A Look At ACC WBB -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 How Are The Cards WBB Foes Doing So Far? 

With Louisville WBB and Volleyball not playing until Thursday, I thought today would be a good day to catch up on how some of our 14 ACC foes are doing so far this season in hoops. It is interesting to note that two schools are still undefeated (North Carolina 9-0 and Duke 8-0) and only one school is below .500 (Virginia 3-7). In all fairness, four conference gams have been played as well...so far, with NC State and Notre Dame at 1-0, Syracuse at 1-1 and Pitt and Clemson at 0-1. 

So, here we go:

NORTH CAROLINA 9-0

The Tar Heels are off to a fine start, playing a fairly rough pre-conference slate. Deja Kelly and Alyssa Ustby are leading UNC in scoring, a couple of sophomore guards for Courtney Banghart. It looks like all is well in the post-Janelle Bailey era

KEY WINS: Washington, VCU, Minnesota

KEY LOSSES: none

DUKE 8-0

Kara Lawson has her collection of returnees and transfer portal players (including Elizabeth Balogun and Nyah Green) doing some great things so far. Miela Goodchild and Vanessa DeJesus are the leading scorers. Former Card Balogun is averaging 8.5 in eight games and Green 4.0 in four games. Duke does have a tough one coming up  -- against #1 South Carolina. 

KEY WINS:  Dayton, Alabama, Iowa

KEY LOSSES: none

WAKE FOREST  9-1

Jen Hoover's Deacs are having an impressive pre-season. The Ivana Raca/Gina Conti era is over, but returning sophomore guard Jewel Spear is really lighting it up for the Winston-Salem school. Christina Morra is back also and having a good scoring/rebounding season. 

KEY WINS:  East Carolina, UNC Charlotte

KEY LOSS:  Nebraska

NC STATE 10-1

Wes Moore has the Wolfpack rolling and has faced a pretty tough slate preseason to get to 10-1. "Big Smile" Elissa Cunane leads the scoring, but Jakia Brown-Turner, Jada Boyd, Kayla Jones and Raina Perez are all over double figures as well. 

KEY WINS: Indiana, Maryland, Kansas State

KEY LOSS:  South Carolina

GEORGIA TECH 8-2

Nell Fortner has developed quite a strong team down in Hot 'lanta.and Nerea Hermosa, Eylia Love, Lotta-Maj Lahtinen, Digna Strutmane and Lorela Cubaj did beat the Paige "Buckets"-less U Conn Huskies. 

KEY WINS: UConn, Belmont, Georgia

KEY LOSSES: Purdue, Auburn 

NOTRE DAME 9-2

The Irish have impressed in the non-conference schedule and did thump Syracuse pretty handily early in the schedule at Syracuse. Familiar names Maddie Westbeld, Sonja Citron, Olivia Miles and Dara Mabrey are all in double figures for Coach Ivey. And...(darn-it)...they recently beat Purdue Fort Wayne and one of our favorite Crdinal Couple mascots --  Don the Mastadon.

KEY WINS:  Syracuse, Michigan State, Oregon State

KEY LOSSES:  UConn, Georgia

BOSTON COLLEGE 7-2

A bit of a surprise to me with the early success, but the Eagles do have veterans Taylor Soule, Cameron Swartz, Makaya Dickens and Marnelle Garraud back. It'll be interesting to see if their winning ways continue once ACC play begins. The non-conference slate hasn't been all that impressive.  

KEY WINS:  Penn State, Providence, Northeastern

KEY LOSSES: Boston University, VCU

So, there you have how the best eight (including Louisville) in the ACC, so far, are faring. Miami, Florida State, Pitt and Virginia Tech have three losses. Clemson is at 5-4, Syracuse at 7-4 and lackluster Virginia sits at 3-7.

Jared will have Cards Volleyball and WBB previews for you tomorrow. Louisville beings EKU into the KFC YUM! Center on Thursday and Volleyball is in the NCAA Tournament semifinals versus Wisconsin. 

paulie  

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Cards vs. Wolfpack Tonight -- MONDAY CARINAL COUPLE

 TOP 5 SHOWDOWN TONIGHT IN KFC YUM! CENTER

A photo of a previous battle

The Louisville women's basketball squad takes part in Big Monday tonight with a game against visiting NC State.  This has been ballyhooed as a #1 vs. #2 showdown for weeks now...then NC State flipped the switch and lost to Va.Tech in overtime their last time out. 

So, let's call it a top five showdown, because I doubt the WolfPack fall out of the poll's top five when they are released later today. That is one sub plot. 

