Louisville women's basketball -- Cards face #17 Duke tonight -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

CAN THE CARDS GET TO 17-0?

The 11-3 and #17 ranked Duke Blue Devils women's basketball team comes to the KFC YUM! Center tonight intent on one thing. Ending Louisville's 16-game win streak and starting a win streak of their own. Jeff Walz knows a good match-up when he sees one. At the Wednesday presser in the Cards practice facility, the Louisville head coach was up-front and frank about it: 

"We're just really excited about the opportunity Thursday night. They're a very good basketball team and it should be a great match-up. They score the ball extremely well, defensively they're one of the top teams in the country. They long, athletic, they're going to play zone. You have to be smart with the basketball. You can't telegraph passes. You've got to be detail-oriented." 

Don't expect a 26-1 Louisville blowout start to this one. Not with the leading scorer in the ACC (Lexie Brown) visiting or three of the top 15 in field-goal shooting percentages (Brown, Leaonna Odom and Erin Mathias) in the house wearing the Blue and White. No 0-24 from the floor for Coach Joanne P. McCauley's Devils. 

The recent two lead-slippages at the end of games in the Cards last two road affairs were because of good teams. Walz had no delusions of grandeur of his 26-1 lead at NC State turning into 52-2.  Good teams make runs and Walz would like to see more consistency for a 40-minute stretch than he witnessed in Atlanta and Raleigh.

Consistency may be difficult. Brown has 57 steals on the season, fifth best in the nation. She's also had 8 games with 20 or more points, two ahead of Asia Durr's 20-point performances. Duke holds opponents to 52.5 ppg and 33% shooting. They also stop the three quite well allowing a minuscule 26% success rate on opponent's trifecta attempts. Duke has the highest three-point FG percentage in the ACC with  40% accuracy rate. Add Rebecca Greenwell back into the mix, who will be playing her second straight game after sitting four in a row with injuries, and they have nine girls 6'1" or taller available for action. 

Blue Devils? How about Duke Amazons...

The Cards are 114-14 in the KFC YUM! Center lifetime. They've beaten the Blue Devils on Denny Crum Court once but trail in the series history 3-2. Last year in Durham, Louisville saw a 44-41 lead after three quarters turn into a 58-55 loss, despite 31 combined points from Durr and Hines-Allen. 

If all this scares you, maybe I've been a bit too glowing about the Blue Devils accomplishments. They're not undefeated and Miami, South Carolina and Villanova have shown that the Blue Devils are susceptible to less than winning performances. 

One thing that hasn't happened to the Cards this year is getting rattled.

Trailing on the road at Ohio State, in a dogfight at South Dakota St., falling behind early at Georgia Tech and seeing a 25 point lead vanquish to four against North Carolina St...the Cards have bent but haven't been broken.

The fight and desire in Myisha Hines-Allen and Sam Fuehring makes them one of the strongest front lines I can remember the Cards having since the days of Shawnta Dyer, Mo Reid and Asia Taylor.  Myisha's way of making the big play at the right time and the All-American caliber explosiveness and accuracy of "Nite-Nite" Asia Durr make the Cards formidable and able to take ANY team in NCAA women's college basketball on any night. Arica Carter's stability and big-play capability at the point is ever-present and should it falter slightly you can guarantee that Dana Evans will dash in, go at one speed as long as she can and wear out any combination of guards trying to keep up with her. 

If Jazmine Jones can put together a solid and productive court time performance...let the game come to her... if Syd Zambrotta regains her three-ball skills back on a friendly court and Kylee Shook and Bionca Dunham can come in and keep the offense productive plus negate some of the Blue Devils height advantage, then I like Louisville's chances tonight.  

I don't see a easy win for the Cards but I'd sure love to be pleasantly surprised by one. I do hope to see a decent turnout in the lower bowl tonight and maybe even some upper deck patrons. This UofL women's basketball team is seriously MUCH MORE deserving of way more than the 6126 per game that have wandered into the KFC YUM! CENTER. 

I also got the chance to talk a bit with Sara White today at the presser. She'll be doing the color analyst work for the ACC Network Extra broadcast along with everyone's favorite Cortnee Walton on the sidelines and newcomer, down from Indy, Matt Schumacker handling play-by-play. Our old buddy Don Russell had hoped to be back in time from his surgery to call this one (and he'll be missed) but we'll see him back at half-court soon.

