Saturday Cardinal Couple -- WBB Coaches we'll miss

SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


- A five-pack of BIG EAST/AAC WBB Coaches we'll miss...

- Whaddya say, A-Tayy?

- No radio tomorrow


In keeping with the theme of transitioning into the ACC...we've decided to take a look at some WBB Coaches we'll miss not coming into the KFC YUM! Center to battle Coach Walz and the Louisville WBB squad. This list is in no particular order or ranking...just a fivesome of skippers we have enjoyed over the years. 

- Doug Bruno -- DePaul

The affable Bruno was always a great post-game interview and watching him in front of the visitor's bench in his "institutionalized" Shawshank Redemption blue shirt with the DePaul logo emblazoned on the right side, pocket level was always a treat. His looks of incredulous disbelief and chuckling dismissal of calls that went against the Blue Demons always reminded me of a fairway duffer who couldn't believe he just put his tee-shot into the woods or just missed a three-foot putt for par. 

Favorite Bruno memory is after his final appearance in the KFC YUM! Center and a 20-something point loss to the Cards. Bruno showed up at the post-game press conference and proceeded to deliver an almost 20 minute Q&A that covered wide ranging topics. Doug never missed a beat and kept the handful of reporters there in rapt attention as he pontificated about any subject presented to him. With a cup of water in his hand, he looked like he was ready to propose a toast at times...and he delivered well that night...much better than his injury-ridden Blue Demons did. 

C. Vivian Stringer -- Rutgers

C Viv steppin' out on the town in New Orleans

C-Viv's game theatrics were legendary but what a classy lady she was before and after contests. When asked a potentially fuse-igniting question after a UofL game about a specific Rutgers player, I remember she rolled her eyes skyward, smiled and shook her head. I don't remember the exact words...but it did have something to do about how good the player could be if she'd accept coaching instructions. 

C-Viv delighted in seeing Coach Walz and his children and she'd always take time to greet the numerous people who would gather behind the Rutgers bench during pre-game warmups when the Scarlet Knights came to the "Ville".

Let her go out on her own terms, Julie Hermann. You have a legendary, national treasure in your WBB coach.

Harry Peretta -- Villanova

"Whaddya mean  you
can't find the ledger for
March's sales?!?"

Harry always looked like a harried, mid-level corporate manager trying to solve an inter-office crisis by the time a game got to the second half...with the white shirt un-tucked, tie askew and arm extended.

Shrugging and turning away from referees after questioning a "bad" call after blasting out a few words of contempt. It was almost like he'd asked an hourly if they could work a few extra hours of overtime and gotten a negative response. 

But Harry was always a class act in words and actions...always quick to give credit to the players and defer questions about himself. Harry was always a true gentleman and gracious in defeat. Hats off to Harry...coach 'em up another 40 years if you have it in you.

Keep getting those hard-working, tough-as-nails Philadelphia Catholic girls on your roster. Solid, fundamental basketball....'Nova and Coach P. style.

Jamelle Elliott -- Cincinnati

"Big wheels keep on turnin'...Proud Mary keeps
on burnin'...Rollin', Rollin' Rollin' on the river."

The wild women of the sidelines...Jamelle was perpetual motion in front of the bench if it looked like her Bearcats had a ghost of a chance of winning. Eventually, when the defeat was evident...and she suffered a lot of them in her early years at UC...she'd doggedly resign herself to a seat on the bench.

 Still shouting out advise to her players, but done with the "Tina Turner - Live In concert" reenactment. 

She ws an unqualified superstar when she played for Geno at UConn and she expects the same out of the players she recruits to be Bearcats. I think she'll eventually be a powerhouse in the AAC.

They just need to get some fans in the seats to sponsor her up in the Queen City. Apathy reigns in the UC WBB fanbase and that's a shame...because they have a coach that is worth the price of admission alone for her performance.

Jose Fernandez -- USF

Geno pats down Jose for weapons before the game

My favorite description of the USF WBB skipper came a couple of years ago when a scribe joked that he "looked like Andy Kaufman's older brother".

Jose's post-game interviews are classic...he goes from speculation to askance...from self-depreciating humor and blame assignment to outright proud defense of anything dressed in the green and gold. All the time...employing a multitude of facial expressions and hand gestures.

My favorite Jose moment came when the Bulls upset a very good UofL WBB team at the KFC YUM! Center.

After graciously consoling the disillusioned Card players...he literally bounded across Denny Crum Court and embraced the USF play-by-play guy Alex Perlman before doing his post-game radio show. A moment of unbridled joy and sincere ecstasy after winning (arguably...) the biggest game of his career. 

