RANDOM STUFF -- SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

RANDOMNESS


(Paulie sent in for the Sunday Cardinal Couple article out of the bullpen today. It seems Jeff has Sammy the Shark issues and will be back on these pages Monday. Sorry this is late...I slept in this morning and it seems no one ever uses the "call" function on their cell phones anymore...I saw the text about three hours after Jeff sent it to our group chat). 

Quick question, do you ever call anyone on your cell phone anymore? Leave your response in the comments section.

We are in the process of re-establishing the daily Poll Question here at Cardinal Couple. 


TEETER'S CANADIAN U 19 WORLD CUP SQUAD EARNS SILVER


It was USA vs. Canada for the Gold in the World Cup U 19 Tournament and USA had little trouble in capturing the Gold 13-3. 

"They're a veteran team and considered some of the best players In the world who are competing in the NCAA right now," Canadian coach Scott Teeter said, of the U.S. "A lot of our girls haven't played an NCAA game yet. Our 2015 team was a little bit older than we are right now. We'll take this experience and it will definitely pay dividends for our senior team."

Teeter squad lost just twice in the 22-team event, both times to USA. 

FIGHT! 

Asia Taylor and Arica Carter probably didn't expect this when they joined the Phoenix Mercury roster.

With about six minutes left in the fourth quarter of a close game against the visiting Dallas Wings and on Brittney Griner Bobblehead Day, the 6'9" Mercury center and Wings post Kristine Angiwe locked arms going for a rebound and chaos ensued. It appeared Angiwe attempted to punch Griner after they untangled and then sprinted away from the towering center toward the Wings bench with Griner in hot pursuit. 

Both benches empties and it took referee Billy Smith and several coaches to restrain the combatants. Six players were tossed from the game after a lengthy review, including non-active Diana Taurasi...who appeared to be serving as a peace-keeper but was pitched for leaving the bench. 

Phoenix is struggling to remain in the top eight of the WNBA standings and make the playoffs. Myisha Hines-Allen and her Washington squad are tied for the league lead, so they're 99.9% assured of a playoff berth. Asia Durr's NY Liberty are in 10th. place overall and need to catch fire in August to crack the top eight. 

Neither Taylor nor Carter were expelled or threw any punches. Dallas went on to win 80-77.


CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR

Paulie's pre-show prep. 

Three of us took to the airwaves and Facebook Live from the majestic, media mansion on Mellwood for The Cardinal Couple Radio Hour yesterday. Case, Jeff and I had a great discussion on several upcoming UofL women's Fall sports and our final Cardinal Couple Radio Quiz for the season went to Jeff 100-80. 

You can join in on the fun and take the quiz at the link below. Jared claims an "off-site" score of 110 while shirking important work duties to listen. We'll award him the remaining toothpick from the one-eared, toothpick holding bear ceremonial winner's trophy whenever he shows up again. 

LINK:   THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR 8/10/19

Have a super Sunday!

paulie
xxxxx

WNBA...No surprises at the top so far. -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

As the WNBA rolls into the dozen games played mark of their season, a look at the standings offers no real surprises at the top so far. Atop the standings are the Minnesota Lynx with an 11-1 record. The Lynx came in second in 2016...losing the best of five championship series to the Los Angeles Sparks. The Sparks are, coincidentally, in second place with a 9-3 record. 

For the Lynx, Sylvia Fowles and Maya Moore lead the way...which is no big surprise either. Along with Lindsey Whalen, Seimone Augustus and Rebekka Brunson are also big factors in Minnesota's success...all but Whalen are averaging double figures in scoring...and she is at almost nine points a game. They all average over 24 minutes a game for the Lynx and pose a multi-dimensional threat to anyone who faces them. Only the Connecticut Sun have claimed a victory over them...although the next two games see them on the road in Phoenix and LA and could be challenges. 

The L.A. Sparks have Nneka Ogwumike, Candace Parker and Chelsea Gray leading the way...all above 15.0 p.p.g. and that's as good of a threesome as you'll find in the league. Complimented by Alana Beard, Odyssey Sims and Essence Carson...L.A. doesn't seem to be missing Kristi Tolliver all that much from last year. Tolliver, meanwhile has been one of the factors that has gotten the Mystics off to a good start. Indiana, Atlanta and Dallas have hung losses on the Sparks...but none of these were by more than six points. 

So, have these two become the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers of the WNBA? 

Washington might argue that...along with New York. Those two hold third and fourth places with five losses each. The Mystics have one more win that the Liberty and the big news in D.C. is the arrival of Elena Della Donne. Washington probably has to be wondering what life would be like if they didn't have to play Minnesota...two of their five defeats have come at the hands of the Lynx. Phoenix is 7-5 also...the story there is, of course...Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi. Griner leads the league with 23.1 p.p.g. and Tauasi is sixth in scoring. 

