Academic Accolades and Softball Final Series -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

WBB Lands 8 on ACC Academic Team

Louisville women's basketball continued a tradition we've grown accustomed to in covering Louisville women's athletics, which is performing well off the court in addition to on it. This trend was kept up with the announcement of the 2025 All-ACC Academic Team by the conference earlier this week. Jeff Walz's squad placed eight on the team. As a unit, Louisville WBB posted a 3.37 GPA as a team in the fall semester. They had 12 team members earn at least a 3.0, 11 with at least a 3.25, and one pick up a perfect 4.0. 

All-ACC Academic Team honorees must post a 3.0 GPA for the previous semester and maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA over the course of their collegiate career. They must also compete in at least 50% of the team's athletic contests. Louisville had three freshmen on the team, all obviously picking up their first honor: Isla Juffermans, Mackenly Randolph, and Taj Roberts. Three players earned their second honor: Jayda Curry, Elif Istanbulluoglu, and Ja'Leah Williams. And two players earned their All-ACC Academic Team placement: Merissah Russell and Nyla Harris. 

Congratulations to all as commencement is just around the corner for UofL's Spring 2025 graduates.

Softball Takes on Pitt in Regular Season Finale

Louisville softball, as is tradition, is on the road for their final series of the regular season, with the Cards heading to Pittsburgh for a Thursday-Friday-Saturday matchup with the Panthers. Today's series opener will get underway at 6PM and air on ACC Network Extra. With their win over Florida State on Sunday, the Cards did a lot to improve their ACC tournament positioning. That is to say, Louisville is almost guaranteed to make the ACC tournament. 

Louisville sits at 7-14 in conference play, which is good for 10th. As a reminder, 12 teams make the tournament. The Cards need to only be ahead of three opponents to lock up the 12th spot. Two of the teams below them in the standings cannot improve. Notre Dame and NC State have already completed their regular season, with the Irish at 7-17 and the Wolfpack at 6-18. Louisville holds the tiebreaker over Notre Dame. Syracuse and Pittsburgh both have six wins, so a sweep by both of those teams would move them ahead of the Cards. That would leave Boston College. BC has five wins, and Louisville holds the tiebreaker. For BC to jump the Cards, Pitt would have to sweep, but so would BC. The Eagles are taking on Stanford this weekend.

With one win against the Panthers, who are 19-29 overall, Louisville would secure its spot in the tournament. Effectively, they're playing for seeding and a chance to try to make enough noise to land an NCAA berth. I'm sure there is no love lost between Coach Holly Aprile and her former team, though she has been at UofL long enough that no players from her time at Pitt remain on the roster. The Cards are 27-6 all-time against Pittsburgh and 8-2 in their last ten meetings. Unfortunately, five of those six losses have come on the road. Louisville would do well to ride their momentum from Sunday's big win to close out the regular season strong and then see what happens going forward. 

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

Volleyball, WBB Set for Matchups Out West -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Volleyball Takes on #7 Stanford

Following their unfortunate loss to Pittsburgh Wednesday night, Louisville will be hoping to maintain their chance at a share of the ACC Championship. Louisville can share the title with a win today if Pittsburgh loses. The downside of their game coming on the west coast, though, is that the fate of the championship may already be determined. Pitt and GT will get underway at 1PM, meaning the match (and the title race) may very well be over before first serve in Palo Alto. 

At any rate, today's match against Stanford is still critical for Louisville's postseason fate. The Cards will certainly drop from the top-three during tomorrow's selection show, but a second win, this time on the road, over the 7th-ranked Cardinal, should be enough to keep Louisville in the top-four, which would guarantee them as a host throughout the tournament. If the Cards can beat Stanford again, they'll sit at 26-4, with all four losses coming to the three teams ranked (presumably) 1, 2, and 3. They'd have wins over their direct competition for the 4-seed (Creighton and Wisconsin). However, a Stanford win could just as easily see them jump the Jays and Badgers to steal that region host position. 

