Another "Battle of the Bluegrass" awaits -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 VOLLEYCARDS, CATS TO SQUARE OFF IN MEMORIAL COLISEUM WEDNESDAY

It'll be the first "battle of the Bluegrass" this fall between the women's sports squads at Louisville and Kentucky, as the Cards travel I- 64 East and head to Lexington for this  "top 11" Volleyball match on Wednesday. 

(Let's all cheer for Anna DeBeer !)

Louisville (7-1) is the #4 squad in the NCAA's DI as the two squads meet for the annual renewal of the Bluegrass Battle. Just a loss to Penn State blemishes UofL's record. The Cards have won the last three times the Cats and Cards squad have met....a 3-0 sweep last year for UofL and a 3-2 nail-biter in 2022 in Memorial. 

UK is 6-3 coming into the match, last taking part in action at the SMU Invitational...where they swept the hosts and fell 3-1 to Purdue

(

{Emma Grome will be at home for tonight's match)

Keys for the Cats will be getting top flight play from Eleanor Beavin, Brooklyn DeLeye and Emma Grome. DeLaye leads the widcats n killsmthis season with 127. 

The Cats also have losses against #2 Nebraska this season (in the KFC YUM! Center) and also to Penn State, in Lexington. 

The "new look" Memorial Coliseum now has air conditioning, a welcome relief no doubt for the players and the fans that pack te wooden bleachers on each side of Coliseum. It was rather warm on press row when I was up there in 2022...glad  they supplied ice cold bottles of water to us.

Erin Lamb recently appeared on BBN Tonight, here is the link to that:  Erin Lamb

(Katie George is a popular sportscaster these days. We hope she does Wedneaday's game)

The match will get a nationwide audience on ESPN at 7 p.m.. Back in 2022, it was Katie George on the call for "the family of networks" ESPN and Kathy deBoer was still the CEO of the AVCA... i was fortunate enough to sit next to deBoer in Memorial in 2022 and was fascinated by the stories she had about "volleyball in the early days" and her ascention through the ranks of the AVCA and getting the heqdquarters to relocate to Lexington. She has since retired and been replaced by Dr. Jamie Gordon. I haven't seen who will be calling the match tonight...but i would be quite surprised if Katie isn't on the call, maybe with Jen Hoffman? We'll just have to wait and see.

 

I won't be attending the match this season. I have never really been a fan of attending  anything in Lexington, except for the occasional day of racing at Keeneland in the fall or spring...but have a great log of stories i could tell aabout adventures in the city and on the UK campus....going all the way back to when i was an undergrad at UofL, in a fraternity and visitng the fraternities on the UK campus...(whatever happened to Connie from Hazard...lol?) 

Jeff and Jaed will be in attendance from the Cardina Couple writing corps...Jeff as a fan in the seats and Jared courtside snapping photos. 

(daryl and her posse? We never did find out...) 

Daryl will have the recap tomorrow, As mentioned, Jared will attend but due to the late nature of the event and subsequent drive back here and then go to work the next day, he has traded days this week with Daryl...who will be out at Bourbon and Beyond all weekend, starting Friday. Jared will still have photos, though, and our volleyball expert Jeff will have a full recap of what he saw on our weekly The Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast on Saturday

Should be a good one, we highly recommend you give it a view.

paulie

ACC Network Takeover -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

ACC Network Takeover

(Case was unavailable for the write today so I gladly stepped in to help out).

We still have no idea on when or if we will see live UofL sports, but we did hear good news if you want to see some of the best UofL games played again.

Mark your calendars down for August 1.  The Cards are taking over for the day.

The ACC Network will air six different Louisville games over the past decade beginning at 10:00 a.m.


Here is the entire lineup:


10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.: Men's Soccer vs Georgetown (Sept. 24, 2019)
12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.: Baseball vs Indiana (May 14, 2019)
3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.: Softball vs Florida State (April 8, 2019)
5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.: Women's Basketball vs Notre Dame (Jan. 11, 2018)
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.: Men's Basketball vs Pitt (Jan. 17, 2009)
9:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.: Football vs Mississippi State (Dec. 30, 2019)

We see a split of men's sports and women's sports, but we will focus on the two women's games.

Softball vs Florida State

Most of us still remember the Monday night walk-off against the #3 Seminoles to claim the series.  It
was Florida State's first conference series loss since 2012.

The Cards trailed 9-7 as they headed to the bottom of the seventh inning.  Rebecca Chung's three-run double with two outs led the Cards to a victory on ESPN and a full house at Ulmer Stadium.



Women's Basketball vs Notre Dame

Ah, one of my favorite women's basketball games.  The #3 Cards smoked the #2 Irish at the KFC Yum! Center, 100-67.

Like the softball game previously mentioned, this game was aired on ESPN.  What most people remember is Asia Durr's three-point buzzer-beater at the end of the third quarter.