Out of the other seven squads...Dallas, Connecticut and Seattle are playing .500 basketball. Indiana is close to that at 6-7 while the Atlanta Dream, obviously feeling the effects of no Angel McCoughtry, are 5-6.

That gets us to the doormats of the league...Chicago (3-10) and San Antonio (0-14). The Stars only need to lose six more games in a row to equal the league's worst losing streak...put up by Tulsa in 2011. Welcome to the WNBA...Kelsey Plum. 

Four players are averaging over 20 points per game. We mentioned Griner earlier...behind her are Fowles (21.0), Tina Charles (20.5) and Ogwumike (20.3). Della Donne is knocking at the door with 19.3.

Now that the conference system has been scrapped in terms of playoff eligibility and the top eight teams wherever make the playoffs...if played today, the "odd teams out" would be Indiana, Atlanta, Chicago and San Antonio. 

A pleasant and maybe unsuspected surprise this season has been 6'6" Jonquil Jones and her play for the Connecticut Sun. Jones was impressive at George Washington University during her college days...no doubt...but the second-year pro has doubled her points and rebounding average from last year and leads the WNBA in grabs. 

Morgan Tuck just might find herself out of a job when she returns from injury...


paulie
xxxxx

Thursday Cardinal Couple -- Remembering "The Shot"

THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

- Remembering " The Shot" 

( We'll be doing a series of articles this summer about some of our favorite memories of UofL women's sports over the years. We start
this series with what is simply known as "the shot". Shoni Schimmel's amazing score against Brittney Griner in the 2013 NCAA Regionals.)

It was Easter Sunday and the Louisville WBB squad was in the Sweet 16...taking on and taking it to the #1 squad in the nation...the Baylor Bears. 



The clock reads 9:54 and the surprising Cards, fueled by a three-point barrage, have a 12-point lead over the #1 seed in the tournament Bears. 

Shoni Schimmel takes the pass after the defensive rebound. Clock/time possession is the last thing on her mind. She zips down the right side of the floor and crosses half-court. She has caught the Baylor defense napping...only Brittney Griner is between her and the basket.

6'7" Griner. 

A Griner who basically covers the same ground in two steps that takes Schimmel a half-dozen to travel. Griner moves toward the advancing Card and Schimmel plots her course. 

At full speed and in between the half-court line and the top of the key, Schimmel performs a nifty behind her back ball dribble move and gets past the recovering defender. Nita Slaughter is open on the other side of the court. Or...Schimmel could stop and pop an uncontested "three". 

She does neither. Shoni Schimmel has a step on Griner and she is headed to the hoop. 

Shoni jumps while still in front of the rim. Her momentum carrier her to the left side of the rim. Griner leaves the ground as well...ready for another of her nation-leading blocks. Shoni makes a shift...so that Griner's long arm is blocked by Shoni's back.

Schimmel flips the orb skyward, sight-unseen...as Griner fouls her. It banks off the backboard as the referee blows the whistle for the foul.

The ball slips through the rim. Goal!!  Plus one. 

"I don't want to say it was a miracle how it happened...but it was just kind of crazy HOW it happened." - Shoni Schimmel.

"She made a shot on me. I thought I had a good chance at the block. She made a good play." -Brittney Griner



The momentum of "the shot" sends Shoni to the floor. The attempt to block sends Griner staggering, back turned to the baseline...where she almost steps on the prone guard.

Schimmel gets up to go to the foul line. Griner is in her path. Schimmel turns as she passes Griner and barks in her face. Shoni doesn't remember, so she says...what she said to Griner. Fist clenched at her side, face gazing upward into Griner's sullen, expressionless face...Schimmel says what every underdog dreams they could say to a bigger, favored opponent. 


I'm still here. 

The shot. Another three-point play on an afternoon where the majority of them were coming from just one shot by Nita or Shoni or Jude. Few will remember that Sherrone Vails hit a "three" in the 82-81 win. So did Sara Hammond. Even Mo Reid tried one. Why not?Might as well go fishing when they're biting, right?...but hers missed the mark. Mo had her moment later...with two free throws to win the game. 

The shot. A symbol of never giving up. Of refusing to back down or walk away from a challenge. A defining moment in the career of a select group of ladies who went to the Final Four. The biggest upset in the history of women's college basketball. 

The shot. I saw it. I still marvel about it. 

"She may be Brittney Griner...but I'm Shoni Schimmel."

THE LINK:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFQu47A9UQU&feature=kp


paulie

FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

- Griner talks about Baylor loss to UofL


Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner covers a number of topics in her new book, In My Skin.

It includes how her school, Baylor University, dealt with the topic of her homosexuality.

The book, hits stores April 8. USA Today was provided with an advanced copy.

In excerpts from the book, Griner said she felt pain at Baylor even though she received support for her sexual orientation.

“I would love to be an ambassador for Baylor, to show my school pride, but it’s hard to do that — it’s hard to stand up and say, ‘Baylor is the best!’ — when the administration has a written policy against homosexuality,” Griner wrote.”I’ve spent too much of my life being made to feel like there’s something wrong with me. And no matter how much support I felt as a basketball player at Baylor, it still doesn’t erase all the pain I felt there.”

