WINS AND LOSSES IN THE WUBBLE -- WALZ TELECONFERENCE TODAY AT 1:30 -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

ACES WIN, LIBERTY LOSE IN WNBA ACTION

An up and down Sunday for fans of the University of Louisville women's basketball players participating in WNBA action Sunday. 

Action started with the winless New York Liberty facing Phoenix. A tough start for New York, with the shots not falling early and the Liberty digging a hole for themselves in the first half -- trailing by as many as 16 and ending first half action on the short end of a 41-27 contest. 

New York came out determined to make a contest of it, though, to start the second half and went on a 18-3 third quarter run to cut the Phoenix lead to two at 55-53 after an Amanda Zahui B three with about three minutes left in the quarter. 

Phoenix, however was able to regroup and rolled off 17 0f the next 19 points to build a 72-55 lead. In the fourth quarter, maybe the fatigue factor and most certainly poor shooting for New York proved disastrous. Phoenix dominated the final quarter 34-11 and took the contest 96-67. 

Cardinal Jazmine Jones came off the bench to log 21 minutes for the Liberty and scored three points, grabbed a team-high seven rebounds and dished pout four assists. Kylee Shook saw 14 minutes in a reserve role and produced seven points, five rebounds and had an assist. 

Shooting woes for New York, playing their first full game without Sabrina Ionescu were a key culprit in the loss -- the Liberty went just 18-73 from the floor (24.7%) and 5-35 from three-point range (14.3%) and those numbers aren't going to win a team any games. 

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In the nightcap, Angel McCoughtry and the Las Vegas Aces had strong 1st and 3rd quarters and that was enough to get by the Dallas Wings 79-70. 

A relatively quiet night for Angel, she played just 15 minutes as a starter and was good for four points, four rebounds and three assists. Her teammates had five in double figures, though, with A'ja Wilson leading the way with 19 points. 

Las Vegas jumped out to an early 9-0 lead and never trailed in the contest. 

A showdown awaits Wednesday for the Aces (2-2) on Wednesday when they take on Washington (3-1) at 5 p.m. 

WALZ TELECONFERENCE TODAY AT 1:30

Jeff Walz will update the media today at 1:30 with news on the 2020-21 University of Louisville women's basketball squad and their summer workouts. 

We'll monitor the teleconference and Jared Anderson will have a full report on it, plus a listening link, in his Tuesday column. 

Have a meaningful Monday,

paulie

xxxxx

Cardinal Couple Sunday - USA Gameday

Gameday for USA

It's gameday for WBB in a game that's totally meaningless.

OK, that's true from the perspective that it's an exhibition match.  The result shouldn't impact NCAA tournament seedings (I won't say it absolutely won't, because who knows what goes through the minds of those committee members), it won't count for conference tournament seedings, or even for any official overall win-lose record.

This is a big time chance to show off women's basketball in the city of Louisville, however, and a great opportunity for our Cardinals, and our National Team, to sharpen their skills and prepare for tournaments ahead.  So I don't think it's really fair to say it's meaningless, it just doesn't count in any official records.

There will be an amazing set of players on the court today at the KFC Yum! Center.  Our usual crew, lead by Kylee Shook, Bionca Dunham, Dana Evans, and Jaz Jones, but down on the other bench...just, wow.

Of course, Angel McCoughtry will be back in action in Louisville for the first time since she graduated and the first time in competition since a knee injury side-lined her, and the all-star lead cast of the US National team with Sue Bird, Tina Charles, Breanna Stewart, and Diana Taurasi will be there.

I almost feel terrible singling out the above as the big names, as the whole roster is jam packed with big names.  Layshia Clarendon, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Sylvia Fowles, Chelsea Gray, Kayla McBride, Nneka Ogwumike, Kelsey Plum, and A'ja Wilson.

How do you scout against a team like that?  *shrug*  "Stop everyone."  Of course, Jeff Walz will have a better plan than that, I'm sure.