That was one of the biggest jaw-dropping moments in Louisville sports history.

These are some games that you do not want to miss so set your DVR or have an alarm set to tune in.

Cardinal Couple Podcast Hour

After a fortunate series of several weeks off I'm back to banking this Saturday.  Case is occupied with
his exams and will be also out this week.

That leaves Paulie and Worldwide to hold down the fort this week.  Tune in to see what they'll talk about, although by default, we already have a winner for the quiz this week, if Paulie chooses to go that route.

My guess is it'll be a shorter-than-normal show, with the New York Liberty starting at noon on ESPN. You don't want to miss Jaz and Kylee's WNBA debut !!

Check it out on the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour on You Tube.

Happy Saturday and Go Cards!

Jared

WNBA Draft Tonight -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

WHERE WILL JAZ AND KYLEE END UP?

The 2020 WNBA Draft takes place tonight at 7 p.m. Three rounds, 36 picks, all to be done without the usual attendees, sports broadcasters and analysts in one spot. 

Instead, ESPN will do it remotely, the players watching via laptop and PC...watching on their couches, with a cadre of fans, friends and relatives around them The same goes for the ESPN sports personalities, making the comments, analysis and guesses from their own "homemade studios". It could be interesting. 

If anything is uncertain, it is who will be selected after the first five picks. Neither Louisville's Jones nor Shook are listed by the four sources I have studied for their projections and analysis. I studied what ESPN, Bleacher Report, CBS Sports and BBall Index had to say in their projections. 

The "four" are solid in their top four picks. All four think Sabrina Ionescu, Oregon point guard, will be taken by the New York Liberty. 

Oregon strong forward Satou Sabally is a consensus second pick by all four sources also, and projected to go to Dallas. 

Lauren Cox, Baylor power forward, is the projected third choice from these sources and will join the Indiana Fever. 

All four sources agree that Chennedy Carter, a shooting guard out of Texas A&M will go fourth and be selected by the Atlanta Dream. 

We heard from Payton Verhulst, 2021 Louisville commit, earlier in the week and she mentioned to us that Carter was a player she played against early in her career, before all the hype developed around Carter, and thought that she might turn out to be someone very special back then.

Payton was correct.

For the fifth pick, ESPN and Bleacher Report agree on South Carolina PG Tyasha Harris. BBall Index indicates that they think Princeton guard Bella Alarie is the one...they have Harris as sixth. CBS Sports touts UConn forward Megan Walker, followed by Harris and Alaire.  

Where are the "experts" thinking Jazmine Jones and Kylee Shook will end up? For their thoughts, only ESPN, College Sports Madness and B Ball Index offered anything after the first round. 

Kylee's projections: 

ESPN -- Kylee is the 19th pick and goes to Seattle
College Sports Madness --  Kylee is the 24th pick and headed to Washington
B Ball Index -- Kylee is the 32nd pick and goes to Chicago.

Two second round and one third round projections for Kylee.

I'll agree with B Ball Index. Chicago looks like a good fit for Kylee.  Their 2020 projected roster shows just four players 6'4" or taller -- Stefanie Dolson, Azura Stevens, Jantel Lavender and Cheyenne Parker. I'm thinking Kylee could beat out one of these for a roster spot. 

Jaz's projections: 

ESPN -- Jones is the 22nd pick and goes to the LA Sparks
B Ball Index -- Jones is the 29th pick and goes to Phoenix
College Sports Madness -- this website only pick the top 24 (first two rounds) and Jaz Jones wasn't in their top 24 picks. 

So, one second round, one third round and one "don't know" here.

I like Jones's chances with Phoenix. After "sure-fire" starters Diana Taurasi and Skylar Diggins Smith, the Mercury list Sophie Cunningham, Olivia Epoupa, Bria Hartley and Yvonne Turner as guards. It's not hard to see Jaz beating out one of the "other four" for a roster spot. 

Will we get Deb on TV tonight, from her
'women cave'? 

Jaz indicates she's been in touch with five different WNBA programs.

We don't have any information on who Kylee has been contacted by. Cardinal Couple has put in a request to talk with Kylee, but, we understand she hasn't been feeling well lately and we haven't made that contact yet. 

Let's not forget that trades are always a part of the WNBA Draft. so, even the best projections are merely that -- guesses. Only the 12 WNBA GM's and their coaches know for sure who they are going after, and they all have "contingency" plans in place, if a selection isn't around when their time comes to pick. 

We wish both Kylee and Jaz the best of fortunes in the WNBA Draft. 

We'll know late tonight.   



paulie
xxxxx

ACC Network -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

PROMISING OPPORTUNITIES FOR VIEWING (FOR SOME)

As most of you know, the ACC Network is coming. On August 22, this network will begin broadcasting ACC Sports. The current providers in Louisville are DirectTV, Hulu, Vue, Fios, Optimum, Google Fiber and "other providers"...according to the ACC Network information website. The ESPN app is another option. 