Griner helped Baylor win a national championship in 2012. In 2013, the Bears were ranked No. 1 and had won 32 straight games before they were upset by Louisville in the Sweet 16. The Mercury drafted Griner No. 1 overall in the 2013 WNBA draft.

“Cracks existed beneath the surface. And the game against Louisville, with the pressure cranked up, blew those cracks wide open … I didn’t deliver the way I usually did, and Kim got outcoached. We both underperformed,” Griner said.

THE STATEMENT AND THE WORDS DO NOTHING TO UNDERMINE THE BIGGEST UPSET IN WOMEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL HISTORY. IT'S EASY TO HAVE 20/20 HINDSIGHT. TO POINT THE FINGER AT OTHER THINGS.

GRINER WASN'T THE ONLY PLAYER ON THE COURT FOR THE BEARS THAT NIGHT. THEY FAILED TO STOP LOUISVILLE'S THREE POINT SHOOTING OR MONIQUE REID DRIVING TO THE BASKET. THEY COULD SOLVE THE WALZ-DESIGNED DEFENSE.

THE IMAGE OF SHONI SCHIMMEL BARKING AT GRINER AFTER THE 'IMPOSSIBLE' BASKET WILL LIVE IN LEGACY AND TESTIMONY AS A EXAMPLE OF 'THE LITTLE TRAIN THAT COULD' AND RAGING AGAINST THE NIGHT ....LONG AFTER GRINER'S ACCOMPLISHMENT ON THE COURT HAVE ENDED.

SELF-THERAPY BY GRINER HERE? POINTING THE FINGER AT THE SCHOOL AND THE COACH INSTEAD OF THE REAL FAILURE...BAYLOR'S INABILITY TO STOP LOUISVILLE FROM SCORING?  IT'S EASY TO SAY, "OH, I DIDN'T GIVE IT MY BEST" AFTER YOU LOSE. EXCUSES COME EASIER WITH TIME.

YOU GOT BEAT, BRIT. DEAL WITH IT.

PAULIE
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..
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MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

SHOCK THE WORLD.

You saw it. It happened. The Lady Cards play Tuesday night at 9 p.m. against Tennessee.

" She's Brittney Griner, but I'm Shoni Schimmel..."

Shoni's clip below:

I'm Shoni Schimmel

In what may be the biggest upset in the history of the NCAA Women's College Basketball Tournament, Louisville defeats #1 in the nation Baylor 82-81. Monique Reid's two free throws with 2.6 seconds left after a foul by Brittney Griner gave the Cards the lead for good in a game that will go down as a classic in NCAA Tournament play. The Cards survive and advance after watching a 17 point lead shrink in the final 7 1/2 minutes of action. Baylor's 32 game win streak dies. A lot of brackets do, as well...

 

Cards 16 for 25 from the three point arc. Three starters on the bench fouled out. A technical on Coach Walz that drew the Bears within two. The game had drama, intrigue, rage and finally...a happy ending for UofL. They shocked the world.

 

Megan Deines put the Cards put 80-76 after the technical but Odyssey Sims, who finished with 29 points, drilled a three with 36 seconds left to make it 80-79. A steal of Louisville's inbounds pass resulted in a foul and Sims hit two free throws to give Baylor their first lead of the game with 9.1 seconds left. That set the stage for Reid's drive to the hoop and the resulting foul on Griner, who had 14 points.

 

Yes, it was a foul...Kim Mulkey. Griner hammered Mo with the body. I hope they do fine you. You were at the other end of the court. You're asking media what they thought?  

 

Incredible, unbelieveable and remarkable. It's survive and advance this time of year. The Cards pulled it off. You knew the Bears would make a run and they did...but the University of Louisville held them off. With three starters on the bench.

 

Cardinal Spirit, you are alive and very well.

 

-Paulie

 

 

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BRACKET CHALLENGE UPDATE

 

(Standings through Sunday night action)

 

49-7

 

Keith B.

 

47-9

 

Jeff McAdams

 

46-10

 

Curtis F.

Steve O.

Nell J.

 

It's pretty much over for the rest of us. Keith does have a final four pick set of Baylor, California, Norte Dame and Connecticut. Has Baylor and Notre Dame advancing to the title game and Notre Dame winning.

 

Jeff has Baylor, California, Notre Dame and UConn advancing with Baylor facing UConn in the final and Baylor winning.

 

Steve O. did pick Louisville to beat Baylor and has a final four of Louisville, Cal, Notre Dame and UK. He has California facing Notre Dame in the final, the Irish winning.

 

Out of all the entries, only Steve O. and Sonja had Louisville winning over Baylor. Ever the optimist, Sonja has Louisville defeating Notre Dame in the final game. At 33-23, her bracket is way behind the leaders, but she did have Louisville...

 

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