Basketball TV Schedule Announced -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Women's Basketball TV Schedule Announced

Louisville women's basketball announced its tv schedule. Of the 30 regular season games, 18 are slated to be on national television. Five of those games are slated for ESPN/ESPN2/ABC.

The Cards open up the season at home against Cincinnati, which will be viewable on ACC Network. When UofL takes on Ohio State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge to close out November, ACC Network will be the host station again.

The Battle for the Bluegrass at Rupp Arena this year will command the ESPN spotlight. Remember the last sport that Louisville and Kentucky faced each other in? A certain UofL squad went to Memorial Coliseum and won in five sets on ESPN.

FS1 will be the host station when Louisville and DePaul square off right before Christmas.

Louisville opens conference play against Pitt, which you can catch on ACC Network. Most of the ACC schedule will be mixed between one of the ESPN channels, ACC Network, and the regional sports network. For UofL games, that often falls onto Bally Sports, a network that has caused plenty of controversy recently because of its limited access for a good chunk of the fan base.

NC State will be on ABC. North Carolina will be on ESPN2. The two-game split against Notre Dame will be on ESPN. I guess the Cards vs Irish rivalry continues to draw outside interest.

Although the non-tv schedule streaming options appear to be on ACC Network Extra, road games are beyond Louisville's control.

Louisville in the Bahamas has no tv or streaming listed at this time. The games at Middle Tennessee and Bellarmine (in Freedom Hall)) also don't have tv or streaming listed.

All tv game schedules are subject to change, but assuming Louisville continues to remain a top team, there should be no concern.

Happy Thursday and Go Cards!

Jared

ACC Spring Meetings -- What's Going On?...Another leaves Rocky Top -- Wednesday Cardinal Couple

The coaches and muckity-mucks of the ACC have descended upon beautiful Amelia Island in Florida...located on the northeast coast of Florida and one of the Sea Islands...and the Ritz-Carelton for the annual spring meetings. As expcted, football and basketball is drawing most of the print and publicity. 

Roy Williams doesn't much care for this yearly con-fab and said he's leaving after day one. Football wants to tinker with the red-shirt rule. They'll also discuss the football collaborative reply rule they experimented with last year. 

The two big items to be discussed would appear to be HB2 and the future of THe ACC Network. 

HB2 is a law passed in North Carolina which, in short, mandates that transgenders must use the bathroom associated with the gender listed on their birth certificate. This bill has made the NCAA, ACC and NBA come out with the stance that their intentions were to avoid having athletic events in the state because of the discriminatory language in the bill. 

We saw the ACC women's basketball tournament moved to Conway, SC. The ACC Baseball Tournament will take place next week in Louisville, KY. The ACC is located in Greensboro. The ACC Softball and Lacrosse Tournaments remained in North Carolina. 

OK, enough potty talk...

The ACC Network is sure to be a hot topic items as well...especially in the wake of ESPN terminating around 100 people earlier this month. The key here, of course, is scheduling. The 2019 launch is still a "go", though...regardless of what bathroom the cameraman or color analyst chooses to use. 

You want to be able to present the games on your network that people want to watch. Not only in conference scheduling but also in the non-conference matchups. In all sports. 

We're not wearing blinkers or blinders here. We realize that football and men's basketball are the cash cows in any conference. Especially in the ACC. But, what about softball, lacrosse...field hockey and volleyball? Will the ACC Network do a better job than what we are seeing so far on the ACC Network Extra?

Let's go back a week. What was I able to watch on the ACC Network Extra that I was interested in? I was "blocked out" from the ACC Softball Tournament...but found it on Fox Sports South. The first round of the NCAA Lacrosse Tournament, which featured six ACC teams wasn't available on the ACC Network Extra and was a pay for view event for Louisville fans...unless you accessed it through your cell phone or tablet instead of your laptop or computer. 

I got to see the ACC women's rowing championships. Those are fun for me...but the commentators were "sweet, sunny Jesse, hog-calling awful". ACC Track and Field was available for watching as well. I missed most of that, but did catch Emmonnie Henderson's winning shot put throw. 

Louisville is sinking ACC mandated money into to improvements, upgrades and new broadcast and communications facilities on campus. Maybe they could also put bathrooms (transgender, single access unisex and/or traditional) in Ulmer Stadium and at the Louisville Lacrosse Field. Field Hockey's Trager Stadium has them...and a nearby McDonald's if you're on the other side of the stadium from the seating. Lynn Stadium and Jim Patterson have restrooms also. 

(Sorry, I keep drifting back to the bathroom in this article. At my age, it becomes important. One of the first things I do when I go to an opponent's arena, stadium of facility is make sure I know "if the loo is close to you")

And, is this ACC Network going to be something else I have to purchase and inflate my already eye-popping monthly cable, phone and internet provider's bill? I've watched the SEC Network and BIG Ten Networks. I'm impressed with a lot lot of programming on each venue. Can the ACC match or better this? Will ESPN have another round of pink slip delivery before 2019? Will they offer the current very good local ACC Network Extra announcers (like Don Russell, Daryl Foust, Christian Payne, Patty Norton, Sean Moth...etc..) a chance to call games on the ACC Network (sans Extra)?