One notable name is missing. Spectrum.  

For those of you (myself included) who haven't "cut the cable" and still use this provider, the question, I suppose, is "Will Spectrum carry the ACC Network?" I decided to do a little research and "see what I could see".

After scouring the Internet and not finding out any relevant information on whether the ACC Network would be on Spectrum or not, I went to "Plan B" and decided to call Spectrum and ask a few questions. 

As usual, when you call most businesses anymore, you have to go through a series of "prompts" to reach a real person. I call this the "Automated Alice" procedure. I was eventually able to convince "Alice" I wanted to speak to a live customer service representative. And, after a five minute "hold time" I had a human being on the line. I realize that call centers are, for the most part -- understaffed... and delays are inevitable if you want a real person. 

The customer service representative I spoke with was polite but could not provide an answer on whether Spectrum would be negotiating with the ACC Network or ESPN to carry it. So, I politely asked to speak to someone who might provide more information. This is what the industry calls a "supervisor transfer call" and the hold time here was 12 minutes.

 I get it. There are less supervisors than call center customer service representatives.

I posed the question several ways. Each time the response was the same. She had no information on whether "corporate" Spectrum was negotiating with the ACC Network for coverage.  So, I decided to "retreat" and try another angle. I did make a request that Spectrum include the ACC Network on their roster and she promised she would deliver the message.  

I thought a call to UofL and to the department that is working with the ACC Network might provide some answers. Unfortunately, I got the voice mail of the person listed as "executive director of TV productions". Once again, I understand that....I'm sure that there are a lot of details and things to be worked out in preparation for the Cards part of the ACC Network and this person can't be sitting by the phone waiting to field questions from people like me. I did leave a detailed voice message, however, including my name, affiliation, phone number, e-mail address and reason for the call. I haven't had a reply yet....if I get one, I'll add it to the comments section.  

So, batting 0-3 and nervously looking toward the dugout to see if Coach Aprile was going to send in a pinch-hitter for me...I debated my next options. 

Perhaps Vince Tyra would know? Or Kenny Klein, the senior associate AD/SID? Maybe one of the assistant SID's would have an answer? Coach Walz knows a lot of stuff...maybe he had the answer I was looking for. I've got this "know-it-all", opinionated neighbor, who I'm sure would weigh-in with his "two cents worth"...even though he subscribes to ATT U Verse...and is a UK/SEC fan. (For the record, ATT has not signed a carriage contract with ESPN either to carry the ACC Network). Maybe my priest or that helpful guy at the Auto Zone had the answer? 

I came to the conclusion, though, that the UofL folks were probably way too busy to field a call from an independent website owner.  I did not make these calls. And, my neighbor is on vacation, so that venue wasn't possible either. 

I wondered if "Ask Jeeves" was still an active website?  I checked and got directed to ask.com but found no answer there either. 

Then it dawned on me. Why not call ESPN? So I did.  

My call was answered by ESPN's version of "Automated Alice" but the prompt sequence went pretty quickly. The customer service representative I spoke with was did not know anything about any negotiations with Spectrum for carrier coverage but suggested I might ask "the Customer Care team". But, as it turns out, this "team" wasn't in the office. Maybe they were out travelling for an away game or practicing for their next opponent. 

I did try again to speak with "the team" a few minutes later but a different Automated Alice informed me that no support agents were available to take my call and was asked to please call back later. A few subsequent attempts came up with the same results...but eventually, I did get through to a member of the Customer Care team.

I did find out that negotiations are ongoing between Spectrum and ESPN about a carrier pairing....so that is a bit of positive news. 

I also went to the site support.espn.com. There is a lot of information there, including a much broader list of providers that will carry the ACC Network, and the site is worth checking out.

So, I must sadly report that my quest for knowledge came up with limited success. I was 0-6 and I'm sure Coach Walz has someone getting off the bench to replace me. Maybe it'll be Jess, Kasa or Lindsey...I can't seem to get any offense generated and I'll have a seat next to Sam Purcell and discuss my lack of positive performance. Sometimes, the shots just don't fall. 

I wonder if the gang at NCIS knows? Ol' Gibbs and McGee, they're pretty sharp, you know...

It is a fact the the SEC has (2) channels on Spectrum. One of them doesn't do a lot of programs, just plays the same song over and over again. Can the ACC get equal coverage? 
Shoot, just give us one channel...but, if we get two, I bet the ACC could come up with a better song to play over and over. 

The promise of the ACC Network offers a great deal of programming, live events and such to keep any of the fans of the 15 schools in the ACC happy. Dedicated soccer, field hockey, volleyball, basketball....you name it...nights. Live events, replays and more.  As of now, some media subscribers will have unlimited access to these. 

