven three pointers to put the Cards on her back and rally them to a 15 point win over the Syracuse Orange in a topsy-turvy, wild and exciting contest that featured a total seven players in the contest reaching double figures. 36 total for Asia..which means, you guessed it...a mere two in the first half. 

Durr had 18 points in a pivotal third quarter that saw the Cards erase a seven-point halftime deficit and take a 20-point with a 31-4 run over the first 7:40 that put them up 64-44 after trailing 40-33 at the half. She added 16 in the final ten minutes...including a "Are-you-kidding me?" three as the shot-clock expired with five seconds left in the contest to set the final score and drive the fans into one last, deafening frenzy. 

In-"Durr"-structable..."Durr-mination." Create your own Durr-word-play. 

The final feats from the Flock fared much better than the first 17 minutes in this one. Louisville was "the gang that couldn't shoot straight" and looked flat and without purpose against a 'Cuse squad that jumped out to a 16-4 lead in the first six minutes and sank four threes in a rough first quarter that saw Louisville trailing 22-10 after ten minutes. The Cards were 4 for 18 from the floor and had seven turnovers. Alexis Peterson was scoring anytime she felt like it and the Cards defense was about as appealing as a dry bologna sandwich on stale bread and no mayo or cheese... 

The Cards were still down by 11 at 27-16 halfway through the second act when  Sydney Zambrotta came in a provided a brief rallying spark with two free throws and a '3' but Louisville was only able to pare the Syracuse margin to seven at the break...needing a 5-0 flurry in the final 1:23 after a Mariya Moore three and Briahanna Jackson jumper closed out the first half scoring. 40-33 Syracuse after twenty and although the barn door was still closed there was a tad of hope that the cows were gathering around the entrance and expecting the farmer to let them in. 

Coach Walz wasn't too specific about what the team discussed at halftime. It probably wasn't the death of Debbie Reynolds or college bowl football. A vague reference from Myisha in the post-game presser...mentioning it was a game of runs (Prophetic... right?) and Louisville needing to cut deeper into the lead with good defense. 

Actions speak louder than words.


The Cards got the final half started in the right direction when Myisha Hines-Allen popped in two straight buckets in 38 seconds. Durr added a pair of free throws, Hines-Allen cashed in a layup and Louisville had a 42-40 lead. Then ensued a confusing sequence where Jackson was called for a foul and Syracuse's Brittany Sykes was whistled for a technical...all at the 7:38 mark. Durr hit one of the two free throws and then countered with a trifecta 15 seconds later to make it a 10-0 Louisville run. A harvest of Cardinal baskets (let's call it the Durr/Fuehr sequence) followed after a Orange bucket. Durr jumper, Sam Fuehring inside, Fuehring again inside, three for Durr and it was suddenly 54-42 Cards with half the half left to play.

The Cards would push on out to a 20-point advantage but "Q" 's players would close the half on a wild 15-5 run in the final 2:20 of the quarter to get within ten after three. Only four Cards scored in the third period...Durr with 18, Fuehring 10, HInes-Allen with six and Walton two. 55 total points scored in 10 minutes. 

What would the fourth quarter bring in this already frenzied and action-packed contest? 

More "soup du Durr" was served (hey, who let the Swedish Chef in here?) but not before Syracuse made one last attempt to steal the server's tray.

A Peterson 5-0 run to start the final period had the visitors within five at 69-64

Rut row.

A painful 90 seconds followed with just one Cardinal basket and five total missed shots before Durr drained a three. Gabby Cooper countered for the "Q" crew with a bomb but Hines-Allen's jumper and Durr's fifth "3" of the contest gave Louisville some breathing room at 79-69 with 5:34 to play. Durr connected on her sixth three to give the Cards a stress-relieving 84-69 advantage with 4:23 to go.  A dubious double technical foul...on Sykes again and BJ...with 3:42 left...stopped action for a few minutes at 84-71. Hines-Allen's jumper and the the final five Cardinal points of the game from Durr gave Louisville a hard-fought, well-deserved 91-76 victory. 

Besides Durr's 36...MHA finished with 18, Mariya Moore shone with a triple-double consisting of 11 points, 10 assists and 11 rebounds and Fuehring's nine minute flurry added 10 to round out the UofL (13-2) double-figure performers. Credit to Peterson for pouring in 31 in the contest and Sykes had 20 and 10 rebounds in the losing cause for now 9-5 Syracuse. 