Sure, I was disappointed about the loss...but seeing his innocent and genuine joy made me feel a little better about seeing Louisville lose. It was his moment. He deserved it and earned it.


(Got a coach and a specific memory? Feel free to leave it in the comments section or send Paulie an e-mail about it.

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Thanks to Sandy W. for sending the link below feauring our girl Asia Taylor in a Lynx interview.

All three of the Lady Cards in the WNBA were on the same court last night when Atlanta hosted the Minnesota Lynx. Taylor, Schimmel and McCoughtry were in the game at the same time for about four minutes near the end of the first quarter.

http://www.wnba.com/video/wnba/2014/06/09/140604GetToKnowAsiaTaylorupdate2-3296697/


In WNBA action Friday night:

Angel McCoughtry scored 23 points, Erika de Souza had 16 points and 11 rebounds and Atlanta held off the Minnesota Lynx 85-82 on Friday night in Philips Arena.

Shoni Schimmel saw six minutes and did not score. Asia Taylor saw six minutes and did not score.

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We will not be doing a radio show today.

Sonja and I will be at the grave-site services of a departed friend and Jeff still not quite ready to compete after his surgery.

We'll be back next Saturday. 

paulie
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FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-For the "Blonde Blur" it went by way too fast

(David Watson hosts today's CARDINAL COUPLE. He takes a look at one of the most popular Lady Cards to wear the Red and Black...or grey and white...Shelby Harper.)

For Jeff Walz, it was a decision based on attrition. With barely enough guards available to hold practice, the third-year Louisville head women's basketball coach turned to the bench and saw injuries and a diminutive freshman guard that had walked on the team near the start of the fall to help out with practices and to fill a chair on the Cardinal bench. Attention Cardinal fans --this lineup change -- Shelby Harper is now your starting point guard.

The freshman from Allen County-Scottsville, near Bowling Green, KY. had delivered a solid high school career and a couple of the current Lady Cards were familiar with her mad dash, up and down the court style of point-guardmanship. They got quite used to it the majority of the 2009-10 season, for the former walk-on began starting in January and was in the starting lineup for 17 games. She ended up second on the team in assists and second in three-point shooting percentage.

The 2009-10 team took their lumps and ended up with a 14-18 record. It was a season of being out-numbered at times but the squad will probably be one of my favorites for a long time because they battled against adversity, low numbers and injuries and never gave up.

One wondered how Harper would fit into the 2010-11 Cardinal women's basketball plans. Stellar guard Shoni Schimmel had arrived on campus and Becky Burke and Tia Gibbs were available to give the Cards good strength in the backcourt. Harper returned to the bench but appeared in 27 games for UofL as a valuable substitute. She continued to draw oohs and aahs and applause from the Cardinal fan base for her helter-skelter, continual hustle appearances and Louisville came back from the depths of despair to record a 22-13 season and advance to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament.

More guards unloaded their baggage in the UofL dorms in 2011-12. Jude Schimmel and Bria Smith proved their mettle and Harper continued her role as an off-the-bench spark for the Cardinals. This Cardinal squad was beset by the injury bug again but managed to go 23-10. Harper saw action in 30 games and fans delighted in seeing her and Jude as a backup guard tandem on the court together. Both barely tall enough to get on the adult rides at the State Fair but delivering large performances whenever they entered games.

We see Shelby Harper as a senior this season and the spark plug, motivator role continues. A rare start on senior night, a season of providing brief stretches of inspired, hard-working minutes for a Cardinal squad that will play its (hopefully) final TWO games in front of the faithful at the KFC YUM! Center on Sunday and Tuesday.

Where has the time gone? It seems like only yesterday she was bringing Cardinal fans to their feet with her five-threes made against Cincinnati. 

Her take? Her advice to those that will remain after she graduates?

"Enjoy every minute of it. Try as hard as you can. It goes by way too fast."

It's gone by way too fast for us also, Shelby. Hard to believe we won't see that face -- showing that look of determination when on defense -- next season on Denny Crum Court.

Coach Walz summed it up pretty well when she said:

"I told her parents that if my daughters grew up to be like Shelby, I'd be quite OK with that."

Shelby will never get any taller. She will, however, have a large spot in the hearts and admiration of UofL Women's Basketball fans forever and that spot will grow as years go by.

Blonde Blur? Love her.

David Watson


(Editor's Note: Some of the photos used in this article are from Charlie Springer. www.uoflcardgame.com  The best ones, of course.)


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Still plenty of time to get those tickets for UofL WBB in the KFC YUM! Center for Sunday and (we just know it...) Tuesday action in the NCAA Tournament.