The rest of us will wait, hope for positive developments and see what happens. I sincerely hope the negotiations go well. 

 Maybe you're reading today's column in a different city than Louisville. If so, I hope you have access to the ACC Network. Feel free to let us know your status, thoughts and what you know about the ACC Network in the comments section below. 

If you would like to request that Spectrum, or ATTUVerse carry the ACC Network in your area, you can make a request for this coverage with your provider. Just be prepared to prompt Automated Alice first. (Maybe we could get her on a broadcast of The Cardinal Couple Radio Hour as an automated guest? I wonder how she'd do on our weekly quiz?) 

Fans interested in learning more about the ACCN can go to www.getaccn.com


Have a terrific Thursday!

Paulie
xxxxx

Louisville women's basketball faces Connecticut Tonight -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

#2 VS. #3 

Geno now

The Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team comes to the KFC YUM! Center tonight for a 7 p.m. game against the #3 Louisville Cardinals. The city probably could have used Huskies and any dog sleds they cared to bring yesterday morning after a snow and arctic blast rendered driving difficulties and school cancellations. 

The Huskies, you see, have no problems driving. Or hitting threes, playing defense or scoring points. They, like the WBB Cards, have just one loss on the season -- a stumble at Baylor back on Jan 3rd -- 68-57. Back on Jan. 3rd, Louisville was still undefeated, having turned away North Carolina 73-68.  The Cards only loss would come a week later, at South Bend when Notre Dame upped Louisville 82-68. North Carolina must have learned something from the UofL loss, they knocked off Notre Dame earlier this week  in Chapel Hill. The Irish are the only common opponent the two teams have in common this season, Connecticut going to Notre Dame and winning 82-68. 

Geno back way back when

So, what does all of that tell us? I'm not really sure, except that -- maybe -- try and schedule the tough contests and foes at home. Or avoid playing them. 

Geno knows a thing or two about the Louisville squad. He's 16-1 against them lifetime, his only loss coming back on 3-17-93 to a Bud Childers coached Cardinal squad 74-71 in the NCAA Mideast Regional first round at Iowa City.  Bud left Louisville a few years later to take the head coaching job at James Madison (back then they were a better program than Louisville) and then WInthrop before retiring and becoming a successful franchise owner of several Sports Clips hair cutting franchises. 

Caption this picture if you want...

What have we learned here? A college coaching career can lead to owning several "clip joints"... salon styling and hair cutting franchises? Geno has a full head of hair, his restaurant business and spaghetti sauce. Coach Walz keeps his lettuce high and tight and has never ventured into hair-cutting (except as a patron), restaurants (except to dine) nor making his own spaghetti sauce (that we know of). Walz was offered a maitre d job at one of Geno's four restaurants. I wonder if they'd let him sit in the "wee chair" during slow periods? 

Geno's streak of win against UofL is impressive but consider that he's 24-0 lifetime against West Virginia, 47-2 against Seton Hall, 43-3 vs. Georgetown and 19-0 over Cincinnati. Who has won the most games against Geno? Let's circle back to Notre Dame, where Muffet McGraw has 12 wins and 36 losses against the Huskies. 

"Hey, is that Coach Walz coming to watch us practice?"

Coach Walz loves what he does, probably had a good night's sleep last night, isn't stressed out about tonight at all, knows his players are fired up about tonight and is looking for a high-level performance out of them. He knows how hard Geno's squad plays.

Walz knows the prime time opportunity ahead of him tonight comes down to one main thing. Scoring. Putting the ball in the bucket. Knowing your role and carrying it out.  

Trying to out-coach the legendary Geno. Not getting blown out early, like last year. 

What does Coach Walz think about tonight? Here's his presser from yesterday: 

LINK: WALZ PRESSER 1/30/19   

(WBB SID Nick Evans "calls me out" at the very end about my game and Coach points out to me that. "Shooters, shoot"...Hey, I wasn't called the "Fern Creek Force" for nothing.") 


BUT WHAT ABOUT TONIGHT, PAULIE?

Connecticut is 18-1 and has outscored their opponents by an average of 31.4 points (80.1 to 48.7) in seven ACC games. Overall they hold a +28.5 edge in scoring in their 19 games (81.9 to 53.4). 


Five Huskies are double digit point producers. Katie Lou Samuelson leads the way with 18.8 a night. The senior also tops UConn with 49 made threes on 137 attempts (36%). Napheesa Collier isn't far behind her with 18.6 points per outing and gets to the charity stripe more than any other Husky, (62-89), for 70%. Both Megan Walker and Crystal Dangerfield have been good for 12.9 a contest. Dangerfield is deadly from the free throw line, 31-33 (94%). Freshman Christyn Williams completes the double-digit points providers with 11.1 an event and sees about 34 minutes a game on the court. 