HOW DID FRED DO? 

Free throws -- Saints preserve us and praise Mother McCree...Louisville went 20-24 from the foul line for 83%. Durr's 9-12 was a big part of that...Moore 4-4 and three players at 2-2 allow me to award...with a tear in my eye and smile on my face a Capital "F" here. Thank you...Blessed Mother of the Charity Stripe. 

Rebounding -- The Cards ruled the paint with a 45-27 advantage.. The M&M gals with 21 and how about BJ with nine? Keep the capital letters coming...no doubt about a "R" in this column. 

Effort/Execution -- Durr's performance in the second half was outstanding and the Louisville run to start the third exemplary, yes...but Louisville started slow and had a burp to end the third and start the fourth. 18 Cards turnovers and 10 Syracuse steals create a scenario where we'll award a letter...but a small case "e". 

Defense -- It was good at times but allowing 13 threes, getting only four steals and forcing just 13 turnovers...plus allowing Sykes and Peterson 51 points on 43% shooting..means the "d" wasn't spectacular. I know, they're great guards, but they were averaging just slightly over 40 a game between the two of them prior to tonight.  The defense shone brightly to start the third. The "d"was good enough when it mattered and we'll complete the Fred sequence with a lower case "d".

Final FRED tally :  F-R-e-d


What We Liked

Asia Durr. (Fill in your own superlatives.) As I tweeted early this morning...

Asia Durr @A_Hooper25 had one of the most amazing performances I've seen in the 2nd half with 34 points in @UofLWBB 91-76 win over Syracuse.

Even "Q" Quentin Hillsman, the head Syracuse coach, opening remarks at the post-game presser were: "I guess we gotta say...Asia Durr. Wow. What a tremendous performance by her."

The run. To expand it just a bit...Louisville went from a 40-28 deficit in the second quarter to a 64-44 lead late in the third. That's a 36-4 run over roughly ten minutes. That'll win you a few games. 

Also starring... Let's not forget Moore, Hines-Allen, Fuehring and BJ's big efforts in this one. A star needs a solid supporting cast and Durr had one Thursday night. 

"Q" getting ready for his post-game radio show

The "Q" show! Another stellar performance by the Syracuse head coach. with a dizzying array of hand and arm gestures, plaintive pleas, ever-changing facial expressions, referee-bantering and player interactions...he lived up to the show we expected. The coat came off, the refs got Shakespearean dialogue and the man was literally drained when he reached the Syracuse radio play-by-play guy sitting next to me for his post-game radio show. I almost stood there and applauded his performance...but that probably would have looked a little weird and most likely would have been misconstrued. Bravo, Q! 

Things To Work On

Slow starts. How can you not get fired up and want to come out right off the bat to demolish the team that knocked you out of the ACC Tournament last year? A top 25 foe? Yes, the engine finally got running...but those first 17 minutes weren't exactly Louisville's finest of the season. 

The lapse. Up by 20, the Cards had the KFC YUM! Center roaring in approval. A 20-5 Syracuse run followed...cutting that lead to five and creating a uneasy feeling in many of those who were giddy a few minutes before. When you have them on the run, chase them out the door and lock it. 

Kylee Shook. Sidelined with a sprained ankle from practice a few days ago, the talented first-year player had to watch this one. No report on when she'll return or severity of the sprain. Although she had the protective cast on, she wasn't on crutches and we hope for a speedy recovery. Sam Fuehring arguably may have got some of those minutes that Kylee might have seen...and made the most of them. We'd like to see both of them tear it up in their time out there in the future...because they are the future. 

So...

This game was a knockdown, battle to the end contest. This game had me worried going into it. I knew Syracuse had a top flight contingent of guards. They have a great three-point capability. They did nothing to assuage that fear of mine early on. Then, suddenly, Asia Durr showed up. That was basketball worth watching and I'll go back and find it on the ACC Network Extra rebroadcasts just to see it again. 

Who will stand up each night for Louisville? It's a query that gets answered by multiple players in varying ways on this Cardinal roster. Myisha one night, Asia the next. A freshman or two. BJ. 

Is Louisville a top five team yet? No, I see others better than them currently. Can they get there this season? I like their chances. 