If you're a fan of the radio descriptions and accounts of games like me, there's no finer duo to listen to calling college women's basketball than Nick Curran and Adrienne Johnson. They'll perform their magic on 790 AM WKRD and you can hear them also on the IHeart radio app. 

This is one of those games where, in the past, there's been a certain amount of electricity in the air, a heightened sense of anticipation and hopes when I walk into the East Side of the downtown arena. It is good to be back home, not only for me, but for the WBB Cards. 

Chuck Berry sang about "Sweet Little Sixteen" and that win was accomplished. If you've never heard it, or the other two references that follow...I've linked them up below.

Sweet Little Sixteen

The opening line to the Beatles' song "I Saw Her Standing There" is "Well, she was just seventeen..." so let's get that one in the books as well. 

I Saw Her Standing There

And, who could forget the classic learning lesson ballad from The Sound of Music when Rolf sang to Liesl about "When your sixteen, going on seventeen.."

When You're Sixteen Going On Seventeen.

Don't worry, I've also got the next two potential wins lined up musically, too...but I'm not going to spring those on you just yet. No bad ju-ju, one game at a time, right?

Audio from yesterday: 

JEFF WALZ PREVIEWS DUKE GAME REVIEWS SEASON

ASIA DURR TALKS ABOUT DUKE AND THE SEASON

MYISHA HINES-ALLEN DISCUSSES DUKE AND REVIEWS SEASON


Paulie
xxxxx

Louisville women's basketball -- Hines-Allen, Durr WBCA Honorable Mention All-Americans -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

CARDINAL DUO TWO OF 42 ON LIST


The awards keep rolling in for Louisville women's basketball's Myisha Hines-Allen and Asia Durr. 

They were named to the Women's Basketball Coaches Association honorable mention list yesterday. They were two of nine ACC players who received the honor. The 10-player All-American team featured two ACC players...Alexis Peterson (Syracuse) and Brianna Turner (Notre Dame)

Durr is coming off one of the better seasons that a Cardinal has had recently. Her 119 three-pointers established a new high mark in the Cardinal record books. She is also now fourth in points a season (692) and points per game (19.2) at Louisville. The Douglasville, GA sophomore joined the 1,000 point club earlier in the year. Durr also led Louisville in steals with 46. Her 233 field goals ranked sixth all-time for a season. 

Hines-Allen averaged 13.9 points per game for Jeff Walz. She narrowly missed 50% shooting in the campaign and was close to double-digit rebounding on the year with 9.3. With 336 rebounds, she takes over third place for most in a season Her 19 double-doubles equaled a  Louisville high for a season. Angel McCoughtry achieved that goal twice in her career at Louisville. The Montclair, NJ native is now sixth all-time at UofL in field goals and rebounds. 

Unfortunately, Mariya Moore was not selected for the squad. The third integral part of the Cards "Big Three" was third in scoring for the Cards. 

Your quiz for this Tuesday is: 

Which of these players was not selected for the first team? 

Kelsey Mitchell (Ohio State)
Gabby Williams (UConn) 
Kelsey Plum (Washington) 
Rebecca Greenwell (Duke)

(Answer at the end of today's column...) 


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SOFTBALL SLOSHES PAST IRISH 7-4

In a contest that was delayed by a 96 minute rain and lightning threat in the area, Louisville Softball won the final game at Ulmer Stadium in the series against Notre Dame 7-4. 

Maryssa Becker fired the complete game for the games, improving her record to 16-6 on the season. 

The Cards struck early against the Irish with two runs in the first inning. Jamie (The New Pride of New Egypt, NJ) Soles drove home Caitlin Ferguson and then scored on a Nicole "Poof" Pufahl sacrifice fly. 

ESPNU kept showing Nicole's dad Robert out on the berm watching the contest. Someone should have run an umbrella out to the proud papa. Also, CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR regular Jared Anderson (River City Cards) was prominently featured in the broadcast...behind home plate, cheering and occasionally wiping the rain off his glasses. 

The Cards appreciated the fan efforts of the two still there...the crowd largely vacating and leaving Ulmer virtually empty after the downpour.  ND's Caitlin Brooks tied the even in the fourth with a two-run "touch 'em all" off Becker. Louisville, undaunted....regained the lead when Pufahl sent Mr. Spalding to the Avenue of Champions in the bottom of the inning for a solo blast. 