Louisville will be looking to do the same thing to Stanford that Pitt did on Wednesday. Louisville was desperately looking for payback at home after a tough loss to Pitt on the road earlier this season. The situation will be the same for Stanford. Louisville swept the match in the Yum! Center earlier this season in what was an upset at the time. Louisville made the fight at Pitt a lot tougher, but that could go either way. The 5-setter in Pittsburgh could have motivated Louisville to be more encouraged about a payback win at home. On the flip side, getting embarrassed on the road on national TV could be enough for Stanford to be ready to return the favor. 

Stanford sits at 24-4 on the season and is 16-3 in conference. While a Louisville win would keep them alive for a title or put them alone in second, a Stanford win would send Louisville into a three-way tie for second place with the Cardinal and the Mustangs of SMU (assuming they beat NC State tonight). Stanford's one non-conference loss was common with Louisville's: a sweep at the hands of Nebraska. Maples Pavilion has been a tough place to play this year. Stanford is unbeaten at home, with non-conference wins over #6 Texas (3-0) and #11 UK (3-1) and a sweep of #16 Georgia Tech earlier this month. Barring a shocker against Miami where Stanford lost in five sets, this match would be between a pair of 17-2 ACC teams. Granted, Stanford only had to play Pitt one time, but you play the schedule you have. 

Louisville and Stanford will get underway at 4PM on ACC Network Extra. 

Basketball Faces Colorado

After escaping Orlando last weekend with a victory over USF, Louisville WBB remains on the road following their brief Thanksgiving break with a game against the Colorado Buffaloes. The Buffs currently sit at 6-1 on the season, with their lone loss coming on the road to Boise State. Don't let the record fool you, though. Colorado's wins are over Colorado Mines, Wyoming, Northern Colorado, Nevada, Southern, Utah State (hi Josie!), and Utah Tech. Not the most imposing schedule so far. 

Colorado was picked to finish 9th in the Big 12 this season, and they are currently tied for 5th, though the rankings are based entirely on overall schedule as no one has played a conference game yet. The league is fairly even so far, with 15 of the 16 teams being over .500 so far. Houston was picked to finish last, and they currently sit at 2-5, so that looks to have been a good call. 

Colorado didn't have much on their side in the preseason award category for the Big 12, but Tabitha Betson was named the Preseason Freshman of the Year. Betson is a 6'-2" forward from Melbourne, Australia, so she and Isla Juffersmans likely have some familiarity from playing against and with each other over the years. To date, Betson has played in every game, averaging 16.4 minutes and picking up three starts. She has scored 4.9 points per game while shooting 5-15 from three and 9-21 from two. She has gone to the line just twice, but she averages 4.1 rebounds per game as well. 

Betson is behind Jade Masogayo and Lior Garzon on the depth chart, and those are two players Louisville will need to be aware of. They lead the Buffs in scoring, with 11.9 and 13.6 ppg, respectively. Masogayo is averaging 4.6 rebounds per game and has added 18 assists, seven steals, and five blocks. She can be prone to fouls, though, averaging nearly three per game. Garzon is listed as a forward, but she can shoot as well. She's 34-76 on the season, including 12-39 from beyond the arc. Colorado's leading rebounder, though, isn't Masogayo. Instead, it's another player Juffermans will be familiar with: Sara-Rose Smith. Smith also attended the Centre of Excellence, like Juffermans, but their paths won't be quite as intertwined given the age gap - Smith is a 5th year senior. Smith is listed as a guard on the roster, but she has some height at 6'-1". She's averaging 6.6 rebounds per game to go with her 8.6 points.