Ticketmaster, KFC YUM! Center Box Office, from that shady guy standing on the street corner...whaever it takes. Man up, buy a ticket and support the Lady Cards. You don't want a Blue Raider in the lower bowl of the YUM! do you? Yikes!

Also, don't forget to try your luck in the CARDINAL COUPLE NCAA Women's Tournament Pick 'Em Contest.

25 entries in as of 7 a.m. today. Take a chance, fill out your dance card for a chance at a $25 Chili's Gift Card. The prestige of being the best. Totally awesome, dudes. Your not a scaredy cat, are you?

Leave your picks in the comments section of today's article or you can e-mail them to:

cardinalcouple@insightbb.com

Don't delay. The tournament is just a day away. Make your day. Have a say. C'mon and play. OK?



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Wednesday Cardinal Couple -- Seton Hall visits KFC YUM! Center

WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


(Game Report -- Louisville defeats Seton Hall 72-62 on Senior Night in the KFC YUM! Center. Nita Slaughter with 17 points and Shoni Schimmel 15. Jenny's report on the win coming shortly...)


-Cards say goodbye to Harper and Reid on Senior Night.

-Cards look to secure double bye in BIG EAST Tournament with win over Seton Hall

Ahoy, mateys...there be Pirates comin' up the Ohio River. Actually, that isn't exactly true...they'll probably fly in Louisville International Airport....but Anne Donovan's team is scheduled to be Louisville's opponent Wednesday night in the KFC YUM! Center at 7 p.m.

It's Senior Night, and the Cards and fans will say goodbye to two very good and popular ones in a pregame ceremony.

Monique Reid is the last direct player connection to the 2008-2009 National Runner-Up team and she's had a spectacular career here at UofL. She was a starter on the team that went to St. Louis and has scored 1657 points in her career at UofL. That puts her fifth all-time in UofL women's basketball history...she needs 92 to advance to fourth and pass Kristin Maddox (1992-1996).

A scorer from anywhere in the paint, Mo led the team in scoring in 2009-10 and 2010-11. Knee problems have been a constant problem the past two years...limiting her time on the court...but she will remembered as one the Cardinal WBB greats of all time and a tough competitor.

Shelby Harper joined the squad as a walk-on in the 2009-10 season and ended up starting 17 games at point-guard. Known for her excellent ball-handling skills and tenacious defense, Harper has become a crowd favorite over the years and a player that Jeff Walz knows he's always to get 100% out of on both ends of the court.

She's been a key reserve off the bench since her freshman year and has been a hustler...full of energy, fast and ready to take on any defensive assignment. The 'blonde blur' has brought a special kind of excitement and love to the Cardinal WBB fans these past four years and her dedication and energy will be missed.

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Seton Hall (9-18, 4-10) has surprised many by staying out of the BIG EAST cellar this year and although they are coming off a 60-point loss to Connecticut on Saturday...will look to pull they major upset if possible against the Cards. They did break a five game losing streak last week win a impressive 72-56 win over Providence and have wins over Rugters, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati as well in the BIG EAST this year.

Senior Brittany Morris has led them in scoring this year and averages about 13 points a game. Anne Donovan has done a great coaching job with them....given the circumstances.

Ka-Deidre Simmons is a proven scorer as well and the Pirates can drill the three effectively at times...eighth in the conference in percentage.

Last time the Cards and Seton Hall met....Louisville won in South Orange 63-53. Shawnta Dyer's 22 points paced the Cards and Becky Burke added 11.

Louisville leads the all-time series 7-0 and Coach Walz is 5-0 against the Pirates.

Louisville should go to 11-4 in the BIG EAST without a lot of trouble against SHU...if they do, they would technically be in 3rd place in the BIG EAST. Syracuse is at 10-4 after losing to Notre Dame last night. St. John's is 9-4 and plays at Villanova tonight.

The Cards end the regular season against Syracuse next Monday. The 'Cuse has Villanova Saturday and St. John's plays Seton Hall and DePaul in their final two.

Programming note: The game will be on 1080 AM, the guys will be on 790 tonight.

  

Bulls avenge January loss, Cards fall

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THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

(Jenny O'Bryan with the post-game report on Louisville WBB loss to USF Wednesday Night in the KFC YUM! Center.)

Cards give a home win away in a tough defensive battle.
 

To hear Coach Walz talk in the post game interview with Matt Andrews, the Cards did not follow the scouting report tonight.  While that may have been true, even following the scouting report on a night with such poor shooting, it was going to be hard to win this battle. 