With the passing showers, there were also lot of passed balls/wild pitches coming out of the circle when the Irish were occupying it. A walk and two wild pitches got Morgan "Moe" Meyer to the plate in the fifth. In the sixth, two hits, a walk and two wild pitches accounted for three more Louisville runs. Alison "Mike, Mike, Mike" Szydlowski drove in "Poof" and a wild pitch got Tiarra "Dive" Sanabria and Szyd home to set the tally at 7-2 Cards. 

Notre Dame added two in the top of the seventh. Sara White (What? What is a former Cardinal WBB coach and color commentator doing playing for the Irish?) and Maddie McCracken (named after one of the top Derby contenders this year) met home plate...but a diving stop and then body lunge to the bag by Sanabria at first ended the contest. 

Louisville heads to Boston College next for a three game weekend series. 


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MEEKS, HICKS TAKE HEELS TO TITLE

North Carolina is your 2017 Men's NCAA Basketball champion. At least I think they are. The second half took so painfully long to finish...I may have fallen asleep and just dreamed it. 

Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks...two names Cardinal MBB fans know quite painfully well...led the late charge in the 71-65 win for Ol' Roy (Dadgummit) and the Tar Heels. 

This was exciting at the end but most of it was painful to watch. The refs made the second half a long and solemn procession with whistles. No momentum could really be established by either team. 

Gonzaga had their chances but a long, cold shooting streak hindered their final effort. 

52 free throws in this one. We all watch, of course, to watch refs call fouls. 

Redemption is yours, UNC. Even if 2/3rd of America fell asleep while your were trying to obtain it. 


(Answer to the quiz is "D" Rebecca Greenwell. She did get honorable mention honors but not first team.)

(written between yawns after a late night) 
paulie
xxxxx

Louisville women's basketball -- Despite the trickery, Cards fall to Blue Devils 58-55...Tuesday CARDINAL COUPLE

TRIO IN DOUBLE FIGURES NOT ENOUGH AS CARDS FALL TO BLUE DEVILS BY 3

Photo by Carolyn Chang - The Chronicle 

Myisha Hines-Allen recorded another double-double, Asia Durr and Mariya Moore joined her in double figure scoring and the Cards pulled off the con job of the 2016-17 basketball season...but erratic shooting, ball-handling woes and getting outscored 17-11 in the final ten minutes all contributed to Louisville first ACC loss Monday night in Durham, NC. 

The Cards well-planned trickery paid off to start the second half when Louisville sent Hines-Allen, Cortnee Walton and Asia Durr underneath the DUKE basket prior to Moore tossing the ball in-bounds to Briahanna Jackson to begin the third quarter. The Duke starting five dutifully followed them down there. Unfortunately for the Blue Devils, they needed to be defending the other basket and Moore flipped the ball to Jackson...following her down the court as she trotted to the unguarded rim and put in an uncontested layup. 

Classic Walz afoot there. The mad scientist strikes again!

The mis-direction gave the Cards a 27-23 lead...which they would increase to 44-41 by the end of the period...but the Cards ended up taking the 58-55 loss due to some steady free throw shooting by Duke guard Lexie Brown and a couple of less-than-perfect offensive possessions at the end of the contest. 

The Cards started slowly, trailing 15-12 after the first quarter. The Cards regrouped to lead 25-23 at the half. A 6-0 closing run had Louisville on top 44-41 after three. The loss comes after Duke takes the fourth 17-11. 

Carolyn Change -- The Chronicle

Let's face it. Stretches of this one were sloppy and "choppy"...a term used by the ESPNU talking head who accompanied Brooke Weisbrod on the play-by-play. A man who still thinks the one-and-one still exists in WBB. Who hasn't figured out Asia Durr is left-handed yet. Sailing masts and regatta dinghy's aside...the Cards committed 19 turnovers and shot just 6-23 from the deep to take their third loss of the season. 

Coach Walz explains it sufficiently: 

"We took a lot of really good shots. Unfortunately the ball just did not go in. When go you against a team that's going to play zone for 40 minutes...you've got to be able to knock down open shots and that just what we didn't do."   

Head Duke coach Joanne P. McCallie put her own spin on the win: 


"We played a lot of match-up and that takes away a lot of passing angles to those post players. It starts with the guards and, of course, with the posts. You're connected at the hip -- all five players -- it's always team defense." 

Thanks for that, Coach "P". I'll have to study it and look at the pictures. Five players connected at the hip... 

