Softball Splits with UNC to earn #6 seed -- LAX left out of NCAA Tournament -- NCAA Women's Golf Today -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUIPLE

 

CARDINAL SOFTBALL SPLITS WITH UNC -- GETS #6 SEED IN ACC TOURNAMENT

(Today's article is a bit late this morning -- it helps to actually publish it after writing it. I stroll hand-in-hand with senility...what day it is?) 

The University of Louisville softball squad split their Mothers Day doubleheader in Chapel Hill yesterday against the North Carolina squad and, by doing so, got the #6 seed and a first round bye in the ACC Tournament that starts Wednesday at Ulmer Stadium.  

It was a bit of a confusing scenario as play started Sunday morning against the Tar Heels. UNC was battling just to make the 10-team ACC Tournament and the Cards were looking to move up to sixth place in the standings and not have to play in opening round action Wednesday.

Both squads got what they wanted. 

As Jeff lined out in yesterday's CARDINAL COUPLE article, a split in Sunday game might get Louisville in the sixth spot, a sweep definitely would, and dropping two would keep the Cards in seventh place. 

How Louisville got the second game win is the big story here.

The Cards found themselves trailing UNC 3-2 going into the top of the seventh inning. They responded, though, with three key hits and two UNC errors allowed Louisville to put together a five-run half of the inning to take a 7-3 lead/ 

It began with Jenna Servi reaching on a single. She advanced to second on Taryn Weddle's sacrifice bunt -- and Weddle was safe on the play as well due to an error. That set the stage for Celene Funke, and the graduate senior smashed a double that brought both base runners home and put Louisville back into the lead at 4-3. "Funk" proceeded to steal third and then came home on a fielder's choice by Carmyn Greenwood. The TarHeels tried to get Funke out at home, but failed -- so Greenwood was safe at first and it was 5-3 Cards.

Louisville was not done with the late-game fireworks yet. 

Maddy Newman reached on a fielding error and then Taylor Roby a walk off UNC pitcher Brittany Pickett. The bags were full of Cards for Charley Butler. A wild pitch from Pickett brought Greenwood home to make it 6-3 and then Butler's single plated Newman to increase the lead to 7-3. 

All the Cards had to do was keep the TarHeels under four runs in the bottom of the seventh to get the win and they did so. Jen Leonhardt struck out the first UNC batter she faced and then a ground out to Newman at second and fly out to Butler in right created a 1-2-3 inning and Louisville had won the final game, and also the sixth seed in the Tournament. 

It was a nice redemption for losing the first game, which started at the yawning, second cup of coffee time of 10 a.m. The Cards fell behind 5-1 to UNC, Louisville rallied to tie it in the fifth inning with four runs, but UNC responded with a go-ahead run in the bottom of the fifth and then teed off on UofL for three insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth for a 9-5, first game win. 

So, the Cards get #3 seed Duke in the ACC Tournament for second-round action in a contest scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Thursday night. UNC sneaks in by for the final spot in the tournament and will face in-state rival #7 seed NC State Wednesday. 

Clemson is the top seed, followed by FSU, then Duke and Virginia Tech round out the top four.

LAX LEFT OUT OF NCAA TOURNAMENT

Louisville Lacrosse hoped to hear their name called last night, as one of the 29 teams to participate in the NCAA Lacrosse Championships. but, it was not to be. 

The ACC earned an automatic bid  (UNC) and five at-large bids (Notre Dame, Virginia, Syracuse, Boston College and Duke) but Louisville (and Virginia Tech) were left out of the 14 teams that got at-large berths. 

OK. 29 is a weird number, first of all. Why not just go 32 schools and have a normal bracket set-up, with eight schools a region? The Cards, who were squarely on the bubble, surely would have made that -- and the inclusion of at-large Hofstra (6-6) and Rutgers (6-8) over the Cards raises a few eyebrows here. Especially Rutgers, who was 6-8 and had an RPI of #54. Louisville 5-11 had an RPI of #29. 

Disappointing for sure, but still a good season for Scott Teeter's crew against the very best in the top lacrosse conference in DI -- the ACC.  There are 15 conferences in DI Lax and each got an automatic bid. 

The NCAA needs to use some common sense for once in their thinking and set-up a logical 32-team bracket for Lacrosse (and, for that matter -- Field Hockey, as well).  They can use the "COVID excuse" all they want for the weird tournament numbers -- but a Cardinal team that, in all likelihood, could have beaten half the automatic qualifiers that got in...got left out. 

Ridiculous. 