The Cards started the game sloppy.  The first 5 drives down the court there were missed shots or turnovers.  It looked like it was going to be a long night, and it was.  The first 6-8 minutes of the half was tough basketball to watch.  The Cards looked slow and uninspired.   

With 7:41 seconds left to play in the first half, the score was 22-12, USF.  The remainder of the half, the Cards held the Bulls to just 2 points with a strong defensive effort sparked by a Bria Smith steal and a coast to coast easy lay in.  Hammond took a charge next defensive set down court, and the Cards mounted what would turn out to be the best 8 minutes of basketball for the night.  The Cards took a 2 point deficit into halftime, down 24-22.  Hard to believe with the offensive woes and the slow start, the Cards were down just two at the half. 

The second half started much as the first, with the Cards just seemingly not present.  USF started the half on a 6-0 run and the Cards were never really in it the remainder of the way.  Sure, there were stretches of the game that the Cards looked good defensively, but it was not consistent. 

It was a brutal, physical game.  Had to be a tough game to play, physically.  The Cards had little offensive firepower tonight, shooting a season low 30% on the night.  They did shoot well from the free throw line, going 82% from the line.  It kept this from being a blowout.  It was still a big loss, in conference play, at home.  Those are especially hard losses. 

Andrea Smith, for the Bulls, could not be contained this evening.  Matching her career high of 35 points.  Unfortunately, it was not in the Cards tonight, in more ways than one. 

The Cards are playing for seeding in the NCAA Tournament.  These last games of the season matter.   It could be the difference between a 3 seed and a 6-7 seed. 

As a parent of a high school athlete, who also plays club volleyball, I find myself continuously amazed at the lack of consistency from the team (and individual players), from game to game.  I found myself thinking that tonight, except with these college kids.  How does a team play such great ball this past Sunday, and then not today?  It takes a greater mind than mine to figure that out.   Good luck with that, coaching staff...

I commend this team for all of the success it has had this year, despite all the injuries.  Losses like these are hard, because they could have been won.  21-6 is not a bad record, especially when you look at the personnel issues.  It is just hard to see such a tough loss on one’s home court. 

(Editor's Note: A flat effort from a team with so much to gain with a win tonight. Discretion being the better part of valor, I'm not going to editorialize on this very disappointing loss. Expected much more out of this Louisville squad this evening.)

Post game Walz below

COACH DISCUSSES LOSS TO USF
  

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One of the most intriguing things on the night was the newest player on the bench tonight!  Not sure how many of the Cardinal faithful caught this, but freshman volleyball middle blocker 6-3 Davionna Holmes was suited up and sat the bench tonight.   Her bio on the University of Louisville website indicates she was a dual sport athlete in high school and an “excellent basketball player”.  LINK BELOW:
 

Davionna Holmes

Not sure what we will see of Holmes on the hardwood the rest of the season.  Coach Walz had another middle blocker volleyball player on his team before, and we all know how well that worked out.  Gwen Rucker, while she opted to just focus on volleyball after her sophomore year, is stated to be one of the highest IQ basketball players Coach Walz has ever coached. 

I look forward to seeing what Holmes brings to the hardwood.  We all know that another body banging in the paint or shooting the long ball (which she is said to have led her high school conference in) can only be a good thing.    Welcome to Walz’s world, Ms. Holmes.  We hope you like it, and get the chance to contribute.
 

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It was asked earlier in the week what recruits were at the game this past weekend vs. DePaul.  Please keep in mind, just because a recruit was there is no indication of how hard they are, or are not, being recruited by the Coaching staff.  Any recruit can call the Athletic office and indicate they would like to attend the game.   With that caveat, the recruits that were known to be at the game were:

Janelle Cannon- 2013 signee

Sydney Brackemyre- Verbally committed in the class of 2014

Ashanti Thomas, 2015 out of Lexington, has been to several games this season and I believe was at Walz’s summer camp last year.

Dominique McBryde, 2015, out of Bedford, Indiana.

Celina King, 2016 out of Cincinnati, OH.  This kid was intriguing to me because she has her own youtube channel(or whatever you call it) and her own website!!  She has 22 videos posted.    

Tyuana Robinson, 2016

There is plenty of information on these kids if you google their names “and basketball”.  Until, or if, we know how hard the kids are being recruited, I will not bore you with lots of websites.  Google those you want to know more about, and we will keep you abreast of accomplishments of specific players as we know the extent they are being recruited. 
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Friday Cardinal Couple -- A bigger matter

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FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

- UofL WBB "bigs" need to be BIG in next five games.