As a team, Colorado is averaging 72 points a night, while giving up 58.3. Their sole loss was a clunker offensively, as they fell 50-47 to the Broncos. CU shoots the ball pretty well, averaging better than 43% from the floor and nearly 32% from three. They make 6.6 threes per game, but their opponents happen to make more (7.0). They're outrebounding opponents by nearly 10 per game (9.6), but I've already pointed out the fairly weak schedule. Where Louisville could make hay is on turnovers. Colorado averages 18.3 assists per game on 26.9 made baskets, which isn't bad, but they only have a 1.1 assist-to-turnover ratio as they're turning it over 16.4 times. Louisville take serious advantage there. 

After Sunday's victory despite themselves, Louisville should be looking to get back to their style of basketball. I hoped last week's game would be their chance to show a complete game, but perhaps it will come today. Tipoff is at 3PM and the game will be on ESPN+.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

We'll have four on the call today, as only Jared is braving the frigid weather and the Sea of Blue in Commonwealth. Paulie, Jeff, Daryl, and I will talk basketball, volleyball, and whatever else comes to mind. There has been plenty of good and not-so-good to get us through the hour. You can check out the live stream of the show by going to the Cardinal Couple YouTube page and clicking on the live video. Jeff usually creates that about an hour before the show, which officially starts at 11 AM Eastern. If the live time doesn't work for you, there are plenty of playback options, so be sure to check out whichever is best for you!

Cardinal Couple YouTube: Link

Spotify: Link

Apple Podcasts: Link

Google Podcasts: Link

Overcast (free account required): Link

Pocket Casts (free account and app required): Link

RadioPublic: Link

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

WBB Named 6th Ranked Recruiting Class -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Louisville has 6th Ranked Recruiting Class

Imari Berry, photo courtesy of GoCards

Jeff Walz is working his magic again. While we already knew most of the freshmen planning to join Louisville women's basketball next season, the ESPN recruiting rankings put the Cards as the sixth-best in the country.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Walz and Co have focused more on the transfer portal with players such as Kianna Smith, Emily Engstler, Morgan Jones, Chrislyn "CC" Carr, Kiki Jefferson, and many more. The 2021-2022 season saw transfer Engstler and Chelsie Hall play a key role in helping Louisville get to its fourth Final Four in program history. As the game has changed, so has Walz.

Mackenly Randolph, photo courtesy of GoCards

But Jeff Walz is also known for his ability to recruit talented freshmen and develop them into top-tier players that make a name for themselves in the pros. Some of the four-year players recruited by Walzz that we have seen have major success at Louisville and beyond include Becky Burke, Mo Reid, Asia Taylor, Sara Hammond, Myisha Hines-Allen, AD Durr, Sam Fuehring, Jazmine Jones, and Dana Evans. This doesn't include players at Louisville prior to the Walz Era or players who either transferred in or out. See where I'm going with this?

The bulk of Walz's success has come with the recruitment and development of players. Adding a transfer or two can certainly help round out a roster, but his bread and butter has always been the long term players. It comes as no surprise that Walz has scratched the idea of stocking up on as many talented transfers as possible to go back to what has been successful for him, especially after a first round loss in the NCAA Tournament this past season.

Taj Avant-Roberts, photo courtesy of GoCards

The incoming freshmen class for the 2024-2025 season is arguably one of his best ever. The confirmed incoming players include:

Imari Berry, guard (ESPN #19)- Berry is a do-it-all guard that withdrew her commitment from Clemson following the coaching change and switched to Louisville,

Mackenly Randolph, forward (ESPN #23)- Randolph is the daughter of former NBA player Zach Randolph and a small forward that has shown signs of strong rebounding skills.

Reagan Bender, photo courtesy of Go Cards

Taj Avant-Roberts, guard (ESPN #24)- Avant-Roberts was a point guard for much of her high school career, but has recently developed her three-point shooting to make her a dual-threat scorer.

Izela Arenas, guard (ESPN #88). Arenas is the daughter of former NBA player Gilbert Arenas. She was named "Queen of the Court" after winning a one-on-one showcase held in Atlanta last summer.

Anaya Hardy,photo courtesy of X.com

Reagan Bender, guard. Bender is a guard from the local Sacred Heart Academy (high school) known for her three-point shooting and helped the Valkyries to four straight state titles.