NCAA WOMEN'S GOLF REGIONAL IN SIMPSONVILLE

UofL Golf Club in Simpsonville is one of four sites for the 2021 NCAA Women's Golf Championships and the University of Louisville women's golf squad will participate as the #12 seed. 

18 squads come to the Louisville Regional and the top six, plus the top three individual golfers, advance to the NCAA Championships from each region. 

Action started early this morning out in Simpsonville, and after three holes, the Cards are tied for third at even par with Auburn.  The three-day event ends May 12th. 

Best of luck to our Cardinal chip and putt specialists!  

Have a marvelous Monday! 

paulie

Lacrosse falls to #8 Duke 12-10 -- WSOC vs Volunteers Cancelled -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

FRIDAYS WITH DARYL 

 

Good morning Louisville fans, 

   

Not a lot of great news this morning as we've seen a loss on the lacrosse front, a cancellation for the women's soccer program and softball schedule has another shake-up in their jam-packed week of operation. I'll make it a quick one to keep you up to date on the latest from Louisville women's sports front. At least Scott Teeter was bright, festive and styling. 

LACROSSE

The #15 ranked Cards fell for a second time at Cardinal Stadium in three weeks, again to a team from North Carolina, this time the #8 ranked Duke Blue Devils.  It was a strong defensive effort for UofL as the team forced 14 turnovers but the Cards were unable to overpower Duke and fell 12-10 Thursday night.  

The Cards were outscored 7-6 in the first half, 5-4 in the second.  After a quick two goals scored by Duke, they went scoreless for almost 17 minutes as the Cards went on a 5-0 run.  Duke then went on a 5-0 run of their own to make it 7-5.  The Cards were led by Ally Hall with 3 goals and an assist.  Its the Cards fifth loss in the last six matches.  Duke had two players who scored three goals, Katie Cronin and Eva Greco. It was Greco's first goals of the season.

"It was a good lacrosse game, it was a game of runs as both teams battled back to take leads," said head coach Scott Teeter. "We had opportunities down the stretch, but unfortunately their goalie made some key saves and she won them the game."

HERE ARE ALL OF TEETER'S COMMENTS IN HIS POST GAME PRESSER WITH PAULIE:     SCOTT TEETER POST DUKE 4/8/21

Rachel Florek finished the game with nine saves and a .429 save percentage. Duke goalkeeper Sophia LeRose had 14 saves, 13 of which came in the second half.  The Cardinals' aggressive defense led to 14 caused turnovers, while Duke had just four, but draw controls weighed heavily in the Blue Devils' favor, 19-5.

Louisville continues its three-game home stand as Syracuse comes to UofL Lacrosse Stadium for the first of two meetings on Friday, April 16 at 3 p.m. ET.

WOMEN'S SOCCER

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – University of Louisville women's soccer announced today that its home match against Tennessee on Saturday has been canceled.
The cancellation is "due to a lack of available players for Tennessee" and the match will not be made up.

Louisville concludes the spring portion of the schedule against Wake Forest in Johnson City, Tenn., on Saturday, April 17 at 12 p.m. ET.

SOFTBALL

Due to persistent rain in the forecast in the Atlanta area, the University of Louisville softball game at Georgia Tech has been moved to 11 a.m. after originally being slated for a 4 p.m. start.

The Cardinals (13-15, 7-10 ACC) are currently ninth in the ACC standings while the Yellow Jackets (10-18, 4-14) are 12th.
• Louisville has won three of their last four games after taking a four-game ACC road series at Pittsburgh.
• Carmyn Greenwood leads the team and stands second in the ACC with a .437 batting average. She also leads the way with eight doubles, 17 runs, seven stolen bases and 13 multi-hit games.

Scouting the Yellow Jackets: Georgia Tech (10-18, 4-14 ACC) has been idle since March 26 when they beat Middle Tennessee 10-1. The Jackets' ACC series with North Carolina was postponed due to COVID-19 protocols within the UNC program and then weather conditions cause the postponement of the series at Syracuse.
• Georgia Tech is led offensively by Tricia Awald who is hitting .402 with seven home runs. Cameron Stanford has belted out five home runs and a team-best 25 RBIs.
• Madison McPherson (2-5) carries a 3.77 ERA with 28 strikeouts in 65.0 innings of work. Blake Neleman has registered a team-high 48 Ks in 33.0 innings.

WNBA jersey unveiling

 

Have you seen these things yet?? I'm very excited about these new jerseys unveiled by the WNBA Thursday.  Each organization has 3 versions of the team name to represent different ideals.  “Explorer” “Rebel” as well as the the majority-white “Heroine” jerseys.  I can't wait to see which one of these kits Dana Evans will don next year.   What I really have my eye on is one of those Angel McCoughtry Aces jerseys though.  Perhaps next payday...