- Softball opens early in the Jacksonville Classic

                   
                  ********** GAME REPORT **********

Cards up 7-1 in sixth against Bethune-Cookman and still batting. Five run inning so far. Connell tossing a four-hitter. Cards go on to win 8-1 to go to 6-1 on the year.

                       ******** GAME FINAL********

Louisville 8 - Stony Brook 0.  The Cards got a complete game and just three hits  allowed pitching performance from Rachel LeCoq and produced 14 hits in the win this morning. They face Bethune-Cookman at 11:45. We'll have a report on that one later and a full recap of both in the Saturday C.C. edition.

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When you look at the current University of Louisville women's basketball roster, the nine players currently available to Jeff Walz consist of six guards, a center and two forwards. The starting lineup of late has consisted of Sherrone Vails, Bria Smith, Shoni Schimmel, Sara Hammond and Nita Slaughter...the "S" troops, as we like to call them here at CARDINAL COUPLE. The way we see it, Louisville actually has four "bigs" available for front line play currently, with Slaughter...listed as a guard, seeing a lot of time at the "4" or power forward position. Along with Vails, Cortnee Walton and Hammond, they are the "bigs" Walz has available to battle with the front lines of the next five opponents left on the regular season schedule.

DePaul, USF, Villanova, Seton Hall and Syracuse. The first (USF), second (SU) sixth (DePaul), fourteenth (Seton Hall) and fifteenth (Villanova) ranked rebounding teams in the BIG EAST. DePaul, we know from an earlier encounter. Katherine Harry is a rebounder extraordinaire. By far the best missed shot-grabber in the league. USF's Alisha Jenkins has shown she can track down mis-fired attempts as well. Villanova has Laura Sweeney to grab the caroms off the back-board. Syracuse looks to Kayla Alexander, Elashier Hall and Carman Tyson-Thomas to clean the glass. Seton Hall is pretty much rebound-by committee with no one player in the BIG EAST top twenty, like all the players listed above.

How many Louisville players are in the top-twenty in rebounding in the BIG EAST? One. Sara Hammond, 13th. with slightly over six a game.

Not big numbers for the Louisville "bigs". Against BIG EAST competition, Louisville is tenth in the league in rebounding offense and sixth in rebounds allowed. As of 2/7/13, the Cards had a +0.6 margin in rebounding against BIG EAST foes in nine games. Given the lopsided numbers in the Notre Dame game, that's probably no longer a + number.

It's time for the Louisville "bigs" to step up big. If you look at the 200 minutes per team that you have on the court in a game ( 5 players @ 40 per player), Hammond averages 23.8 minutes a game, Slaughter 25.6, Vails 14.6 and Walton 12.6. Since Slaughter spends some time at wing...out of the three main paint players for Louisville, only Hammond sees more than half the game in the paint.

Of course, different factors can come into play in any given game. Hammond is foul prone, yet she leads the team in rebounds. Vails is third in fouls (Smith is second), but plays 10 minutes less a contest than Hammond does.

For Louisville to break the .500 mark (3-2) in the next five games, the "bigs" are going to have to increase efficiency and get some stops inside. Believe it or not, a guard (Smith) lead the team in blocked shots.

There's no doubt that without Taylor, Dyer and Mo available currently for Walz...the three best rebounders on the squad are watching from the bench. It's time for the other "bigs" to step it up. The balance of the season and conference tournament seeding hangs on how well or poorly they perform.

Players are going to miss shots in games...we all know that. Louisville is shooting  45% on the year, which means they miss a little over half the shots they fire up. 

The difference in winning and losing is which team comes up with the ball after they...or the opponent...misses shots. Not surprisingly, in four of the five losses for Walz's team this season, they have been out-rebounded. Kentucky grabbed 37 rebounds, UofL 34. Colorado won the boards battle 44-32. At Hartford, it was Huskies 46-39 on the misses, Notre Dame controlled the backboard 44-23. Only against DePaul have the Cards won the boards battle but lost the game...a stunning 45-32 edge for UofL.

Control the boards, control the game.


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They get things poppin' early down in the Sunshine State.

Louisville softball opens play in the Jacksonville University Softball Classic at the yawning and stretching time of 9:45 a.m. against Stony Brook today. The sluggers go into their next contest right after that with a 11:45 tilt against Bethune-Cookman.

At 4-1, it's been the Cardinal offensive attack that has been the reason for winning. They set a school record with 21 hit against Minnesota on Sunday and plated 16 runs.