The Huskies starting lineup is basically a five-guard attack with Collier the "big" in the middle at 6'2". All of them are perfectly capable of getting the ball up the court and leading the fast break.  Samuelson is 6'3" but more guard-than-paint-oriented.

Another freshman, Olivia Odoba-Nelson, has seen action in all 19 games and plays an average of 10 minute a game.  After that, the Irish have four "benchers" who come in to do clean-up in blowout games, all five could probably go elsewhere and be starters...Batouly Camara, Kyla Irwin, Molly Bent and Mikayla Coombs.  

Sophomore Lexi Gordon announced last month she was going to transfer and will toil for Texas Tech next season. 

Five UConn numbers: 

Biggest win -- 56 ( vs.St. Louis)

Most Points Scored -- 99 (vs. Seton Hall)

Best Quarter -- 1st, where they outscore opponents 446-251

Turnovers  -- The Huskies force 16.1 a night and commit just 11.6 

Games in the 90's -- (5) against Ole Miss (90), DePaul (99), St. Louis (98), Seton Hall (99) and UCF (93) 


SO...WHO WILL WIN? 

Why, the team who scores the most points, that's who!! (One of Walz's favorite answers when he's asked that question). 

Ball control is going to be a key tonight. How do you do when you have it, can you limit turnovers and steals, are you able to work it effectively and get open, not forced, shots?

Are you able to play the shutdown defense and how will you do on second chance opportunities? 

The Cards have nothing to lose tonight. Time to "go for it" on fourth down, swing for the fence, pull the goalie and serve the ace. 

Most pundits and predictors are picking UConn to win. It's not a conference game. It won't affect the ranking or NCAA Tournament seeding that much. Louisville has been shutting down ACC offenses in the last five games, yes, but UConn is a horse of a different color. UofL has arguably the best player in NCAA Division I women's college basketball in "Nite-nite". She'll meet two other contenders for that crown in Samuelson and Collier. 


The Huskies are 93-0 in the AAC since joining the league. 108-0 if your toss in tournament play. They won't face a larger, crazier, louder and enthused fan base on the road the rest of the season than they will tonight. How will they handle it?  



ESPN comes in with their "A" team.  Amin, Lobo, Lawson...with Holly Rowe running the sidelines (dressed in blue, whatcha wanna bet?)   

I hope the Cards come out, shake the nerves and just have some fun in a great Thursday night matchup between two great teams. Two teams who were shocked in the Final Four last year. Two teams bent on returning to that "foursome" this year in Tampa. 


I hope "the AC is 'on'", Asia is "Durrific" and "JJ Airlines" is running on schedule and packed with passengers. I hope Sam is a chairwoman of the boards and Kylee, "B" and Dana are representing their "A" games. What role will "Kasa" play. Does Lindsey get a chance to bomb threes? 

It's four probable WNBA players in Durr, Carter, Samuelson and Collier. It's two of the best coaches in the women's game.

It's gonna be wild. The "intro" should be crazy. Make sure you're there early to catch it. Bring your "outside" voice. 


Let's go 81-79. Cards. In a thriller. That's the pick. Be there, so you can tell your grand-kids and co-workers you were there "that night". Get there early, it could be a crowd of 16,000 plus.  Feel free to leave your prediction in our comments section. 

Probably won't be there tonight...

We'll recap it tomorrow here at Cardinal Couple. Hopefully, a" glowing report on a victory type of article".

Then, again, it's Jared's write up. Who knows what he'll touch on. His spontaneous viewpoints are a favorite here at the Chimp ranch.  

We also invite you to join us Saturday. 11 a.m. for the "not ready for drive time" radio broadcast of The Cardinal Couple Radio Hour. Jeff Walz (well, at least his bobblehead) will be in studio with a selectively picked group of audio talent. WCHQ 100.9 FM and Facebook Live. 

The Cards try to match steps with UConn on the frantic treadmill of women's college basketball tonight. Let's lace 'em up, climb aboard and get with it. Pulse and heart monitors optional. 

paulie
xxxxx

Louisville WBB vs. Notre Dame tonight -- Let's Play -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

#1 vs #2 TONIGHT

It goes down tonight in South Bend. The University of Louisville women's basketball squad faces #1 Notre Dame. ESPN bringing in the big guns....Adam Amin, Rebecca Lobo, Kara Lawson and Holly Rowe. A sold out crowd of 9149 in the Purcell Pavillion ready for the contest. The biggest game of the season, so far, for the Cards.The sixth top 25 opponent of the season for Notre Dame. Asia vs. Arike. Are you ready? 

Notre Dame plays very well in Purcell. In their last 105 games there, they have lost three times. All to UConn. Louisville last visited there on Feburary 6th, 2017 and took a 85-66 loss. 