The players around the league are also excited... Here's some of the former Cards words... 

Have a great Friday, folks.  Go Cards!!

~Daryl

Lax Tonight -- Softball Postponed -- Swim News -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 Lacrosse Hosts Duke

For the second time this season, Louisville Lacrosse will play a match under the lights of Cardinal Stadium. Another blue team from the state of North Carolina ranked in the Top 10 will take on the Cards at Louisville's football stadium.

#8 Duke will square off against Louisville at 7:00 p.m. The Blue Devils are 6-5 on the year with a 2-5 conference record. They ride a three-match losing streak into tonight with all losses coming against Top 10 ACC opponents.

Their conference wins have come against #18 Virginia Tech and #9 Virginia. Duke is averaging 13.7 goals per match on the year while they allow just under 11 goals per match.

Senior Katie Cronin has led Duke with 23 goals and is second on the team with eight assists. Fifth-year Catherine Cordrey has 20 goals. Grad transfer Gabby Rosenzweig has a team-high 18 assists to go along with 17 goals. Rosenzweig played four years at Penn where she set the school record for career points and single season assists.

Duke has rotated their goalkeepers with a trial and error basis. Sophia LeRose has appeared in nine matches and started seven while allowing 78 goals to go along with 58 saves. Chase Henriquez has played in eight matches and started four while allowing 41 goals to go with 20 saves. Stephanie Zempolich has filled in in a couple matches to record two saves while allowing one goal.

For the Cards, Ally Hall leads the way with 27 goals. That mark is also fifth-best in the ACC. Hannah Morris has scored 21 times while Carolina Blalock has added 20 goals. Blalock also has a team high 10 assists.

Rachel Florek has allowed 125 goals while recording 103 saves per GoCards.com. The NCAA only has the senior with 102 saves, putting her seventh in the country. If credited with 103, she would be in a tie for fifth. Florek ranks 27th in saves per game.

Louisville hopes to get their second ever win against Duke. You can catch this one on ACC Network starting at 7:00 p.m.

Softball News

Louisville was all geared up to host rival Kentucky last night for a match-up that was circled on the schedule from day one. Mother Nature had other plans.

The game was set to start at 7:00. Thunderstorms rolled in shortly before 6:30 and a tarp was placed on the field. Then came the downpour. Fans were sent to their cars or the Student Activities Center for safety measures as lightning struck overhead.

Things looked promising around 7:45 as the sun reappeared and the rain died down, but a quick meeting between the coaches and facilities crew left fans disappointed. With more storms quickly approaching and the Cards preparing for an early morning bus ride to Atlanta it was decided to postpone the game to an unspecified date.

There is speculation the two foes will play a double header on April 21 when the Cards were already scheduled to travel to Lexington. Many fans would prefer to still see one of these games hosted at Ulmer Stadium due to the limited seating from social distancing guidelines.

Softball did see some good news in Carmyn Greenwood. The elder Greenwood sister was named ACC Player of the Week.

Greenwood went off during Louisville's series victory at Pitt. She went 11-15 at the plate with six doubles. She also had five RBI's and five runs scored. Her on-base percentage was an incredible .750. Greenwood leads the team with a .437 batting average, eight doubles, 17 runs scored, and seven stolen bases.

Swim News

Both Arthur Albiero and Nick Albiero received ACC accolades. Coach Albiero was named ACC Men's Coach of the Year while his some was named ACC Swimmer of the Year.

The Louisville's men's swim team won their first ever ACC Championship this year. The men also recorded two NCAA Championships including Nick Albiero's 200 butterfly.

The fall season should pick up around November and the father-son duo shall return.

Happy Thursday and Go Cards!

Jared

WBB Accolades - SB hosts #23/25 Clemson - Lacrosse loses to #1 UNC 19-7; FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

FRIDAYS WITH DARYL

Good morning Louisville fans! 

A few things to look forward to this upcoming weekend and a recap of Thursday night's lacrosse match with North Carolina on ACC Network prime time.  It should be a nice weekend ahead for some outdoor events! Take your TVs outside if you're tuning in for the tournaments.  I'm doing my best to avoid them unless it's the in the Cards interest.  The gang is pressuring me to fill out a bracket... still not convinced. 

Let's get right to it... 

Evans Named Finalist for Naismith Women’s Trophy

The Atlanta Tipoff Club announced today that University of Louisville senior guard Dana Evans is one of four finalists for the 2021 Jersey Mike's Naismith Women's Trophy, symbolic of the most prestigious individual honor in college basketball.