So, at least they have convened at a pretty nice resort. $600 a night. We run Cardinal Couple on a tightly controlled budget of $1500 a year. Guess I'd be checking out after the second day. Walz and Pitino should have great weather to get in a little golf. Maybe they'll find a outdoor hoops court where Rick can show off his new no-look pass skills and play Jeff in a rousing game of "21". Jeff could show off his half-court shot. How about a pickup game of Walz, Pitino and Justine Sowry against Notre Dame's Brian Kelly, Mike Brey and Muffet McGraw? 

Women's sports will be largely ignored this week. Season tickets will probably go up slightly to cover the cost of bringing "all the boys to the convention" and wining and dining them for about a week. I doubt there will be a investigation/probe into how all 13 SEC softball teams made the NCA Tournament and Louisville didn't. And, most importantly...

Just how are the bathrooms at the Ritz-Carlton designated? Did everyone bring your birth certificates? 



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TE'A COOPER LEAVES ROCKY TOP

The sophomore guard is leaving the Vols after sitting out a season. 

Cooper's decision is unusual, considering she missed last season after undergoing knee surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate knee ligament. She suffered the injury during the summer following her freshman season. 

The 5-foot-8 point guard averaged 8.6 points, 2.1 assists and 1.2 steals while playing in 36 games during the 2015-16 season. She started 15 games.

Cooper's decision comes less than a month after fellow guard Alexa Middleton announced she was transferring to go "somewhere to reach the goals I have set."

Tennessee, which had just nine available players last season, now is down to 11 players for next season. The latest attrition, along with Jordan Reynolds' graduation, has left the Lady Vols low on point guard experience for next season.

"Not another one, Holly?" 

Incoming freshmen Evina Westbrook and Anastasia Hayes both are point guards. One or both could end up starting, depending on how UT deploys its returnees.


Any Louisville interest here? 

September 2013: Cooper reopened her recruitment after giving a verbal to North Carolina as an eighth-grader. She is still considering UNC but also has 10 other schools on her list. In no order they are: Tennessee, Duke, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Florida State, South Carolina, Louisville, Kentucky, Rutgers and Pittsburgh.

paulie
xxxxx 

E Throws Big in Louisville Invitational....Softball Tonight...Basketball Musings -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

HENDERSON BEATS HER SCHOOL MARK IN SHOT

Emmonnie Henderson broke her recent record setting mark in the shot put...again...over the weekend in the Louisville Invitational. Last week, in the Alabama relays, she set a personal and meet record...as well as a school record with a toss of 17.50 meters (57-5:00 in feet). Saturday, she threw for 17.98 meters (59 feet). 

Henderson also won the discus throw with a hurl of 51.26m (168-02 feet). Her throw was 18 feet further than the closest competitor. 

Overall, the cardinal women's finished second in the event...scoring 165 points. Purdue won with 195. Louisville's women also fared well in the 3000 meter steeplechase...where Claire Noser won for the Cards. The 4X100 meter relay team (Kelsey Heyward, Bre'Yana Wash, Alexis Gibbons, Raven Grant) came in second and set a new school record with a time of 45.22. Bailey Davis took the 5,000 meter run for UofL, also. 

Next up, he Cards will host the Lenny Lyles/Clark Wood Invitational on April 28-29th at Cardinal Park.


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SOFTBALL HOSTS LIPSCOMB TODAY

Louisville Softball kicks off an eight-game home-stand tonight with a 5 p.m. contest against Lipscomb at Ulmer Stadium. Louisville (25-13) comes into the contest after sweeping Virginia Tech over the weekend in a three-game series in Blacksburg. 

The Cards step out of the ACC where they are currently 9-4 and in third place behind Florida State and North Carolina. 

Hot at the plate for Louisville is Nicole Pufahl.  "Poof" is batting .395 and has seven home runs and 37 RBI's. The speedy junior center-fielder from Moorpark, CA has also reached base via a hit or walk in her last dozen games. Seven Cardinals are hitting over .300 going into the Lipscomb contest. 

Maryssa Becker (19-7) continues to do work in the circle. She's complied an ERA of 2.13 and leads the ACC in innings pitched with 167.2.

The Cards faced Lipscomb (31-13) last year in Nashville. In a double-header, Louisville fell 2-1 in the first game but won the nightcap 7-1. 

Tonight's contest will be shown on the ACC Network Extra. They've haven't an
nounced the in-booth crew yet, but we're hoping for our pals Daryl Foust and Don Russell. Louisville also faces Western Kentucky tomorrow night at 6 p.m.


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WBB at LOUIE AWARDS

-- WBB has had several visitors recently to check out the campus. Ronnie Nwora and Mykasa Robinson have been spotted on the grounds. Two up and coming high schoolers that would be great "gets" for Jeff Walz. Put 'em in the basket and proceed to checkout, Coach! 

-- No transfers in or out of the WBB programs as of Tuesday morning. Unfounded rumors continue to swirl about who has and has not been seen on campus. We're taking this thing down to DefCon 3. When they announce, if they announce...we'll cover it. 