So, what about these Irish? They are at 14-1 on the 2018-19 season, the lone loss coming to UConn on December 2nd., a 89-71 defeat. In common opponents, both have played Duke and UND down them 82-64. The Cards took a 73-51 win over the Blue Devils. Both have gone up against WKU. The Cards getting a 102-80 win there to start the season. Notre Dame having the Hilltoppers at Purcell and dismissing them on December 19th 94-53.

The Irish squad has plenty of talent. Arike Ogunbowale leads them in field goal attempts (252) field goals made (123) total points (331), free throw attempts (86), free throws made (66) and points per game (22.1). Look for Jackie Young as the set-up student athlete, her assist to turnover ratio is 2.33. Brianna Turner has 33 blocks this year and has had over 80 in the previous three seasons she has played. On the boards, it's Jessica Shepard -- 9.5 rebounds a game. Add "do-everything" Marina Mabrey, back after an early season quadricep injury to that starting lineup and averaging 14.3 points per game and they look very impressive. All but Young were selected to the pre-season ALL-ACC Coaches Panel and Blue Ribbon panel squads. All but Young are seniors or graduate students. 

The Irish average 52.7 points in the paint so far this year and that's where the Cards will have to be able to contain them. They allow a mere 27.2 points in the paint. 

Louisville is undefeated at 14-0. They have played and defeated two top 25 teams. They are one of two teams undefeated on the season, after Ohio fell to Central Michigan last night 88-70 in Athens, OH. The Cards defeated CMU 72-68 before Christmas break. The other undefeated squad besides the Cards is NC State and the Wolfpack goes up against Pitt tonight in Raleigh. 

This is the Cards first ever participation in a #1 vs. #2 match-up. They have Asia Durr. 

The Cards learned yesterday that "Nite-nite" had been named to the John Wooden mid-season top 25 list. She's one of five ACC players on that list. Ogunbowale, Young and Shepard from Notre Dame are on there. So is Tiana Mangakahia from Syracuse. 

The Cards' talent is deep beside Durr, though. Arica Carter is a dangerous three-point threat. Jazmine Jones is the Cards "do-everything" player.  Sam Fuehring provides the inside muscle, along with Kylee Shook and Bionca Dunham. Dana Evans comes off the bench with speed, quickness, scoring and defensive intensity. Lindsey Duvall is 12-28 from three-point range this season. Hoe big a factor will she and freshman defensive specialist Mykasa Robinson be? Louisville is probably the better team in terms of depth. Louisville is a quicker squad that Notre Dame and they have won the last two contests against pretty much this same Notre Dame lineup. 

Jeff Walz will tell you offensive accuracy and cutting down on turnovers are two keys to this one for the Cards. He expects a game "in the eighties" and he'll probably see that come close to fruition. 

Notre Dame will be fired up, seeking revenge and I fully expect them to come out strong and try to bury the Cards early. Louisville needs to withstand the early attempts at the knockout punch and try to create a big first quarter, like they did against UNC, NKU, Miami and Kentucky. 

We heard from Arica Carter and Jeff Walz yesterday. They previewed the game, the season and other things for the media in about a 1/2 hour press conference. You can see and hear that presser below.

We wonder what our buddy Tom's choice is tonight?

LINK: WALZ AND CARTER 1/9/19

We apologize that you can't hear the questions very well on the feed above. If you want a better quality audio where you can hear the questions but with no video, try the link below: 

LINK: WALZ AND CARTER 1/9/19 (AUDIO ONLY)

I urge you to review the presser. Walz and Carter are loose, engaged and ready to go take care of business. I got the same out of the entire team while watching practice yesterday. A chance to do what every player dreams of, come to school for. A chance to play "in a big-one", under the national spotlight and show what they've got. 

A potentially important factor will be the officiating. No "TV" Dee Kanter for this one. The crew will be Eric Brewton, Kevin Dillard and Karen Preato. They call a lot of ACC contests and the Cards are familiar with their game-management. 

Another sideline is McGraw vs. Walz. The history between those two is well-documented. 

Eric Crawford was at yesterday's presser. He has an interesting take on tonight's match-up. Read it at the link below: 

LINK:  CARDS VS. IRISH

Here we go. The highlight of the Cards WBB season so far. Louisville has been outscoring opponents by  20.0+ game a year this season. They probably don't get that huge a win tonight (in fact, another website has conducted a poll and 95% of the participants predict a Notre Dame win) but I will go in a different direction. UConn gave Coach Walz another blueprint on how to defeat the Irish earlier this season. UofL and Durr "show up" for the big games and the Cards have won 11 straight ACC road games. 

How do I see it? A win for the Red and Black tonight in South Bend is how I see it. Let's say 80-75. Asia has a huge, Asia Durr-type game and the Cards go to 15-0. Jaz thrills the watchers, Arica buries a few threes and Sam "does work" inside against the taller Irish. 