Very few people really expect Louisville to win this one, because, let's face it, we're playing against the top players in the world...well, the national team is missing Elena Della Donne at the moment as she recovers from minor back surgery, but nonetheless, this is the cream of the crop worldwide.  It's not an impossible task, though.  Let's not forget that Oregon came out victorious against a very similar roster earlier in the season, and the Cards do hold a win over Oregon, so it's kind of like we've already won this game, right?

Like I said above, this is a time for Louisville to shine, to learn, and get some amazing experience, and some amazing experiences.  The National Team is playing a series of the top college teams to sharpen their skills as they head into future tournaments, including the Olympics this summer.  It's an honor, really, for Louisville to be picked as an opponent for the National Team to play against as it amounts to a statement that this Louisville team is a worthwhile opponent for these National Team players to go out and play and be able to benefit from the competition.  That's high praise, indeed.

Of course, it also is a showcase for women's basketball.  High profile games that can drive high attendance, and there's a good chance this could be the highest attendance game for Louisville all regular season, and give Women's basketball a chance to shine on the biggest stages.

Oh, and mentioning those stages, this one is being carried on the flagship of the four letter  sports network's channels.  There's no "2", no "3", no "U" at the end of the name this time, the 800 pound gorilla of sports programming, ESPN, will be carrying this game.

Imagine a random sports fan looking for something to watch this afternoon before heading off to a Super Bowl Party, what channel will they start with?  Probably the one showing the Louisville women's basketball team against the US National Team.  Random sports fan may get to see the beauty and joy of a Jazzy Oop, maybe see Dana Evans drop another set of seven 3pt shots or more, perhaps Kylee Shook will take the record for most blocked shots in a season for UofL (currently 59 by Yuliya Tokova)...ok, I don't think that last one can officially be done since this game is just an exhibition, but it's possible that it could be accomplished in spirit, at least.

UofL currently lists Shook at 56...she'll undoubtedly get there by the end of the year, of course, but how neat would it be to at least symbolically reach it during this game?  By the way, 2nd place in that stat is Angel McCoughtry with 56.

The game starts at 2pm, doors open early today at 12:45.  The pre-game "festivities" will start earlier as well today, with the national anthem, full team lineups (sounds like it's not just starters getting announced today) and probably some other niceties starting at 1:45, a full 15 minutes before tip-off.

If you have a parking pass for garages, they are being honored for this game, which is a pleasant change from the original communication that went out to season ticket holders.

Be sure to check back with us here at Cardinal Couple Monday for a recap of the exhibition and as many Jared Anderson photos as we can crowd into the article. 

Man, I am so excited for this game.  It's meaningless, but it also carries so much meaning with it, and I expect it to just be a lot of fun.

CCHR MIA

Yes, the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast was Missing In Action yesterday due to scheduling challenges.  We do expect to be back with you next week.  Keep an eye on the site for updates for times.

-- 

JMcA

Louisville Women's Basketball Must Avoid "Pitt-fall" tonight -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

CARDS 2-2 IN LAST FOUR VISITS TO PITT

Normally, when a 18-6, 10-1 squad goes to visit a 10-13, 2-8 team, there isn't a whole lot of worry or concern. That's not the case this evening, though, when Louisville goes to play Pittsburgh in women's basketball at the Peterson Center tonight.

The Cards have traveled to the Steel City four times under the Jeff Walz regime and have a 2-2 record. All four have been games that could have gone either way. In the 2014-15 season, Louisville escaped with a 63-57 win after trailing by 10 in the first half. Jude Schimmel led the way with 11 points. UofL visited "The Hill" in the 2011-12 season and went to over-time against the Panthers before leaving with a 71-66 victory . The Panthers led by seven with five minutes to go. It was Shoni Schimmel who bailed the Cards out that night with 16 points. The Cards lost to Pittsburgh in 2010 by a final tally of 72-69 and Pitt beat Louisville 76-67 in Walz's first season.

Mariya Moore, Myisha Hines-Allen, Arica Carter and Cortnee Walton are the only Cards on the roster that have played at the Peterson Center...combining for 29 points in the 2014-15 trip. 