-- A nice turnout of Louisville WBB players at the annual Louie awards last night. 

Several WBB players received honors, as well as many other participants in all the Cardinal sports. List below: 

adidas High Performance Athlete of the Year
Male: Lamar Jackson (football)
Female: Mallory Comeford (swimming and diving)

Louisville First Award
Brendan McKay (baseball)

Inspiration Award
Rachel Pease (cross country)

Record-Breaking Performance
Olivia Cason (women's golf)

Breakthrough Athlete of the Year
Male: Will Smith (baseball)
Female: Sidney Melton (softball)

Comeback Player of the Year
Asia Durr (women's basketball)

Best Championship Performance
Individual: Mallory Comerford (swimming and diving)
Team: Men's Golf (NCAA Championship)

Moment of the Year
Mohamed Thiaw (men's soccer; game-winner versus No. 1 Notre Dame)

Play of the Year
Lamar Jackson (football; the leap over a Syracuse defense)

Best Team Win of the Year
Male: Football (vs. Florida State)
Female: Lacrosse (vs. Notre Dame)

Top Team Finish
Male: Men's Soccer (NSCAA national ranking: No. 6)
Female: Swimming and Diving (CSCAA national ranking: No. 8)

CardsCARE Individual
Male: Daniel Fecteau (swimming and diving)
Female: Lauren Kelly (lacrosse)

Cardinal Dames CardsCARE Team
Male: Football
Female: Soccer

Cardinal Cup
Women's Rowing

Cunningham Family Leadership Award
Male: Tim Kubel (soccer)

Central Cardinal Club Leadership Award
Female: Maryssa Becker (softball)

Outstanding Senior Spirit Award
Pep Band: Shelby Rich
Cheer: Anjelica Cirone
Ladybirds: Lauren Dale

Highest Senior GPA Award
Lotta Kahlert (field hockey)
Claire Noser (women's track and field)

Freshman of the Year
Male: Christopher Morin-Kougoucheff (tennis)
Female: Minout Mink (field hockey), Dorcas Wasike (cross country)

Sophomore of the Year
Male: Brendan McKay (baseball), Donovan Mitchell (basketball)
Female: Ayeisha McFerran (field hockey)

Junior of the Year
Male: Corey Ray (baseball)
Female: Myisha Hines-Allen (basketball)

Ed Kallay Senior of the Year
Male: Robin Sciot-Siegrist (golf), Grigory Tarasevich (swimming and diving)
Female: Kaylin Morissette (lacrosse)

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For Louisville women's soccer...it's win or stay home -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

WSOC NEEDS A WIN TONIGHT...AND A LITTLE HELP FROM SOME FRIENDS

The classic Beatles song "With A Little Help From My Friends" could apply to the Louisville women's soccer team tonight as they face Virginia at 7 p.m. in Lynn Stadium. The Kickin' Cards are on the outside, looking in at the eight-team ACC Tournament...one point back from NC State, who is in eighth with 10 points and tied with Virginia Tech at nine points. 

You could even use the Beatles lyrics "Help! I need somebody." in this case.

The scenario is simple. A Louisville win and losses or ties by both the Wolfpack and Hokies puts the Cards in the Oct. 30th ACC Tournament first round.

Not being one who is good at probability statistics...I don't know the odds of these three separate events coming to fruition...but they're probably pretty high. 

Defeating the Cavs is the first step. It will not be easy. UVA is 12-3-2 overall and

5-2-2 in the ACC. They're also #7 in the nation, according to both the Top Drawer and NCAA Coaches polls. In fifth place in the rankings in the ACC with 17 points. Louisville hasn't defeated a top 25 team this season. 

If the Cards (2-4-3, 7-6-4) get by the Cavs, they'll need Wake Forest (2-7-0, 10-7-0) to win or tie at Virginia Tech (2-4-3, 10-5-3) and Pitt (1-8-0, 2-14-1) to win or tie at NC State (3-5-1, 9-7-1). OK, enough with the numbers, right? 

Other remote scenarios...which would create tie-breaker scenarios would be the Cards getting a tie and NC State losing, Cards getting a tie and NC State losing and Virginia Tech getting a tie. 

OK, maybe the scenario isn't all that simple. 

But, to keep the season going, to best control their fate...the Cards would be best served with a win and a couple of upsets. 

The Cards were picked 10th in the league in the preseason ACC polls. They'll end up in 10th. if they lose tonight. They are guaranteed at least a .500 season this year, no matter what happens tonight. If they get into the ACC Tournament, they'd find...most likely duke waiting for them in the first game...but possibly Florida State, Clemson or Notre Dame...depending on how action goes tonight. Louisville did tie Duke during the regular season. Thank goodness there are no ties in conference tournament play.

It is a Cardinal team that has depended on a lot of youth this year and gotten some great results from frosh and sophs. They graduate only five players...four of them transfers into the program and just one starter in goalkeep Taylor Bucklin. 

I've heard it said by more than one ACC Network Extra announcer (who isn't affiliated with Louisville) that the Cards look like they could be a serious ACC title contender in 2-3 years.

I believe it. 


paulie
xxxxx