She is joined on the list by Kentucky junior Rhyne Howard, a 2020 finalist, UConn freshman Paige Bueckers and South Carolina sophomore Aliyah Boston.

Dana Evans, Louisville

-- The senior forward leads the ACC in scoring at 20.0 points per game.
Evans has scored 20 or more points in 17 games.
-- She has scored in double figures in 25 of 26 games played this season, including 40 straight games, the longest streak at Louisville in 20 years.
-- Named ACC Player of the Year for the second consecutive season, Evans became only the ninth player in league history to accomplish the feat.
-- She made 92% of her free throw attempts, leading the ACC and ranking fifth nationally.
-- Only player in UofL program history to win four regular season conference championships.

Aliyah Boston, South Carolina

-- Boston led the Gamecocks in rebounds (11.7) and blocks (2.8) this season and averaged 13.7 points per game.
-- The sophomore forward led the team in double-doubles (15).
-- Boston made the 2021 All-SEC First Team for the second straight season and was named to the SEC All-Defensive team for her dominant defensive performance throughout the 2021 season
-- She earned SEC Tournament MVP honors for her 27-point, 10-rebound performance.
-- In addition to her finalist ranking, she is a semifinalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award.

Paige Bueckers, UConn

-- Bueckers became the second BIG EAST player to win both the Freshman of the Year and Player of the Year awards (Maya Moore, 2008).
-- She had the highest single game scoring total by a UConn freshman since 2007 with 32 points.
-- The freshman forward was the first player in program history to have three straight 30-point games.
-- Her 14 assists against Butler rank as the single-game high in the history of the program.
-- Bueckers led UConn to both regular season and tournament championships in the BIG EAST.

Rhyne Howard, Kentucky

-- Howard averaged 20.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game this season.
-- The junior guard became the Wildcats all-time leader in three categories: points (455), rebounds (160) and assists (78).
-- She led the SEC in assists (54) and blocks (14).
-- Named 2021 SEC Player of the Year for the second year in a row, Howard became one of two players in program history to earn multiple player of the year honors.
-- She was also named to the 2021 All-SEC First Team for the third straight season and the SEC All-Tournament team for the second year in a row.

Norman Named WBCA Division I Assistant Coach of the Year

(from gocards.com ) 

The Assistant Coach of the Year award originated in 2016 and is presented annually.

ATLANTA — The Women's Basketball Coaches Association announced today that University of Louisville women's basketball associate head coach Stephanie Norman has been named the 2021 Division I Assistant Coach of the Year.

The WBCA Assistant Coach of the Year award is presented to one associate head coach or assistant coach in each membership division who demonstrates commitment to their program, their student-athletes and their head coach; their impact coaching on court; their mentorship and impact on other coaches; and their professional manner and attitude.

Norman, in her 14th year at Louisville and her ninth as associate head coach, has served on the Cardinals' staff since the hiring of head coach Jeff Walz. She has helped the Cardinals to a 382-107 overall record since the 2007 season. In that time she has aided Louisville to nine Sweet 16 appearances, five Elite Eight appearances, and three Final Four appearances, including a pair of national championship contests. Norman has been instrumental in the Cardinals' recruiting efforts, helping sign the No. 1 class of 2015 that featured three McDonald's All-Americans; helped pen the No. 6 freshman class in 2016, the No. 4 class in 2017 and the No. 5 class in 2020.

"I would like to thank Danielle Donehew, the WBCA and my colleagues and peers for this amazing award," said Norman. "I would like to thank all of the coaches that I have worked with, including head coach Jeff Walz, who I have worked with the past 14 seasons, as these coaches have been extremely instrumental in my growth, my success and my enjoyment of the game. I would also like to thank the players, it's because of them that we've been lucky enough to have success. Finally, I'd like to thank my family, my parents who always encouraged me to chase my dreams, my husband Geoff and my children Parker and Cassidy."

Softball Opens series with Tigers this weekend

The Cards will play their eighth straight home game in the first ever series opener with Clemson on

Friday at 7 p.m.

• Louisville (9-7, 3-2 ACC) brings a three-game win streak into the weekend.
• UofL is 3-2 in ACC play and stands sixth in the conference.
• The Cardinals are 6-1 at Ulmer Stadium in 2021.

Taylor Roby leads the team with a .419 batting average, five home runs and has driven in 20. She stands tied for second in the ACC in RBI. Roby has also produced a team-best six multi-hit games and multi-RBI games. Roby is on an eight-game hitting streak and has reached safely via a hit or walk in the last nine games.