Regardless, though, of the outcome...it's a wonderful thing to see the Cards in the national spotlight. This is what they play for. Let's do it. We'll have a full recap tomorrow here at CARDINAL COUPLE. 

Today is "wear red" day to support our squad in Sound Bend. You know you look good in red, so...do it !! 

Your thoughts on the contest? Let us know in the comments section.   


OFF TOPIC, BUT...


-- Louisville MBB lost a exciting one last night at Pitt. Overtime. Half of Pitt's squad fouled out it seemed. The Cards unable to hit the big buckets in O.T., though.  

-- A player Cardinal fans grew to know over 2018, Maori Davenport, has been ruled ineligible for her senior high school season in Alabama. This seems a bit unfair, if you ask me, but...you decide. It won't affect her eligibility at Rutgers, though, in the 2019-20 season. The article link below: 

LINK: MAORI MISCHIEF?  

-- Yay! For Wilma Rivera ! She's been picked for the Puerto Rican National team. Louisville Volleyball's premier setter is all that...

-- After watching the WBB squad "do work" yesterday, I did wander over to the Louisville Lacrosse Stadium to watch them practice for a few minutes. A lively and spirited session, which was impressive given the cold and windy weather we're experiencing. Go LouLAX !  



paulie
xxxxx 

Countdown to Notre Dame -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

CARDS VS. IRISH


One of the games Louisville fans had on their schedule before the first game of the season ever tips off tomorrow.  Louisville and Notre Dame are set to square off in South Bend at the Purcell Pavilion.

With the UConn loss at Baylor last weekend a new team has claimed the spot in the charts.  The Irish, who also are the reigning national champions gladly took the No. 1 ranking in the AP Poll.  Louisville is close behind at No. 2, tying the highest ranking in program history.  The Irish had 12 first place votes and 715 overall.  The Cards received 10 first place votes and 708 overall.  The Huskies, who the Cardinals host in three weeks, fell to No. 3 with three first place votes and 701 total votes.

Going back to Louisville vs Notre Dame, this is the only scheduled match-up between the two teams this season, although these two teams facing each other in the ACC Tournament final is expected.  Last season, the only regular season match-up was hosted by the Cards at the KFC Yum! Center.  That win became memorial to UofL fans as the Cards crushed the Irish 100-67.  Asia Durr and Myisha Hines-Allen totaled Notre Dame's entire point total.

The Cards and Irish met in the ACC Championship game and played a much closer game.  Louisville trailed by two at halftime but came back in the second half to secure a two-point victory for their first ACC Championship.  The Cards claimed the conference title in the regular season and tournament.

This season, Louisville remained one of three undefeated teams remaining alongside NC State and the Ohio (Bobcats, not Ohio State Buckeyes).  Notre Dame is 14-1 after suffering an early season home loss to UConn 89-71.  The 71 points is the Irish's lowest point total of the season.

Notre Dame has wins over ranked opponents Oregon State, DePaul (receiving votes category), Gonzaga, and Marquette.  Their two conference wins came at home against Pittsburgh 100-44 and at Georgia Tech 76-55.  The Rambling Wreck was 11-3 going into the Notre Dame game. Even if it is rebuilding Pitt -- a 56-point victory against any opponent is certainly an impressive feat.

Averaging 90 points per game, Notre Dame's biggest threat is their offense.  They have a strong .345 three-point percentage despite only making four per game.  From the free throw line Notre Dame is shooting 75%, on par with the Cards, and make a whopping 17.5 per game.  With a high-scoring offense it's expected to see a high number of assists per game.  The Irish don't disappoint with 19.5 assists per game.

On the defensive side, the Irish have still been strong, but have had some tough times against high-powered offenses.  Notre Dame is allowing allows 64.1 pints per game.  They're holding teams to a .366 field goal percentage, fairly average for ranked teams' defenses.  The Irish force 16 turnovers per game, eight and a half of those being steals.  The Irish record five blocks per game.

Breaking down each quarter, opponents typically have their best quarter at the beginning of the game.  Notre Dame will crank things up the middle two quarters before relaxing in the final quarter.  Louisville and Notre Dame are similar with their fourth quarters.  Both squads usually have a sizable lead and will pull off the gas.  It's also the time of the game you see some of the reserve players come in to get playing time experience.

Louisville's best chance to win this game is to come out firing from the get-go.  Notre Dame has given up the most points in the first quarter and has not played catch-up much this season.  The worst thing for the Cards would be to start slow and go down big early.  The Irish don't give up leads once they take them and the crowd in the Purcell Pavilion can be unforgiving.

On the personnel side of things, Notre Dame returns four starters from last season in Arike Ogunbowale, Marina Mabrey, Jessica Shepard and Jackie Young. Two time All-ACC First team defender Brianna Turner is back also. The 6'3" redshirt senior sat out last year with a knee injury.
Those five do the bulk of the scoring for Notre Dame, no one else averages mote than five points a game for them.