The other is the status of NC State center Elissa Cunane. She sat out the Va.Tech games because of COVID protocol. That's right, I said games, because the Hokies and WolfPack actually met back-to-back last week -- NC State narrowly winning the Jan 24th. contest at Reynolds Coliseum -- home of the WolfPack --  89-87. The contest at Blacksburg, on the 28th went the Hokies way, in overtime, 83-71. It took a last second three from Wolfpack sophomore Camiile Hobby to create the overtime. 

Now that I've caught you up on WolfPack history for the last several days, let us reflect on, just briefly, whether Cunane will be cleared to run Denny Crum Court Monday night. or not.  Coach Walz is preparing the Cards as if she will. Wes Moore is probably fervently praying she's available. I expect we'll know for sure when the WolfPack come out to warm-up tonight and when the starting lineups are release, usually about 10-15 minutes prior to tip-off. 

Without Cunane, the WolfPack have tried two different starting lineups. The first time around against the Hokies, Moore sent Jakie Brown-Turner, a 6'0" wing, Kai Crutchfield a 5'9" guard, Jada Boyd, a 6'2" forward, Raina Perez, a 5'4: guard and Jada Rice, a 6'1" forward out to greet the VT squad, with Kayla Jones, a 6'`" forward and Camille Hobby, a 6'1 forward, seeing the substitution minutes. Four days later, Moore switched out Boyd and Rice as starters and plugged in Hobby and Jones...Boyd coming in as a sub and the only sub seeing any significant minutes. Ah, the musical chairs in Raleigh are alive and well, dancing to the COVID tune, it seems. 

On the season, NC State (11-1) has faced a #1 before, and did well, knocking off South Carolina back on December 3rd, 54-46. They are tops in the ACC in defensive rebounds (32.7), field-goal percentage (.486) scoring margin (+18.7) and scoring offense (81.8). Four WolfPack average in double figures, Cunane the leader at 16.2 ppg, followed by Turner (14.6), Jones (13.2 and Boyd (10.8). 

Will "Big Smile" be grinning in 
Louisvville tonight? 

So, how does Coach Walz and the Cards get ready for the Pack with the Cunane question looming? 

I see it this way. You just go out and play Louisville basketball. You have Dana Evans, Hailey Van Lith, two formidable centers in Cochran and Dixon, a rapidly improving Elizabeth Balogun and a strong bench that includes two "some-time" starters in Robinson and Kianna Smith, plus Norika Konno.. You force the issue when you can offensively, pushing the pace and trying to create the fast break points and remember that points-in-the-paint could be very promising if Cunane sits. Jeff Walz is an expert at situational, "coaching-on-the-fly" tactics (unless he's up by 32, then the brain goes into pause, it seems). NC State does not go very "deep" in their rotation,...they play 7-8 players an night 

Without Cunane, just one starter for NC State is over 6'1" (Boyd at 6'2") .  You have to hit the boards hard against NCST, the guards MUST rebound and let's hope the threes are falling for UofL. How do the Cards decide a starting lineup? That might well depend on whether Cunane starts or not. At 6'5", she poses obvious threats and is the WolfPack's leading scorer, rebounder, shooter and shot blocker. 

Remember these two Cards ? 

NC State has held five of their opponents to under 30% shooting this 2020-21 season and nine of 12 to under 40%. Cunane has been a big part of that, without her, Va.Tech went 48.5% in the first meeting between the two and 38.8% in the second-time around. When you have Elizabeth Kitley and Aisha Sheppard, though, you going to get a lot of buckets. 

A chess-match awaits, then, at 7 p.m. tonight on Denny Crum Court. ESPN 2 has the coverage, Nick and A.J. bringing it to you also on Cards Radio 790-AM WKRD. If you're "doing" this one at home, you might also try to catch the pre-game preview with Allison Cook and Jazmine Jones that starts at 6:30, and will be available on Twitter (@uoflwbb), Facebook and youtube.com/GoCards.  

My girlfriend, Ms Wuf, won't be making the trip and that saddens me, and we DON'T get Deb Antonelli (dammit) for this one either...Rebecca "UConn" Lobo, that Ryan guy and Holly Rowe will bring it to you on the four-letter network squared. 

So many scenarios, possible plot-twists and variables tonight...it's almost a "Clue Board game" -type situation, so, I'll go with...."Dana Evans, with a jumper, on Denny Crum Court" as my suggestion on "who does it" tonight...

We'd like to hear your thoughts on tonight, drop a comment in our comments section! Anonymous remarks are fine if you're the shy and bashful type...

Have a marvelous Monday!  

paulie