This year's version of Suzie McConnell Serio's Panthers are led by freshman Brenna Wise, a 6'0" guard/forward that averages 10.5 ppg and 7.6 grabs a game. Fred Potvin has contributed 12.5 ppg since entering the starting line up four games back and is the primary three-point threat...averaging 46.9% a game. Stasha Carey and Yacine Diop are threats for the Panthers offensively as well.

The Cards will need to rally from the loss Sunday to Notre Dame and be wary of the shot-blocking skills Pitt exhibits. The Panthers are 10th in the nation (130) in blocks. 

If the Cards can get the M&M girls firing on all cylinders and continued off-the-bench bravado from Asia Durr, then they should be able to leave the Three Rivers city with their 19th win of the season. When a team loses a big game, it's always interesting to see how they come out in the next contest. When the Cards fell to Kentucky back in December, they slept-walked through 2/3rds. of the following contest against IUPUI in the YUM! Center before winning by nine. This one is one the road and against a little better foe. 

It is an ESPN 3 game (7 p.m. start) and Meg Bulger will have the call, along with Jeff Hathorn. If Meg sounds familiar...she was the Cards nemesis when she played hoops for West Virginia from 2005-08. Last year she did color commentary for the Mountaineers on the radio. Talk about walking on the wild side...we were surfing for some player-action photos of Meg and came across this "promo" for...well....we're really not sure what Meg (on the right) is trying to promote here...but we're pretty sure it's not tonight's broadcast of the basketball game on ESPN 3. 

Oh, boy...

paulie
xxxxx

Top Four in NCAA WBB looking solid -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

UCONN, ND, SC and BAYLOR 71-2 

We lament sometimes here in the women's college basketball world about how the bigs keep getting bigger and the view never changes for the lead dogs in the sleigh. So far, this season...the bigs and lead dogs are holding true to the adage. 

As we zip past the half-way point of the WBB season, the scenario is the same. UConn and Notre Dame, who seemingly have played for the national championship game since Bill Clinton was in office, are #1 and #3 in the polls.
South Carolina, who has built a Fort Sumter in Columbia, is undefeated and Baylor rounds out the top four. 

The schools have won 71 games and lost just two. Notre Dame fell to UConn by 10 and Baylor (without star point guard Niya Johnson) fell in Stillwater, OK to the Cowgirls. 

His trip to South Bend went south quickly

Only two teams have managed to get within ten of UConn...the aforementioned Irish and a top 10 Maryland team. They should probably renamed the AAC conference to All About Connecticut. You wouldn't even need to change the initials. South Florida managed to stay within 16 of them. No one in the league will probably get as close.

South Carolina has been tested a few times. Texas A&M came into town a few days back and left with just a one-point loss. Earlier in the schedule...Arizona State got within two and UCLA lost by three to Dawn Staley's Gamecocks. They won convincingly in the end at top-ten Kentucky (who  got sucker-punched at Mississippi last night.) 

The Irish don't seem to be missing this "Jewell" 

Notre Dame has been plowing through the ACC like the snowplows in downtown Louisville will later today. They embarrassed Syracuse by 28 last night. Georgia Tech has gotten the closest to Muffet's marauders...losing by nine. They have yet to play Louisville, Florida State, Miami and NC State...it should be pointed out...but Irish eyes are definitely smiling in South Bend this January. 

Baylor is probably the most vulnerable of the top four. Besides the loss to Oklahoma State, South Florida got within three of Kim Mulkey's Bears. Miami lost by seven and WVU went to Waco and fell by five. BU heads to Iowa State next, where 9-10,000 will fill the Ames arena hoping for the upset. 

Louisville fans, coaches and players yearn for a return to the Final Four. Jeff Walz is amassing a powerful squad to accomplish this. A win over Syracuse on Monday would provide a little more light to get to the end of that tunnel. The Cards get Notre Dame at home on February 7th. Louisville has their work cut out for them, though...wins will eventually get them to a top-ten status but pundits will still point to the early season miscues against a less-than-expected California squad (who is on a three-game losing streak in the PAC 12), at WKU and in the Gulf Coast Showcase...no matter how long this current win streak lasts. 