A slimmed-down Jessica Shepard has really become one of the keys for the Itrish in the 2018-19 season. She lost 40 pounds over the summer-fall of 2018.

I expect Paulie will dive deeper into the match-up tomorrow and break down their starting five plus a whole lot more about the contest.

He'll also have the Jeff Walz/Arica Carter interview that takes place today at 12:30 down at the Cards practice facility on Floyd Street.

This game is a prime-time feature on ESPN, making it easy to find a place to watch it.  Let's hope the Cards shine in the national spotlight and perhaps earn their first ever No. 1 ranking come next week.


Happy Wednesday and Go Cards!

- Jared -

NOVEMBER IS DONATION MONTH TO CARDINAL COUPLE!...ACC FIELD HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIPS -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

NOVEMBER IS CARDINAL COUPLE DONATION MONTH. 

We enjoy being your voice for the joy and excitement of UofL Women's SPORTS. But, we can't do it alone. WE NEED your donations. Please give what you can. If you have donated in the past, thank you! If you haven't, please consider. You are CARDINAL COUPLE...and we never forget that. WE will be giving you reasons this month to donate.

Today's reason: We provide the most comprehensive coverage of UofL women's sports of any non-University run website in the world. Please consider donating. 

ACC FIELD HOCKEY Tournament Begins TODAY  

The ACC Field Hockey Championship Tournament begins today at Trager Stadium here in Louisville, KY. Three days...six games...and the best Field Hockey action in college athletics is here in our city and the championships get underway today at 11 a.m. this morning when #5 seed North Carolina faces #4 seed Wake Forest. Following that one, around 1:30, #2 seed Duke takes on #7 seed Boston College. The final game of the day (appox. 4 p.m.) will have #3 seed Louisville against #6 seed Syracuse. 

If (or when) the Cards win, they'll get the winner of the B.C v. Duke contest around 2:30 p.m. Virginia is the #1 seed, they'll tangle with the UNC v. Wake Forest match. The finals are on Sunday. 

Paulie attended the UofL Field Hockey press conference yesterday. Coach Justine Sowry spoke first, followed by players Ayeshia McFerran, Nicole Woods and Marigrace Ragsdale. Coach answered a variety of questions and we have the interviews below for you. Some highlights from Coach: 

-- Playing at home is a great opportunity for the Cards. A lot of early season road contests so to have the tournament here is very big.

-- On playing Syracuse: "They've actually changed their lineup a little bit, most teams do a little tweaking of lineups in the season. They've moved one of the back fielders into the front field, so we'll be ready for that. They're very right side dominant...we'll need to make some adjustments, but, ultimately, we'll try to play our Louisville brand of Field Hockey. It'll be a physical game and we need to avoid getting caught up in their physicality."

-- On the strength of the league: "I've said it for years...it's harder to win an ACC Tournament than the NCAA Tournament. It's all about matchups. Our last several against Syracuse have been overtimes. The strength of our conference is unbelievable." 

HEAR COACH SOWRY'S FULL INTERVIEW  HERE



The players also discussed the team and tournament: 

Ayeshia McFerran on being back to full strength: "The start of the season was pretty rough on me, so to be playing full strength and in the ACC Tournament couldn't be any better for me. It's very exciting and I have full confidence in the team in front of me." 

HEAR THE PLAYERS INTERVIEW  HERE

A tough rough ahead for the Cards...especially ifthey draw Duke in Round Two...but anything can happen come Tournament time and Sowry's squad seems motivated and had a spirited, productive practice yesterday. Best of luck to the Cards Field Hockey squad today! 


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UPDATE ON WALZ

WE had previously reported that Coach Walz went in civilian clothes Halloween evening while accompanying two of his girls on their candy quest. We were incorrect. From sources we shall not reveal and with great secrecy and scrutiny...we have obtained these photos of Coach....as the Mad Hatter! 

Rumors are...he's got a game day version of this outfit and will dress associate coach Sam Purcell up as the Cheshire Cat, associate coach Steph Norman as Humpty Dumpty and assistant coach Samantha Williams as Alice in Wonderland. 


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DURR-IFFIC....AGAIN! 

Asia Durr was one of six women's college basketball players picked to go to Bristol, CT and be on the ESPN Network's Women's Basketball National Media Day. 

The junior guard had a one-on-one sit down with ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo, sideline reporter Holly Rowe, a session with ESPN and social media platforms (CARDINAL COUPLE was NOT invited!), a one-hour press conference with national media and appearances on Around The Rim and ESPNW.

Looking good on the big screen, A.D.! The content from throughout the day will be used on various ESPN platform during hoops season. 


paulie
xxxxx