• The Tigers are 16-2 overall and stand second in the ACC with an 8-2 conference mark.
• Clemson is currently on a 13-game win streak, most recently sweeping Furman in a three-game series last weekend.   

Marissa Guimbarda leads the Tigers with a .447 batting average, an ACC-best 21 RBIs and six home runs on the season. Valerie Cagle (10-1) has shouldered much of the pitching load, logging 65.2 innings and 14 appearances. The freshman has registered 63 strikeouts and is holding opponents to a .214 batting average. She has also helped her own cause at the plate, standing second on the team with four home runs and 13 RBIs.

LACROSSE loses under the lights 19-7 to #1 UNC Tarheels

UNC's Jamie Ortega had her way with 7 goals for the Heels on the night earning a hat trick less than 10 minutes into the first half. Louisville was lead offensively by Alex McNichols and Ally Hall was two each. UNC was fast.. scoring with about a minute off the clock to start.. Louisville matched before allowing the Tarheels to go on a 7-0 run taking a 10-4 into the halftime break. 

The Louisville defense gave up another UNC run allowing 6 straight goals in the second half. The Cards move to 4-3 on the season. Were there some positives to be taken away from this one?? I think Paulie and the guys could come up with something for Saturday's podcast and Coach Teeter outlined a few in his post-game comments.

Jared was out at Cardinal Stadium for the event, braving the cold wind for some quality shots down on the field that I'm sure will be shared once his fingers have thawed out enough to edit. Perhaps no editing will be required since the reason for at hosting Cardinal Stadium was for lighting purposes. :) Perhaps he's just that good by now anyways! I always enjoy his action shots!

Paulie spoke with Louisville LAX head coach after the match. You can hear that interview at the link below: 

LINK:  SCOTT TEETER POST GAME UNC 3/18/21

CARDINAL COUPLE NCAA PICK "EM" 

So, how are your bracket picks going?  We have this in from our Bracket Czar Jared: 

We have a total of nine bracket picks in so far. Entries from David Watson, Kenny Schneider, Paulie, Sonya, Blue Lou, Joe Hill, Nole Knowledge, Arthur and NickO. 

A reminder that we are offering your choice of a $25 Gift Card to either Subway or Raisin' Canes to the winner and second place gets the card that the winner didn't choose. 

Here's three games that are a real debacle;  

1) North Carolina vs. Alabama. So far, we have six participants selecting #10 seed UNC over #7 seed Alabama out of our nine entries. A strong ACC favoritism here. 

2) Michigan vs. Florida Gulf Coast. #11 seed FGCU is getting a lot of lot from our participants so far and has a 6-3 advantage in picks over #6 seed Michigan. No love for Ann Arbor? 

3) Wake Forest vs. Oklahoma State. #8 vs #9 matchups are normally a tough choice but our participants so far are in love with Jen Hoover's Demon Deacons, the #9 seed over the O.S.U squad with a 5-4 margin. Jeff Walz stated last week he fully expected Wake to get in and possibly win a few games. Can they shoot down the Cowboys? 

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

I won't be on the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast Saturday, as I will be out covering Ulmer action for the new series with Clemson softball this weekend.  My 'Final thoughts' would be that I am very much looking forward to the CARDS WBB first round matchup with Marist on Monday night. Let's do this thing CARDS!! 


Have a great weekend!
~Daryl

HAPPY ST. PATRICKS DAY! -- LACROSSE NEWS -- FIELD HOCKEY #2 -- PICK EM' -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY 

Tis a day for the wearing of the green, lasses and laddies, as we celebrate St. Patrick's Day. 

Although the celebrations and parades and such will be a bit tempered today because of the pandemic, St. Patrick's Day always reminds me that we are getting ready to enjoy the sheer madness of March Madness and to raise a cup o' cheer ! 

As my late father used to say, "Let's raise one to all of those who wish us well. The rest of you can go to hell." 

They've closed the establishment that I normally spend time at on St. Paddy's Day, alas, but here's wishing the luck of the Irish to all today. Erin Go Bragh!  to one and all on this 17th day of March. May the sun shine down upon ya, and may ya safely be in heaven a half and hour before the devil knows your dead !  We're all Irish today and "slainte" to one and all ! 

LACROSSE PREPARES FOR #1 UNC

Let's hope the "Luck of the Irish" are with #15 Louisville's Lacrosse student-athletes tomorrow, as they bring in #1 North Carolina for an evening match.  Big things afoot for this one, as the two squads will face off under the lights at football's Cardinal Stadium. 