The Cards have a definite resurgence in the works currently. Whether it can propel them into a top four (or 10) ranking depends on how well they handle the struggles ahead. If they can knock off a staggered but still very dangerous Orange squad in Syracuse Monday, the dream continues. If not...then it's back to the drawing board to achieve a top four finish in-conference and continue to improve. 

After all, it's not who wins the early rounds of a fight...it's who's standing and swinging at the final bell...and the Cards "don't hear no bell yet" (Sorry, Rocky...) 

paulie
xxxxx

Jazmine Jones, Bionca Dunham coming to Louisville...WBB getting winners -- Wednesday Cardinal Couple

*********BREAKING NEWS!!!*********

Jazmine Jones has said "YES!" to Louisville. Read all about her below. After a visit over the weekend to the University of Louisville, Jones, rated No. 21 overall in the class of 2016, announced a commitment Wednesday to the Cardinals. Other schools on her final list were Ohio State, Miami and hometown Florida State.

                                    AND


WELCOME TO THE VILLE BIONCA DUNHAM! 


2 hours after Jazmine Jones commits, Bionca Dunham says "YES!" to the Cards. The "Philly Post with the Most" will love the up-and-down the court style that Jeff Walz plays and she is a solid rebounder, defender and deadly shooter inside and out. 

Ladies and Gentlemen, let's flash those "L's". Two new baby birds in the house and...keep the party going Jeff. Bring us more! Lauren Cox, that's a name we like. Jensen Caretti...a wonderful story and she used to dribble around kittens in her driveway at the age of five! 

We'll have much more on this tomorrow.



CLASS OF 2016 GUARD HAS WIT AND SKILLS

I'm not an seasoned veteran when it comes to calling high school women's basketball players and interviewing them on the phone. Asia Taylor was the first, and that was primarily Sonja who developed that relationship. She'll always be Sonja's favorite Cardinal WBBer. I loved A-Tayy, too and love her great sense of humor and compassion. 

If Jazmine Jones ends up announcing that she is attending Louisville, she might well be in the running to become my favorite. Mind you, we know nothing at all about any school she might be choosing yet. She's certainly a blast to interview, though.

My call sequence began with a short introductory call to her mother Felicia and the reason I was calling them. She was gracious and kind and invited me to call back after Jazmine got home from conditioning practice. 

Call two found her at home and her are some of the highlights of our chat. 

-- It's hot in Tallahassee, too.

As you might expect. According to Jazmine...'"the heat is everywhere." 

-- Championships, championships.

Jazmine has been on three state WBB championship teams at Florida A&M Developmental Research School, including last season. She started playing there as a seventh grader. I jokingly advised her that if she was considering Louisville that the fans would expect the same. She got a big kick out of that...

-- Decision time.

Jazmine will be making an announcement today. Not on a new car, purse or pair of shoes...but where she'll be attending college. She's not going the donning of a ballcap route..."that's for boys"... according to her, but instead...putting on a shirt or wearing her schools shirt underneath a coat. 

-- She liked the visit to Louisville.

"I really felt at home there. That was the great thing about it." 

-- What she'll bring to the school she chooses.

"Nobody in the country can out-match me with my athleticism and jumping ability." 

Strong words? Sure...but have you seen the YouTube spots on her playing? Whoa. 

-- Is she a Shoni or Angel?

"Angel. That's what Jeff Walz has told me...that I remind him of a young Angel. He said he if chose to come to Louisville he'd strengthen my game so that I'd be pro-ready when I graduate."

-- And she prefers?

 "An up and down the court game. Shot clocks and 10 seconds rules won't bother me. I like to get up and go. " 

-- Favorite food? 

"Ribs !" (We heartily agree here at Cardinal Couple.) 

-- Favorite NBA player?

"Lebron James"

-- Favorite ice cream?

"Cookies and Creme" (with a nod to Butter Pecan also)

-- If you were a car, how would you describe yourself?

"Audi R8"  (it's described as 'designed to exhilarate')

-- If you could trade places with anyone in the world for a day, who would it be?

"Michael Jordan"

-- If you could do one thing to change the world, what would you do?