On a night where runs were as prevalent as bees around a blooming bush in summer...Louisville overcame their staggering start and withstood a final charge from a talented Syracuse team . They got a career performance from a player that just may have a bushel-basket full of them before she ends her days on the Denny Crum Court. A good night during this holiday season. A late Christmas gift and pre-New Year's reason to celebrate. 

got the "W", oh, buddy!!!
paulie
xxxxx


They Said it!  

COACH WALZ POST GAME 

MYISHA HINES-ALLEN and MARIYA MOORE POST GAME

ASIA DURR ADDRESSES THE MEDIA

😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎

As ACC WBB Conference Play Draws Near...still a log jam at the top of conference -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

10 TEAMS IN ACC STILL WITH TWO LOSSES OR LESS

Six ACC teams being conference play on Thursday in a league that has 2/3rds of their members at .818 or better so far...in regards to win/loss percentages. 

Still atop the standing is Virginia Tech at 12-0 and now #19 in the nation. With just one loss are #15 Duke, #7 Florida State, #11 Miami and #2 Notre Dame. #8 Louisville, Clemson, Georgia Tech, North Carolina and Virginia have two losses on the season. 

Out of the remaining five schools, NC State is 10-3, Wake Forest 9-3, Pittsburgh 9-3, #25 Syracuse 9-4 and Boston College at 6-6. Seven ACC schools are ranked in the top 25.

Numbers will start to change soon, of course, as the conference battles get underway. Thursday's ACC v. ACC card includes Louisville hosting Syracuse, #7 Florida State at #11 Miami and #2 Notre Dame travelling to North Carolina State.  The FSU vs. Canes game should be a real doozy...maybe a slight edge to Miami at home...so should Syracuse coming to Louisville. We give the Cards an edge in that one, too. Notre Dame may get a tough test from the Wolfpack...but we see the Irish smiling at the end of this one. 

The national rankings are from the AP polls. The USA Coaches polls are slightly different. I usually go with the AP rankings...unless, of course, the Cards are ranked higher in the USA version. Yes, I am a blatant homer. In the fictitious Paulie polls, I wouldn't have Syracuse ranked. They lost to Drexel. Seriously? I also believe that Virginia Tech will take a bit of beating when they stop playing the Presbyterians, Gardner-Webb's and Bowling Green's of college women's basketball and line up against FSU, Louisville, Notre Dame and Duke. I will give the Hokies credit for wins over Tennessee, Auburn and Nebraska, though. 

So...who are my top five as of 12/28? 

No one can collar Collier at UConn

1) UConn. Someway, somehow they manage to keep dwarfing the rest of women's college basketball. I think DNA testing and surveillance needs to be implemented.
2) Notre Dame. They lost to UConn. They've handled everyone else. Good enough for me.
3) Maryland. They haven't lost yet. The Cards tossed a scare into them. A front line as good as South Carolina's and productive guards.
4) Florida State. They lost to UConn also. With a healthy Romero and Thomas,, Slaughter, White, James, Brown and Conde they can come at you from a lot of angles. 
5) South Carolina. I'm not sure how Duke managed to beat them...but they certainly have handled everyone else so far. Wilson, Coates and Davis an unstoppable power trio. 

Who's hot in the league? 

Syracuse's Alexis Peterson is averaging 22.9 ppg, fifth best in the nation. Rebecca Greenwell (Duke) checks in at 20.5 and Stephanie Watts (UNC) has a 19.8 scoring average per game.

Milan Quinn (Wake Forest) leads the ACC in rebounding with 9.8 grabs a game. She's the only ACC player averaging 9.0 or better. 

Lindsay Allen (Notre Dame) is the leading ACC assist creator with 7.1. Peterson is second with 6.6. Mariya's sister, Minyon Moore, has 5.5 a game for USC. 

Oderah Chidom (Duke) is atop the conference block party with 2.7 a game (32). Virginia's Felicia Alyeotan is next with 28.

Chanette Hicks (Va Tech) leads the nation in steals with 60...a solid five a game.
Peterson is #17 in the nation with 3.2. Minyon is doing pretty good here as well with 36...or 3.3 a contest. 

This Bison has buckets! 

Briana Day (Syracuse) has the highest shooting percentage (60%) in the ACC...with Brianna Turner (Notre Dame) right behind her at 57.4%.

Louisville's Asia Durr is second in the nation with 48 threes made. Taylor Thunstedt (North Dakota St.) has made 52 in 13 games. Watts and Greenwell chase Asia in-conference with 43 and 40 respectively. 

362 days till christmas! 
paulie
xxxxx