The 3-2 Duke employed was, in part, responsible for Louisville shooting under 40% but I'm going with the off-shooting night for Durr and some silliness at the end causing Louisville's loss. Plus the 7-0 Duke run to the start the fourth quarter.

It was a 53-52 Louisville lead with 1:27 to play after Hines-Allen's jumper but after Rebecca Greenwell gave the Dookies a 54-53 lead 30 seconds later on a nice inside move...the Cards get a three pointer blocked and then start fouling Brown...who had made 40-something in a row coming into the game. Twice she's fouled and twice she sinks both. Sydney Zambrotta's last-second, sprawling, falling potential game-tying three almost banked in...but the Cards suffer an ACC road loss 58-55 to a team that has also downed Kentucky and South Carolina this year. 

I realize you can't always pick who you have to foul at game's end...and the obvious choice (Duke's Chidom) was throwing the ball in...so that pretty much eliminated her...but putting Brown at the line was like tossing tennis balls into a trash barrel from a yard away...you're probably not gonna miss. 

Ten played for Louisville (Hines-Allen, Moore, Jackson, Durr, Walton, Fuehring, Jazmine Jones, both Johnsons and Zambrotta.) Six scored (Hines-Allen 16, Durr 15, Moore 14, Walton 4, Fuehring 4 and Jackson 2).   

Lessons learned on a road trip. The need to finish on the offensive end. To make the layups. The need to overcome poor shooting nights with lock-down defense. On a night where tomfoolery got national attention, the Cards ended up with the joke on them. How big a game was it? Let's close with another JoAnne P-ism: 

"Big games only occur in April. March and April. Nothing's big about this or any other game. What we learn from this game will be the test for us. What we learn and how we move forward." 

I'm gonna have to study and think on that. Might need a picture...


HOW DID FRED DO? 

Fred Gwynne -- Herman Munster

Free Throws -- Well, on the Cardinal side they were few and far between (because we know Duke never fouls in Cameron, right?) but one Card actually got to the line and Asia Durr made all three of her attempts. That's 100% and that will get a capital "F". Duke went 8 for 11...if anyone's counting.

Rebounding -- The Cards held a commanding 37-25 advantage on the boards. Hines-Allen corralled 12 and Walton found six. Good enough for a capital "R" in my book. 

Effort/Execution -- Louisville had 19 turnovers, Duke had 12 steals, the Cards shot 39.7% (26.1% from 3-range) and lost the fourth quarter. The effort, although misguided at times, was there but the execution not great enough to award a letter in this category.

Defense -- Brown had a field day against the Louisville guards with 17 points but Greenwell wasn't a big factor with just 10 points. At times, the defense was solid but in the fourth quarter it slipped and after a loss, we usually don't award a letter. That stands today.

FINAL FRED COUNT:  F-R-_-_.


WHAT WE LIKED 

"The Sting". No one but the Cards knew what was going on in the start of the second half trickery. Not the announcers, the refs or...most importantly...Duke. Credit the genius of Walz and the staff for the ploy.  If you missed it, here's the link: Cards WBB fakes out Duke

"You're going the wrong way!
ANOTHER CLASSIC MISDIRECTION LINK

Solid Sam. Sam Fuehring saw only eight minutes in the contest but had two key baskets early in the second quarter to give the Cards the lead and also grabbed four rebounds. The three fouls...well...*meh* but a good effort in a limited appearance for the sophomore. 

Light at the end of the tunnel? Mariya Moore went 4-8 from three-point range which might mean she's over the slump from the deep that has been there the last few games. 


WHAT NEEDS WORK

Closure.  After Asia Durr's jumper at 7:35 in the fourth, it was 46-41 Louisville. We would have liked to see the "killer instinct" take over for Louisville at this point. Instead, a 7-0 Duke run followed over the next two minutes. Gotta seal the deal. 

Ball handling. 14 of the 19 turnovers came from Louisville's guards. Mariya had seven of them. Yes, these were very good Duke guards, no doubt about that...but the miscues were responsible for 18 points off turnovers. Duke won that category 18-10. A telling stat. 

Focus. The Cards were out-of-sync in their possessions at the end...almost timid and unsure of what to do out there. Those possessions resulted in a blocked three attempt, Hines-Allen bucket for two instead of a potential-tying three attempt and a missed desperation three at the buzzer. A little leadership would have come in handy in that last minute. 