Jacksonville is also home of the world's greatest southern rock band, Lynyrd Skynyrd. Let's hope UofL can fly like Free Bird's over the competition, doesn't Gimme Three Steps to any base-runners and has a safe trip back through Sweet Home Alabama. They'll also play in a Saturday Night Special against Ohio State and Jacksonville...ending on Sunday against Stony Brook again. What's Your Name, Little Girls? Why it's CARDINAL SOFTBALL! Tuesday's Gone...time to win some games! Even a Simple Man can tell that Louisville Softball has more power than LG&E... 

(Apologies for all the Skynyrd song references...listening to their Greatest Hits CD this morning...)


-Paulie

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Monday Cardinal Couple -- Will Irish Eyes be Crying?

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MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

GAME REPORT

It was a smackdown in South Bend...Notre Dame taking a 10-point halftime lead and expanding it to a 93-64 whipping of the Lady Cards Monday night.

As Coach Walz mentioned in the post-game, if you don't rebound, defend or play with toughness...you're not going to win. All three were missing tonight.

We'll have the post-mortem in the Tuesday edition of CARDINAL COUPLE.



- Cards, Irish battle tonight in WBB

(Quentin Voigt brings us his views on the UND v. UofL matchup tonight at 9 p.m. on ESPN2. Paulie follows with comments. Should be a good one!)

The owner of the impish smile, patrolling the sidelines of a game has the ideal name befitting the coach of the Fighting Irish. Although I've never had the chance to interview the legend, Muffet McGraw has never left the top spot on coaches I'd like to do an interview with. The 2001 NCAA Women's Basketball Championship Trophy, runner-up last year, second in all-time wins and a perfect 100% graduation rate in 26 years at South Bend. I could go on and on.

To say she's tough under the lacquered finish requires hyperbole. Her knowledge of the game and will to win have been put hand-in-hand with the yearly battles with Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma. History-making battles.

We're lucky to have her on the sidelines. Coming out of a recruiting trip on September 11, 2001...she was slated to be on one of the airplanes that left Boston and ultimately ended up being hijacked into one of the World Trade Center towers.

She missed that flight. Fate? Divine providence? Sometimes, there are things that happen for a reason.

Her main tour-de-force is Skylar Diggins. All-Everything, Diggins averages 15.8 ppg and is the best guard in the BIG EAST, if not the nation. Natalie Achonwa grabs 9.1 rpg a contest for an Irish squad that rebounds very well. Notre Dame averages 19.6 assists a contest, 79.9 points, has 259 steals and 108 blocked shots. Jewel Loyd is a three-point threat.

I'm looking forward to watching and enjoying this one regardless of the outcome.

-Quentin Voigt

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An epic battle tonight in many aspects. There are questions, yes...so many questions. At least from the fans that are anticipating this matchup. Can the three-headed defensive trio of Bria, Jude and Shelby slow down the "Digs"? Who will counteract Achonwa on the glass? Can the Cards go on the road, in a hostile environment and get a signature win? What color shirt will Jeff Walz wear?

To answer these, one by one...Probably not, nobody, doubtful and white with long sleeves.

So, how do you beat a team that has won 17 straight this season, is 22-1 and is fourth in the nation in scoring margin, third in scoring offense, second in the Associated Press Poll and has lost only once in seven games in the Jeff Walz era at UofL?

You take the air out of the basketball.

You borrow the Villanova vs. Notre Dame game film from Harry Perretta and study it like you're cramming for a mid-term sociology exam. Better yet, you buy the extended DVD version on Blue-Ray which shows how South Florida took them to overtime in a three-point loss and how Connecticut came in and downed them by one at the Joyce Center.

You hope Shoni doesn't have a 3 for 19 night, that Sara can stay out of early foul trouble and Nita shows the consistency she's displayed all season.

The Irish will come at you with unrelenting, hurricane force winds. Diggins, Loyd, McBride, Achonwa, Wright. 
 
Any of these Irish would start anywhere in the nation and all five of them are capable of dropping 20 on you as easy as a chimp peels a banana.

You must weather the storm, create a disturbance of your own and hit free throws and layups (if you get any.)

You walk in with confidence. You are on a business trip. You don't get caught up in the 9,000 or so that will be cheering against you. You remained focused and composed. And...you pray.

The Irish came into the KFC YUM! Center last year and broke open a close first half with a 68-52 win. Gone are Peters, Novosel and Mallory, who accounted for 30 of those points...but the Cards shot a paltry 31% in that contest and went 2-16 from beyond the arc.

Louisville's last win over UND came during the magical 2008-09 season when they knocked off the Irish 71-66 in South Bend.

The whole women's basketball world will be watching tonight, courtesy of the four letter network's deuce channel providing the broadcast. Beth Mowins, who we like here at C.C., has the call. If Bonita Spence shows up as a ref on the court...I'm heading to Mulligans to drown my sorrows. If it's Dee Kanter, I'll send her an extra whistle via rush courier...