This won't be a leisurely walk-in-the park for the LAXCards.  UNC is #1 for a reason. They bring in the best, recruit the best and play the best. They travelled to Blacksburg, VA for their first road game of the season and cooked the Gobblers 22-1. 

UNC is 7-0 on the season and have already won three ACC matches -- with victories over Duke (13-6), Boston College (21-9) and Virginia Tech. They've also downed Florida (11-5), Stony Brook (14-7), High Point (19-5) and Vandy (17-6). no one has posted double digits on the TarHeels yet and Jamie Ortega has netted 27 goals and 12 assists this season so far. 

Admission is free for this one and Jared will elaborate more on this match in his  Thursday column. I did catch up with the incredibly busy Scott Teeter yesterday and got his thoughts on the game, the seasons so far and what remains for the 4-2 Cards.  You can hear thaat interview at the link below: 

LINK:  INTERVIEW WITH SCOTT TEETER 3/16/21

FIELD HOCKEY CLIMBS TO #2 

With a 10-3 overall mark and recent 2-1 win over Virginia, the Louisville Field Hockey squad finds themselves at #2 in the nation in the most recent NFHCA poll. 

The Cards will travel to face #20 Miami (OH) on Monday, March 22nd.  In this split fall/spring schedules, Louisville is 2-1 since they came back -- with wins over Ball State (5-0) , the previously mentioned win over the Cavaliers and a 2-1 loss at North Carolina. 

If it involves a stick, the TarHeels seem to be pretty decent -- tKaren Shelton's squad is #1 in the poll. All seven ACC school that play Field Hockey are ranked in the top 15 in the nation. Behind the Heels and Cards are Syracuse at #8, Duke at #12, Wake Forest at #13, Virginia at #14 and Boston College at #15.  Talk about a power-house conference. 

Five games remain on the spring schedule before the ACC Championships at Chapel Hill, the Cards will entertain Syracuse and Wake Forest in April at Trager Stadium and go to Miami (OH), Duke and Boston College. 

CARDINAL COUPLE NCAA PICK 'EM CONTEST

You have until Sunday noon to get in your Picks for the Cardinal Couple NCAA WBB Pick 'Em Contest. 

I've dove deep into the prize chest and come up with $25 Gift Cards to either Subway or Raisin' Canes for the winner, the second place finisher gets what the winner doesn't want. 

In keeping with full disclosure and tradition,  I am releasing my picks right here in today's column. Use them as a guide on WHAT NOT TO DO, or get a good laugh from them. I will say that I feel this year's tournament is the widest open affair that we've seen in several years and there is no clear favorite to win the crown. 

I had my first shot of COVID vaccine yesterday, a couple of Black and Tan's last night and a shot of Jameson's during the selection process. Besides a sore arm and slightly hung-over demeanor, I am alert, typing and chugging coffee this morning. 

THE PAULIE READ 'EM AND WEEP PICKS: 

FIRST ROUND:  STANFORD, WAKE FOREST, MISSOURI STATE, ARKANSAS, OREGON, GEORGIA, NORTHWESTERN, LOUISVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA, FLORIDA STATE, GEORGIA TECH, WEST VIRGINIA, TEXAS, UCLA, ALABAMA, MARYLAND,

 CONNECTICUT, SYRACUSE, IOWA, KENTUCKY, MICHIGAN, TENNESSEE, VIRGINIA TECH, BAYLOR, NC STATE,  SOUTH FLORIDA, GONZAGA, INDIANA, BYU, ARIZONA, IOWA STATE, TEXAS A&M 

SWEET SIXTEEN:  STANFORD, ARKANSAS, OREGON, LOUISVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA, GEORGIA TECH, TEXAS, MARYLAND, CONNECTICUT, KENTUCKY, MICHIGAN, BAYLOR, NC STATE, INDIANA, ARIZONA, TEXAS A&M. 

GREAT EIGHT:   STANFORD, LOUISVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA, MARYLAND, CONNECTICUT, BAYLOR, NC STATE, TEXAS A&M 

FINAL FOUR:  LOUISVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA, CONNECTICUT, NC STATE

TERRIFIC TWO:  SOUTH CAROLINA, CONNECTICUT

CHAMP:  CONNECTICUT

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY! 

paulie

NCAA Tournament -- Lacrosse Rankings -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 Louisville Named 2-Seed in NCAA Tournament

Unlike the men's side, where Louisville fans had to sweat out if the Cards would go dancing (spoiler: they're not), the women's team was waiting to see what seed they would end up being. The Cards were announced as a 2-seed, making them one of the top eight teams.