" Feed the poor, the hungry, the unfortunate here and in other countries...especially in Africa...who don't have what we have."

-- Favorite actor?"

"Jason Statham. Especially in TRANSPORTER!" 

Jazmine Jones will make a decision today. Where to spend four years of her life. Where she'll get an education, play basketball and learn about the steps needed to take to pursue her future.

We hope Louisville is that pathway. 

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>


We were honored to be a guest on the Howie Lindsey show yesterday and talk UofL Women's Sports. If you haven't caught the show yet...it runs from 10 a.m.- noon on 93.9 FM and can also be heard via internet. A great 10 minutes with Howie. Our segment starts at the 19:30 mark at the link below....but the whole show is a "must listen".

LINK:

CARDINAL COUPLE ON HOWIE LINDSEY SHOW  

paulie

Busy Women's Sports Weekend for UofL -- Friday Cardinal Couple

Hoops, Volleyball, Field Hockey and Cross Country headline this weekend


These are the days we were starving for back in July at Cardinal Couple. The next couple of days will be action-packed with Cardinal women's athletics...most of them on the road...but a lot to keep track of, cheer for and report on.

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Let's kick it off with WBB. They take the drive up I-65 to hit Naptown and face a very decent IUPUI team. No slouches here, these Jaguars...making the WNIT last year with 20+ wins and a strong, tall front line. they decimated the Oakland (IN) Oaks in their opener by 40+ and are picked the finish 3rd in the Summit League. The Cards lead the series 4-0 and bounced them by 30 points in the last meeting back in 2009 in Louisville. We have no doubt that the Mad Scientist will experiment with a wide variety of lineup configurations and combinations in this one...he has indicated he'll start two freshmen (Moore and Hines-Allen) and three seniors (Hammond, Schimmel and Smith) and Arica Carter would be called on as a back up point guard. 

It'll be on ESPN 680 Radio and at gocards.com beginning at 5 p.m. Worldwide will be there in Indy and discuss what he sees on our Radio Show Saturday.


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JASMINE BENNETT IS HEADED TO UOFL VOLLEYBALL.  

Volleyball hits the road and will take on Clemson Friday night in an ACC matchup. We haven't heard how Katie George's wrist is...injured in the Notre Dame game earlier this week...but the diminishing hopes of UofL getting an NCAA Volleyball bid necessitate a couple of road wins this weekend. Louisville Volleyball just got commits from four excellent players and Worldwide will catch us up on that on the critically acclaimed CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR...which broadcasts Saturday 11 a.m. on 100.9 WCHQ.

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Field Hockey will play their first round NCAA Championship game against #4 ranked Stanford Saturday in Storrs, CT. We'll get an inside look into the Cardinal from Trees Field Hockey beat writer Carlie Elizabeth Tenenbaum that we'll run in the Saturday Cardinal Couple. Be advised that this Stanford squad is as stingy at giving up goals...(19 games where their opponents have scored less than two)...but Coach Sowry has a plan...and she has previously concocted upsets over #1 and #4 this year. We also have 12 delightful minutes with Coach J. that we'll air on the radio show. 

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The NCAA Southeast Regional Cross Country Championships are also in Louisville this weekend and will be run at E.P. "Tom Sawyer" Park this morning...the women starting at noon and the men at 1 p.m. The Cardinal women runners have finished in the top 15 of every race they've participated in this season and Benadate Cheruiyot, Emily Bushey, Megan Klien, Leah Kiyohara and Kelsie Schwartz will try to get the Cards qualified for the NCAA Championships. 40 teams participating...let's hope the rain holds off...

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Finally, congratulations to the hard working coaches on campus who are getting some great 2015 commits! Louisville WBB with the #1 ranked class? Wow...Durr, DeGrate, Fuerhing, Cole and Jones. Softball with some excellent future stars...the ACC better look out...across the board, the UofL women's sports programs are drawing the brightest, the most talented and highly heralded. 

Good days ahead, tater...

Hear Jeff Walz talk about the newest WBB Cardinals at the link below:

JEFF WALZ DISCUSSES THE 2015 CLASS WITH THE MEDIA

paulie