Are you ready, Lady Cards?

-Paulie


( We'll have a summation of the results after the contest here at CARDINAL COUPLE tonight and Sandy Walker takes a holiday from the laundry and will have a full-game report in the Tuesday edition of CARDINAL COUPLE. Go Cards! )

Pitt takes another hit -- Cards 78 - Panthers 45

SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

GAME REPORT

- Five in double figures in 33-point Cardinal win

- Brackemyre says..."Yes" to Louisville!

- Softball sweeps in Vegas: Day Two

Louisville used balanced scoring, led by Shoni Schimmel's 22 points, to put Pitt away early and win 78-45 in the KFC YUM! Center Saturday afternoon in front of 10733 fans. The Cards used an early 17-5 run to take away any Pitt hopes of pulling off an upset. The win puts Louisville at 20-4 overall and 8-2 in the BIG EAST.

Starters: The "S" troops (Shoni, Sara, Sherrone, Slaughter and Smith) opened the game for Louisville, scored off the opening tip on a Nita Slaughter layup and never trailed in the contest. With the score 4-3 after a 3-ball by Pitt's Brianna Kiesel, the Cards held the Panthers to just one basket and three free throws in the next nine minutes to lead 21-8 with 9:58 left in the first half.

After Kiesel's three, Sara Hammond connected on a jumper, Bria Smith cashed in on a layup and Sherrone Vails scored inside to make it 10-5 with 16:28 remaining and head Pitt coach Agnus Berenato called a thirty-second time out to talk about it. The conversation did not solve much...back-to-back layups by Shoni and Bria had it at 14-5 and Berenato stopped action again for another discussion. (Shoni's assist to Bria for her score was a nifty, behind-the-head, no-look pass that only Shoni could have pulled off.) A Shoni jumper, score from Megan Deines and three by Jude Schimmel made it 21-7 at the media timeout with 11:51 to go.

Shoni scored the next five points for Louisville and the Cards led 29-14 when Bria hit again with 6:11 on the clock. A free throw from Shoni, layup by Hammond, layup by Deines and then Hammond again inside had Louisville enjoying a 36-14 advantage with 2:46 showing until the half. The Panthers did outscore Louisville 6-3 the rest of the way and Louisville went to the locker room holding a 39-20 edge.

Shoni led the way in the first twenty with 14 points on 5-8 shooting. Hammond and Smith followed with six, Jude contributed five, Denies was good for 4 and Slaughter and Vails added two each. Shelby Harper and  Cortnee Walton played but did not score...Walton did grab four rebounds in 10 minutes of first-half action.

The Cards began the final twenty in red-hot fashion, going on a 18-5 run in the first five and one half minutes. A  Hammond free throw got the scoring started, Smith followed with a layup, Deines buried a three and Hammond added two more charity tosses to give the Cards a 48-23 edge just three minutes into action. Shoni scored inside and a Slaughter three put Louisville ahead by 30...layups from Slaughter and Deines had Louisville ahead 57-25. A Smith jumper doubled the score on Pitt at 70-35 with 7:46 to go and the Cards largest lead came at 72-35 a minute later after a Smith free throw.

From there on, it was just a matter of how much Louisville would win by. Deines looked good in hitting all three of her trifecta attempts in the second half and Slaughter put in eight second-half points as the Cards tried different combinations over the final minutes. Pitt did outscore the Cards 10-6 in the final 6:25 of the second half.  

Final....Louisville 78- Pitt 45

Shoni ended up with 22, Deines 17, Smith 11, Slaughter and Hammond 10 each to reach double figures. Jude added five points, Vails finished with two and Harper one. The birthday girl Walton had five rebounds, a steal and some very good defense but ended 0-3 from floor and 0-2 from the line.

Louisville lost the boards battle 34-32 to the Panthers, but went 30-63 from the floor (47.6%)...compared to 16-45 shooting for Agnus' girls (35.6%). The Cards won the points off turnovers battle 27-9 and committed just 11 miscues while forcing Pitt into 26. 14 steals for Louisville, but only 10-17 at the foul line.

Pitt was without leading scorer Asia Logan (separated shoulder) and season-starting point guard Brittany Gordon (foot).

6'11" center Marvadene "Bubbles" Anderson is on a red-shirt and did not make the trip. I was severely disappointed over this. A brief conversation with a couple of Pitt players in the pre-game warm-ups garnered me an invitation to the Peterson Event Center next year to watch "Bubbles" play. I may take champagne.