The Cards are in the Alamo Region, which has Stanford as its 1-seed. The other top teams in the region include 3-seed Georgia and 4-seed Arkansas.

Louisville is one of eight ACC teams to find themselves dancing. No other conference had more than seven teams. The list of ACC teams includes 1-seed NC State, 2-seed Louisville, 5-seed Georgia Tech, 7-seed North Carolina, 7-seed Virginia Tech, 8-seed Syracuse, 9-seed Florida State, and 9-seed Wake Forest. Notre Dame did not make the cut. They were the third team of the first four out joining Houston, DePaul, and Oklahoma.

The SEC had seven teams announced highlighted by 1-seed South Carolina and 2-seed Texas A&M. The Big Ten also had seven teams in with Maryland as the top team as a 2-seed. The Pac-12 has six teams dancing with Stanford being a 1-seed and the top overall seed. The Big 12 has five teams in with 2-seed Baylor as their top team. UConn is the other 1-seed.

Our friends to the east down I-64 are also dancing. Kentucky was named a 4-seed in the River Walk Region with UConn being the 1-seed.

Let's take a moment to look at more teams in the Alamo Region and some potential match-ups the Cards may have.

Louisville will open the tournament against 15-seed Marist. Marist College is a private liberal arts college based in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. They're located about halfway between New York City and Albany. Enrollment is roughly 6,600 students.

Marist went 18-3 overall and used a 13-3 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) record to win the regular season. The Red Foxes went on to win the MAAC Tournament by defeating Saint Peters 69-30 in the championship to earn an automatic qualifying bid. Feel free to share this paragraph with a certain CJ writer who asked Coach Walz what Marist's mascot is.

Marist is averaging 63.6 points per game and shot .416 from the field on the year. The Red Foxes profited off turnovers this season by forcing 13.7 turnovers per game and converting that into 15.3 points off turnovers. They allow 50.1 ppg. 

Their head coach is Brian Giorgis. Giorgis has been at Marist since 2002 and has dominated the MAAC since then. He is 461-166 overall at the helm. This is the Red Foxes' 12th NCAA Tournament appearance since 2002. Giorgis is also believed to be the first coach in men's or women's basketball to reach 400 wins as both a high school coach and college coach. Coach Walz mentioned he's also a big lover of Diet Coke and usually keeps a cup of it under his chair during games.

Assuming Louisville wins their first round game they'll go up against the winner of 7-seed Northwestern and 10-seed UCF. Northwestern is based out of Evanston, Ill., and was an at-large bid out of the Big Ten with a 15-8 record. The Wildcats fell to Maryland in the Big Ten semifinals. UCF is based out of Orlando, Fla., went 16-4 and was an at-large bid out of the AAC. They fell to South Florida in the AAC Championship.

The favorite in the Alamo Region is 1-seed Stanford. The Cardinal (no "S") went 25-2 overall this year with a 19-2 mark in the Pac-12. Stanford won their conference in the regular season and tournament to earn the automatic bid.

A potential dark horse would be 11-seed South Dakota. The Coyotes- not to be confused with South Dakota State Jackrabbits- went 19-5 on the year and went 12-2 in the Summit League to take the regular season title. South Dakota then went on to went their conference tournament winning by an average margin of 24 points.

The Cards and Red Foxes will play on Monday, March 22 at 8:00 p.m. ESPN will have the coverage. 

We will have plenty more NCAA Tournament coverage for the next several days and ongoing for a few weeks.

Jeff Walz and Dana Evans had a presser after the Selection Show and you can check those out here: 

JEFF WALZ 3/15/21 PRESSER

DANA EVANS 3/15/21 PRESSER

CARDINAL COUPLE NCAA Pick Em

64 teams. 63 games. Do you research, flip your coin, pick your favorite mascot, whatever helps you pick your teams. Just make sure to get your entries submitted before Monday/ March 21 at noon.

Each correct pick equals one point. There are not more points for later rounds.

COVID-19 raises the question of what would happen if a team has to bow out due to positive tests. After a bit of discussion between the Cardinal Couple staff we have come to a conclusion. If a team loses because they have to forfeit it will count as a loss. If a team advances because their opponent has to forfeit then it will count as a victory.

For example, Male High School and Manual High School are set to play but Manual cannot play due to a positive COVID-19 case and Male advances. If you picked Manual, it will just count as a loss. If you picked Male, you will be awarded a point on your bracket.

Feel free to add your comments directly to our daily articles or email us at eupherjared@gmail.com and cardinalcouple@twc.com.