SO...

A loss that could have been prevented for Louisville tonight if they had performed better in the fourth quarter. An exciting, in some ways, end to this one...with the score lead going back-and-forth. One to chalk up to experience and learn from as the Cards roll back into it at Charlottesville on Thursday against a Virginia team who surrendered a 17 point lead over Syracuse to lose at home. Surprising NC State also pulls the shocker with a 70-61 win over #7 Florida State. 

ACC. Anything Can Culminate. 



POST GAME WALZ

Coach Walz answers a few questions after the game and Asia observes and serves as a silent partner in the link below. It's obvious that they have no "Paulie" presence in the Duke media contingent...

LINK:  

JEFF WALZ POST GAME DUKE PRESSER




tuesday trauma...
Paulie
xxxxx

Louisville women's basketball -- Healthy, revamped #15 Duke a challenge for Cards...MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

WBB TRAVELS TO DURHAM TO PLAY DUKE

(Notes while trying to remember it's 2017 and forget Saturday's football game.)


The first road game for the University of Louisville women's basketball squad in the ACC schedule has the Birds flying into Carolina country and facing a very dangerous Duke Blue Devils squad. The two will tip off at 7 p.m. tonight on ESPNU in a match that pits Louisville against another top-flight pair of guards for the second straight game. After the Christmas break, the action will start coming at you, Cardinal fans, hot and heavy with hoops and today's should be a battle.

With prayers that Grayson Allen won't be in the stands (or near the court) for this one and that the Cameron Crazies will be at home watching bowl games....off we go! 


Rebecca Greenwell is healthy and the rest of the ACC should take notice
and be forewarned. The senior guard has had her ups-and-downs injury-wise
in her career as a Blue Devil...but is red-hot and helping lead the charge for
Joanne P. McCallie's 12-1 group. She leads the Devils with 19.7 ppg, 6.7 rebounds and has also canned a team-high 41 3-pointers this season. 
Cards fans may remember her from her high school days at Owensboro, KY
Catholic high school...where she was a 2013 All-American and made the 
Kentucky All-State first team her final three years.  

Lexie Brown is a first-year transfer for the Blue Devils from Maryland and
her impact has been immediate. She scores 17.6 a contest and is definitely
a guard you want to think twice about fouling, with a 90.9% (50-55) success
rate from the charity stripe. UofL backers will probably remember her role
in knocking the Cards out of the "Great 8" leg of the NCAA Tournament
back in 2013-14 at the YUM! Center with 20 points as a freshman.

Although key rebounder from last year Azuri Stevens left the program at the end of last season to transfer to UConn..the other "mover in the middle" Oderah Chidom returns and is flourishing well in the paint for Duke with 9.4 points a night, 24 blocks on the year and second in rebounding at 6.6. Chidom will make you pay inside if you try and drive on her and she will collect again if you leave her alone with a mid-range jumper.

These Devils with with blue unis on have stumbled but once this year...a bit
of a surprising fall to Vanderbilt in quaint Memorial Gym in Nashville back on
November 20th. December has belonged to the Devil worshipers, though...
with big wins over two common UofL foes in Kentucky and South Carolina. 
Duke is on a eight-game win streak and is unbeaten in Cameron Indoor Arena this year. 

No one said the ACC was going to be easy. 

The 13-2 Cards will counter with the red-hot Asia Durr....who lit up downtown
Louisville pre-New Years Eve with 36 points against Syracuse. Add in Myisha Hines Allen's 18 and 10 and the triple-double Mariya Moore executed 
against the Orange and you have a really great potential three-on-three 
side game that would be fun to watch. 

The Cards downed Duke pretty convincingly last year in the YUM! 65-48 back
on Jan 10th, 2016. Moore and Durr had 15 each in the win and Myisha added 
14 for UofL. Cortnee Walton grabbed 12 boards for the Cards, who forced
the Blue Devils into 22 turnovers. 

Although a lot of the names are the same, this is a vastly different Duke team
this season. Brown adds that extra dimension out front and if one of the Blue Devil top-three are having a off-night, returnees Kyra Lambert and Leanna Odom...plus freshman Kendall Cooper are capable of double-digit performances...plus all three go to the boards very strong and will give the Cards a handful of players to keep an eye on.

What must the Cards do to get the win tonight? Here's five ideas.

