Louisville WBB Falls in Season Opener 66-59 -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Cards Fall in Paris to UCLA

Photo by GoCards

Louisville women's basketball opened up the season yesterday in an untraditional way. The Cards traveled all the way to Paris, France to participate in the Aflac Oui-Play, a doubleheader that featured #3 USC vs #20 Ole Miss and #5 UCLA vs #17 Louisville. USC survived the first game 68-63. The Cards fell to the higher-ranked Bruins 66-59.

For Louisville, the question of the starting lineup has been answered... for now. Olivia Cochran, Nyla Harris, Mackenly Randolph, Taj Roberts, and Ja'Leah Williams took the court for the start of the game. Jayda Curry did not play due to injury....a hamstring suffered about a week ago.

Photo by GoCards

1st Quarter: Louisville 18, UCLA 13

We had a weird start to the game as UCLA was late in turning in their lineup and was given a technical foul. The Cards led 1-0 before the tip-off started. They then pushed the lead to 6-0 with a quick spurt following a three by Cochran and a fastbreak layup by Randolph. UCLA settled in from there, forcing the Cards into more contested looks and having good ball movement. UofL held a small 8-6 lead at the first media timeout, but the Bruins answered with a three immediately following the break. It was all Louisville from there the rest of the quarter.

2nd Quarter: UCLA 32, Louisville 29

Offensive rebounding helped UCLA get an early basket before we saw an extended break due to an injury to Merissah Russell. Louisville went ice cold, which allowed UCLA to take a 25-20 advantage early in the second quarter. Taj Roberts had an answer of her own featuring a pair of deep threes at the top of the key. The Bruins took over again from there the rest of the quarter that was highlighted by a buzzer-beating three-pointer to go into halftime.

Third Quarter: UCLA 50, Louisville 46

Nyla Harris made her presence known with a handful of baskets early in the third quarter. It was UCLA, however, who found the most success during the middle portion of the quarter as they went on a 9-0 run. The Cards would temporarily retake the lead at 46-45, but the Bruins would score the final five points of the quarter.

Fourth Quarter: 66-59

The Bruins extended their lead to seven just a couple minutes into the quarter, leading to Jeff Walz to call a timeout. He showed his frustration before the cameras cut to a commercial break. Louisville went ice cold and allowed UCLA to push their lead to 10. Louisville was not able to cut their deficit to less than seven after that.

Roberts led the Cards in scoring with 21 points on 8-19 shooting. Williams was the only other Cardinal in double figures with 11 points. 

FRED Report

Freddy Farm Bureau

Free Throws: Louisville shot 5-8 on the game for 62.5%. Even though the free throw attempt is a low mark, the make percentage is below our threshold, so no letter here.

Rebounds: The Cards were outrebounded 47-43. 13 of UCLA's rebounds came from the 6'7 Betts. No one that saw the court for Louisville was taller than 6'4, giving the Bruins a massive advantage in this. The Cards did have 19 offensive rebounds. Due to the tall task of going up against Betts, I think this sneaks in as a small "r".

Efficiency: Louisville shot 32% from the field and 20.7% from three-point range, both low numbers. However, they had 15 assists on 24 made baskets. Those assist numbers could have been much higher, but the shots weren't falling for the Cards. UofL had plenty of clean and open looks, just with no luck on the shots going in. Sadly, no letter here.

Defense: Louisville allowed 66 points on the game with only six of those coming from the free throw line. With the exception of Olivia Cochran, the rest of the team kept their fouls in check. UofL did force 22 turnovers and allowed just six fast break points. Louisville recorded 12 steals. Despite the loss, a lowercase "d" comes into play here.

FINAL FRED TALLY:  _-r-_-d. 

It could be worse, but there is plenty of room for improvement. Isn't that to be expected at the beginning of the season, though?

Six of the 11 Cardinals to step on the court are freshmen. Add Williams and seven of the Cardinals are brand new to the team. There is going to be an expected time period where the team has to gel and get more comfortable with the system. All in all, running toe-to-toe with a top five team for most of the game and losing by single digits at the beginning of the year is not a bad loss.

This year's team shows a lot of promise and all of their visible issues can be fixed in the gym. This Louisville team may have quite a few growing pains, but I would not be surprised to see them pull off some upsets along the way.

Photo by SI Louisville

Jeff Walz enters his 18th season as head coach of Louisville women's basketball. He closed out last season with an overall coaching record of 464-135 (.775). While his total number of wins does not crack the top 100 in NCAA women's basketball history (most of those coaches were in the game for 30-40 years), his win percentage is good enough to rank in the top 20, which ranks higher than coaches such as Muffet McGraw, Wes Moore, Sylvia Hatchell, C Vivian Stringer, Lisa Bluder, and Kelly Graves.

Louisville comes home for a Friday night game against Southern Indiana. This is their only home game in the first four games of the season.

Happy Tuesday and Go Cards!

Jared

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