Tough Thursday ACC test for Louisville WBB -- Thursday Cardinal Couple

WBB CARDS TO FACE FSU IN TALLAHASSEE 

You knew the assortment of cupcakes and pastries the UofL WBB squad had been feeding on in ACC play had to end eventually. Only one of the Cards five wins has come against that is over .500 in conference play.  #4 Louisville faces Florida State tonight in the Donald L. Tucker arena in a game that will be televised on ESPN3 at 7 p.m. An arena that holds slightly over 12,000 will host two of the hottest teams in NCAA WBB. 

The 'Noles are averaging about 2700 per game for home contest...a number that will most likely swell with the advent of bringing in #4 in the nation. FSU happens to be a perfect 8-0 at home this season...owning quality wins over Florida and Duke in the "DLT". 


Sue Semrau's squad is also on a four game win streak and have won 13 out of their last 14. Sue's been there 18 years and has complied a 332-216 record. Sitting at 17-2 overall and 4-1 in ACC play...FSU is a team that averages 76.6 points per game while allowing just 55.6 to their opponents. They also hold a 44.2 to 30.6 rebounding edge per game. Very impressive stats for a squad that hasn't had an ACC Player of the Week or Freshman of the Week this season.

Losses have come to Washington (68-80) in Cancun and at Notre Dame (68-74). 

The 'Noles are a well-balanced squad that has nine players that average over 14 minutes a game. They've also been aided by two key transfers...Maegan Conwright (from UK) and Leticia Romero (from Kansas State). Romero, you might remember, showed an interest in and visited Louisville after leaving K-State. FSU has five players who average over 10 points per game. 


Adut Bulgak, a 6'4" junior center, leads the squad with 14.0 ppg and 10.3 rpg a game. Conwright, a 5'9" redshirt senior guard is good for 11.5 ppg a contest. Romero has been eligible for the last six games and has made an immediate impact at point guard...the 5'8" sophomore guard brings 11.2 ppg. Ivey Slaughter ( no relation to Nita) is a 6'1" sophomore forward with 11.1 ppg and 6.3 rpg numbers. 5'11" freshman forward Shakayla Thomas averages 10.5 ppg.
Brittany Brown, a 5'8" sophomore guard is a starter that also sees significant minutes. 

No easy task tonight for Jeff Walz's crew. Louisville will need to get off to a good start and try to go toe-to-toe with the strong rebounding Seminole paint dwellers. FSU in second in the ACC in rebounding offense and tops in ly rebounding defense. They trail only Duke in total rebounds on the season. They also average over six "threes" made per game. 

Walz has had since Sunday night to develop a game plan to win this one in Gatorland and four days of strategy for the mad scientist is like free gas at the pump...beneficial, never wasted,  always appreciated and "a win-win". 


Whether the strategy will be adhered to by the sometimes attention deficit disordered Cards remains to be seen. In any event, it should be a whale of a game to watch and would be arguably UofL's biggest win of the season on the road since defeating California in Berkeley.

Louisville has won the last two meetings with the Seminoles in a series that is tied at 12 games apiece. Last time the teams squared off, Louisville recorded a 69-59 overtime victory in the KFC Yum! Center. Jude Schimmel forced the extra session following a steal and uncontested layup with less than 30 seconds in regulation. Her sister Shoni had a game-high 21 points, and the Cardinals scored 29 points off of Florida State’s 26 turnovers.

We'll have a full recap of the action in the Friday edition of Cardinal Couple. 

paulie