1. Avoid the "can't shoot straight early" syndrome. Louisville can't afford to have a cold start against a squad that is shooting 49% on the season and averages 81 points a game while just giving up 53. Patient offense and not firing up forced threes. Work the shot clock and get the good look. 

    2. Stay with us #2 . A seat early for Myisha Hines-Allen could spell big                   trouble for the Cards tonight. Careful on the defense with no silly fouls and         playing under control early would be sound advice for the Cardinal star.

    3. Are ya still hot? We hope so! The Cards could definitely use another 

        scorching performance from Asia Durr in this one and feel free to join

        the party early...#25. A.D is averaging almost 23 ppg in her last four and

        Louisville likely will need all those and more tonight.

   

     4. Score...Moore. This would be a great night to see Mariya break out of                her recent shooting slump from the deep and if Duke tries to get cute

         and "zone up" the Cards...her proven marksmanship will be needed.

     5. All-the-way-BJ! . Louisville would be greatly benefited by another of                 those "stand back and watch me work" games from Briahanna                           Jackson...doing all the sometimes underappreciated things with perfection.

        Steals, assists, rebounds, shut-down defense. It's a lot of hats to wear,               but they fit her so well. 

Another huge test for the Cards tonight... but one that the Cards are perfectly capable of passing if they can control the pace and dictate the tempo. I expect a close one. An exciting one. A winning one. Louisville needs to turn the dial to "11" tonight with their hustle and intensity. 

Who will step up off the bench in this one? It seems it's someone different each time in Louisville's recent games. With the style of ball Duke likes to play, we're hoping Jazmine Jones can take advantage of this great setting to explode and if Sydney Zambrotta can get a few open looks...it could be trifecta time in a state that has no horse-racing tracks. 

😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎

TESTING, TESTING...

In case you missed THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR Saturday (which is perfectly understandable with all the different things going on)...here's a link to the re-broadcast. We had fun in the studio discussing hoops and football and even made a few New Years resolutions. Worldwide even explains the concept of time to me. Stunning, really....

It's live radio. We get our surprises from time-to-time (like Paulie's chair plummeting a foot or so unexpectedly near the end of the broadcast) but that's part of the allure. 

LINK: CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR 12-31-16


Monday ,monday....can't trust that day
paulie
xxxxx

As ACC WBB non-conference play winds down...still a logjam at the top -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

VIRGINIA TECH STILL UNDEFEATED. FOUR ACC TEAMS STILL WITH JUST ONE LOSS

If Louisville Women's basketball or the Cards fan base had any delusions that the ACC WBB conference would be a calk-wake this 2016-17, allow me to take you off the Merry-Go-Round and give you a front row seat on the roller coaster. 

The ACC is going to be a wild ride this year. Buckle up, grab onto something and hold on. Seven ACC teams reside in the top 25 rankings. 

We've reach a point in time where we're a little over 1/3 of the way through the regular season for women's college basketball. A look at the ACC Conference shows Virginia Tech surprisingly still on top of the standings with a 11-0 record. We doubt that Charleston Southern will upset that apple cart tonight. The Hokies survived overtime at Auburn last night 92-87 and sophomore guard Chanette Hicks has been named the ACC Player of the Week...she had 18 points and 13 assists against the Tigers of the Plains. Five Hokies average 9.6 ppg and the Blacksburg school has wins over Tennessee and Nebraska on the resume. With Radford and Delaware State next...they should be 13-0 when things start to get real for them when they face North Carolina and go to Clemson and Miami. 

Nipping at their heels are #2 Notre Dame, #7 Florida State, #17 Duke and #12 Miami with one loss each. The Seminoles lead the conference with 84.1 points per game, Duke has the largest scoring margin with a +20.3 edge per game and Notre Dame leads the conference in rebound...with an average of 43 a game and are only allowing 29.9 a contest. Miami's Erykah Davenport is shooting .683 after 10 games. 

Checking in with two losses are Louisville, North Carolina, Clemson and Virginia. Asia Durr is sixth in the conference in scoring at 17.6 ppg. Myisha Hines-Allen checks in at 7th. in the ACC in rebounding with 8.2 grabs a contest. Briahanna Jackson is fourth in the league in assists (5.1) and Ciera Johnson is third in the ACC with 20 blocked shots. 

To recap, I've just given you nine teams...over half the conference...who have a combined total of just 12 losses on the year. Out of 99 games. 