Lacrosse Moves Up in Rankings

Another win helped Louisville lacrosse continue moving up the polls. They are now #15 in the IL Poll. US Lacrosse Magazine put the Cards at #17 and IWLCA has them listed as #19.

Louisville is 4-2 on the year and is on a two-game win streak and have won three of their last four matches.

The Cards host #1 North Carolina on Thursday night at 7:00 p.m. You can catch this one on ACC Network.

We have gotten word of some cool news that Louisville Lacrosse will be playing the match at Football's Cardinal Stadium.  Paulie has a interview planned with Lax head coach Scott Teeter later today about the historic event and will run it in his Wednesday article. 

Happy Tuesday and Go Cards!

Jared

Lax Cruises Past Cincinnati -- ACC Pick Em -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 Lacrosse Cruises Past Cincinnati

It was an easy day for the Louisville lacrosse team as they had no trouble dismantling Cincinnati 13-5.

Louisville, who is ranked #25 in the latest poll, improves to 2-1 on the year. They also improve their record against the Bearcats to 14-0 all-time dating back to when UofL formed a team in 2008.

"I'm really happy with the win. I thought our defense played lights out, but on offense we have some things we need to improve on," said Coach Scott Teeter. "Rachel Florek was a rock in net for us again, which gave us the opportunity to get the win."

Florek recorded 15 saves on the day, just two shy of her career-high and program record which she set against Michigan and Virginia Tech last year. The senior keeper is up to 38 saves on the year.

The record number of saves in a season is 194, set by Brittany Read in 2017. Florek's average of 9.33 saves per game would put her at 140 on the year, assuming the Cards play every game scheduled. 140 would put her fourth in a season.

Her 246 career saves are already fourth in program history. The record is held by Read, who recorded a whopping 323 goals in her career. She is currently on pace to top that.

Hannah Morris recorded a hat trick to power the offense. She is tied for second on the team with six this season  Louisville was quick to put a number on the scoreboard. Bella Karstein found the back of the net just 40 seconds in for her first of two goals on the day. It was part of a 5-0 run over the first 12:10 of the match.

The Bearcats scored their first goal on an unassisted shot with 4:17 remaining in the first half, but the Cards held the 5-1 advantage when the clock went to 00:00.

The second half broight more of a see-saw scoring as the first six goals were traded off between the Cards and Bearcats with Louisville starting the scoring 89 seconds into the half. Cincinnati cut the Louisville lead to just three with 14:27 remaining in the match. Scott Teeter got a time out, a play was set, it worked and the Cards answered by closing out the match the same way they started it- a 5-0 run.

In all, eight Cards recorded a goal. Freshman Bella Karstien added two, early in the match, Caroline Blalock has two, Ally Hall was good for two. Freshman Kokoro Nakazawa got her first collegiate score, Allegra Catalano, Paige Richbourg and Kylea Dobson all had a goal each as well. 

Louisville won the draw control battle 10-9, but got beat on the ground balls 25-20. 

Paulie continues to have interference problems with his laptop, so he conducted the post-game interview with Teeter and Hannah Morris via cell phone. We'll see if it gets posted. 

The Cards head to #9 Virginia on Saturday to start a three-game road trip. They return home for a Thursday night game under the lights on March 18.

ACC Tournament Pick Em

Don't forget to submit your bracket if you have not already done so. The ACC Tournament begins Wednesday at 2:00 p.m., so if your bracket hasn't been submitted by then it will not count.

Options of entry include posting in the comments section or emailing us at either eupherjared@gmail.com or cardinalcouple@twc.com.

As of  8:45 p.m. yesterday I have 10 entries: Curtis, Louavulfan35, Kenneth Stark Sr, Paulie, David Watson, Joe Hill, Nick O, Vivian McAdams, Ramblin' Eric, and Kenny Schneider, in that order.

Kenny's Picks are listed below:

Wednesday: Boston College

Thursday: North Carolina, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Notre Dame

Friday: Louisville, Florida State, North Carolina State, Notre Dame

Saturday: Louisville, North Carolina State

Sunday: Louisville

If you submitted an entry already and I did not mention it above please let me know. I don't want to miss anybody's entry, especially if you end up being the winner!

I haven't finished my studying and research but will add mine to today's comments section later on. The rest of the Cardinal Couple Crew in Worldwide, Case, Daryl, and Sonya will also have their picks ready by Wednesday.

As a reminder with the scoring, it is one point for every correct pick, Wins in later rounds do not count for extra points. The maximum number of possible points is 12.

Happy Tuesday and Go Cards!

Jared