WHAT WE LIKED

1) Teamwork. The Cards had 18 assists and just 11 turnovers. The days of standing around and dribbling the ball waiting for something to happen appear to be over.

Photo by Charlie Springer - UofL Card Game

2) Sold on Schimmel. Shoni has been spectacular over the last several games and today's numbers (22 points, six assists, two turnovers, two steals and four boards) show us she's no longer just a shooter. We feel it's because of Bria's increased time at the point. Shoni says it's just hard work. Whatever the reason, we'll have another, and another, and...more please.

3) Deines delivers. 7-11 from the field and no longer running the court with the deer-in-the-headlights look. She's moving on offense. She's having fun out there (just ask her) and it shows.

THINGS TO WORK ON


1) Free throws. 58.8% today. The Cards are 11th. in the league in this stat. Smith's 1-4 indicates to us she needs to spend more time practicing the freebies. She might stop by and pick up Walton on the way to the gym, too. (0-2).

2) Wide open shots. If there was a stat in the BIG EAST for blown layups and wide open shots under basket, the Cards would be the going-away leader. If Walz had a dollar for each time...you get the point. Close-in, layups..gotta make those.

3) Front-line rebounding. Starters Vails, Slaughter and Hammond combined for only 10 today. The same number Shoni and Bria had. We feel Walton may have just assumed the role of the Cards best interior rebounder (that isn't injured). She had five today.

SUMMATION

A win that needed to be accomplished in convincing fashion and job done within the scope of successfulness. If the Cards were looking ahead to Norte Dame Monday night, it wasn't showing. Jeff Walz just asks for his players to play good and how they are taught in practice. They did that today, except at the free throw line and on some "how did she miss that?" wide open looks and layups. 

Pitt is hurting. A shame, really...the program was once a tough opponent under Agnus. Having two starters out didn't help today, but the body of work is 0 for 10 in the BIG EAST this year. They were young last year, they're still pretty young this year...but it's beginning to look like they're putting in an early bid for doormat of the ACC, in addition to the BIG EAST title they already share in that category with Cincinnati.



Post Game Walz below. The Ho-Jo Show returns for another yeoman performance, getting in all the questions for Walz but one...before the video below stopped unexpectedly.

 Coach Walz Discusses Win Over Pitt


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Good news for the WBB squad in another area, too. Ohio prep star Sydney Brackemyer has committed verbally to the Cards. The junior is going to be a force here. A great "get" for Louisville. Welcome aboard, SYD!

The Clinton-Massie hoopster is currently sidelined with a ACL knee injury but expected back full force for her senior year. Louisville beat out Dayton and Michigan for her services...the 2014 recruiting class is off to a great start...  
 
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The softball Cards took two in the Sportco Classic in Las Vegas on Saturday...downing DePaul 8-2 and uphending UCF 5-3.

DEPAUL/LOUISVILLE

This one started rather slow...scoreless after three innings with DePaul ace Kristen Verdun and Cardinal transfer Rachel LeCoq hooked up in a pitcher's duel.

The Cards broke loose in the fourth inning, though...with a six-run barrage. After Taner Fowler started the inning with and walk and Jordy Trimble reached on an error, Whitney Arion's bunt single got Fowler to the plate on a throwing error. A walk to Krista Mann loaded the bases and a walk to JSW (our new name for Jasmien Smithson-Willett) brought home Trimble. Kayla Soles then poked a deep triple, clearing the bases an it was 5-0 Cards. Katie Keller tripled also, scoring Soles and Louisville had a 6-0 lead.

The Cards added one in the sixth. Maggie Ruckenbrod doubled, Chrisanna Roberts came in to pinch run and scored on a Keller ground-out.

DePaul countered with two runs, but the Cards added an insurance run in the top of the seventh when Trimble doubled and two wild pitches got her to the plate.

LeCoq went the distance for UofL, allowing six hits, and two unearned runs.

UCF/LOUISVILLE


Louisville struck early in the nightcap...getting three first inning runs. Alicja Wolny had a two-RBI double and Whitney Arion doubled the senior first-baseman home.

UCF's Haley Barraco tied the contest at 3-3 in the top of the fifth with a two-run "tocuh 'em all" off Cardinal starting pitcher Caralisa Connell.

Keller returned the favor, though, in the sixth with a solo shot over the left field fence to give UofL a 4-3 lead.

Louisville added a run in the top of the seventh when Ruckenbrod doubled, was lifted for JSW to pinch-run and Soles smashed a double to get the freshman to the plate for a 5-3 Cardinal advantage.

"Carl" gets the win...allowing five hits and fanning eight UCF batters in seven innings.

The Cards face Minnesota tomorrow.

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