Isla Juffermans, forward- Juffermans is a bit more unknown compared to the others, due to her being the only international player on this list. The Aussie native is a true post player that can step into the role of either a forward or a center.

Izela Arenas, photo courtesy of Louisville Report

Anaya Hardy, forward- Hardy was a walking double-double in her high school days and showed improvements with her blocking during her summer stint in the Under Armour Association circuit.

Adding this star-studded lineup to an experienced crew of Oliva Cochran (fifth year), Merissah Russell (fifth year), Jayda Curry (senior), and Nyla Harris (junior) puts Louisville into an immediate position for success. We can't wait to see how the Cards fare next season.

Isla Juffermans, photo courtesy of Instagram

Happy Monday and Go Cards!

Jared

WBB SIGNS 4 FOR 2024 -- COCHRAN ON WOODEN AWARD PRESEASON WATCH LIST -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 4 In Early Signing Period for Cards WBB

The Cards WBB have four in the 2024 early signing period class. 

5'9" guard Izela Arenas, 5'10" guard Tajianna Avant-Roberts, 6'4" forward Isla Juffermans and 6'4" forward Anaya Hardy have announced UofL as their college choices. And, the Cards might not be through with recruiting, either. With only six of the current roster (as far as we can tell) able to come back and play next season, Walz could add a couple more in the regular signing period. 

What he and the Cards have landed so far, though, look very impressive. 

Arenas comes in from Sierra Canyon (CA) who consistantly has powerhouse squads in California. Arenas is a four star prospect and ranked 93rd overall by ESPN HoopGurlz. Walz identifies her "as a scorer, great facilitator on the fast break, proficient from the three-point line and her toughness and grit are unmatched". She chose UofL over Oregon, Arizona and Iowa State (and others). 

Avant-Roberts is a five-star prospect, ranked 25th overall by ESPN HoopGurlz. Walz on Avant-Roberts: "Taj is one of the best guards in the country. She helped err club win the Nike National Championships this summer. She had great size, her range is unlimited on the perimeter and her length and agility will be aid in being a menace on the defensive side of the ball." The Cards beat out Kentucky, Duke, Cal and Virginia Tech for her services. 

Hardy comes out of Detriot Renaissance H.S. and led them to the state semifinals with a 24-2 record. Per Walz:  "Anaya is full of potential and athletic ability. She thrives in the up-tempo pace, loves to rebound and get out on transition. She has a long frame which adds to her ability to alter and block shots on the defensive side of the ball." She picked the Cards over Michigan, Michigan St and Syracuse. 

Juffermans is out of Coffs Harbor, Australia and has an impressive production record with the Aussie National teams. She was named MVP of the 2022 FIBA Under 18 Asian Championships. "She brings a wealth of experience versus top-flight talent across the globe. She is a very efficient scorer with her back to the basket and will provide us with a true low post game." -- Jeff Walz. 

OLIVIA COCHRAN ON WOODEN AWARD PRESEASON WATCH LIST

Yeah, I know, the season is already underway, sio preseason awards seem a bit tardy, but UofL's Olivia Cochran is one of 50 on the first release of contenders for Wooden award. 

And, she has started the season quite impressively. At Cincinnati, she posted 10 rebounds and seven points in the Cards win. In the contest against DePaul, "O" went for 21 points and five rebounds leading the Cards to the victory over DePaul.. 

The list drops to 15 shortly before the NCAA Tournament begins and a final ballot of 10 is presented to voters. 

Last year's winner Caitlin Clark is, of course, back and on the list and Angel Reese and Liz Kitely are considered up there in the top 10. Paige Bueckers returns for UConn, Kamilla Cardoso has gotten off to a huge start at South Carolina and some will make an argument for a little blonde-haired girl in her first season at LSU. 

This should be a fun race to watch, and a fun season of DI hoops! 

paulie