A closer look at the ACC's success in non-conference play shows us that the 15 schools are a combined 136-34 as of 12/19/16. That's 80% and only one school (5-6 Boston College) has more than 4 losses. You would be hard-pressed to find another conference with that success rate besides the SEC (123 wins in 151 outings for 81.4%). In head-to-head games against the SEC...the ACC is 8-8.

Who do the Cards need to keep an eye on? Alexis Peterson (Syracuse) is a name Cardinal fans know all too well. She leads the ACC in scoring with 21.5 ppg. Close behind is Owensboro's Rebecca Greenwell (Duke) with 20.7 ppg...another familiar name to UofL WBB followers. Peterson is also second in the conference in assists (6.5) behind Lindsay Allen (Notre Dame) and her 7.1 an outing. 

The Cards could take some lessons from Leticia Romero (Florida State). She is 23-25 (92%) from the free throw line this year. She also has the best 3-point FG Pct...13-26 (50%). Asia Durr is #1 in the ACC with most threes made (46). NC State narrowly leads in threes made (108) over Syracuse (107). 

Our top five performers in the ACC so far? 

Alexis Peterson has had a great start to the season for "Q" and the Cuse and has to be on that list. We'll easily add Rebecca Greenwell (Duke)....who is showing just how  good she can be now that she's healthy. Leticia Romero gets a berth...the whirlwind FSU guard is creating match-up problems for everyone this year. Milan Quinn (Wake Forest) has been a boards monster in 10 games (9.8 a contest) and Stephanie Watts (North Carolina) is third in the conference in scoring and second in rebounds per game. It was hard to leave Asia Durr off this list...she's been fabulous in 13 games. She has the highest three-point total made in the nation. Let's make it a top-six list....

A lot of the above will obviously change once conference play begins. Will Virginia Tech continue the hot streak? Miami and Florida State have one ten in a row...those two will run into each other on 12/29/16...the same Thursday that Louisville hosts Syracuse. 13 regular-season games in the books...18 left to play for the Cards. Would you accept a 12-6 record the rest of the way? if not...why? We welcome your comments. 

We've also got a poll up about that...be sure to check the "Right Side of the Site" and vote. 

Lots of great hoops ahead !! It's the most wonderful time of the year...

hiya pal! 
paulie
xxxxx

Louisville women's basketball faces Duke today -- Sunday Cardinal Couple

WHICH DUKE SQUAD WILL SHOW UP TODAY IN THE KFC YUM?

The University of Louisville women's basketball team will square off against #16/18 Duke today in snowy Louisville, KY at 1 p.m. today...of that we're certain. 



The question is which Duke squad will take Denny Crum Court to face the Cards? The one that demolished Wake Forest 95-68 a few nights ago or the one that got blown out of the water at Syracuse 86-50 last Sunday? 

Overall, the Blue Devils are having an fairly good season at 12-4 (1-1) and their is star power laced throughout the lineup. Owensboro's Rebecca Greenwell, USA U 19 performer Azura Stevens, Spanish team U 19 star Angela Salvadores and the tri-headed paint monsters Odewah Chidom, Amber Henson and Erin Mathies are all capable of blowing up the scoreboard and stat sheet any time they take the court. 

Will they against rising Louisville, though? Where do the Cards fit into the scheme of things between Syracuse and Wake Forest in opponent capabilities? 

Duke's losses, at least on paper are pretty plausible. Falling to Texas A&M, South Carolina and Kentucky...coach Joanne P. McCauley probably wouldn't mind if she doesn't see any SEC schools until next season. Syracuse is as good as advertised...height, shooting and defense.  

For Louisville to knock off another top-20 opponent today, we'll review the FRED  primer. If the Cards can shoot over 70% from the foul line, rebound successfully against the tall Durham, NC front line, make those easy inside shots and layups and play the defense they exhibited against the "Tech's" last week...Louisville just might improve to 12-5 and 4-0 in conference. If the Cards shooting and defense is a cold as the weather outside today...it could get ugly in the KFC YUM! Center. 

We'll hope to see The Big Three ( Mariya Moore, Myisha Hines-Allen and Briahanna Jackson ) hit with consistency and Cortnee Walton continue being the chair-woman of the boards. Any auxiliary additions from Arica Carter, Asia Durr and the other freshmen would be a welcome site. With Duke's size and rebounding prowess...Walz may have to dip into the reserves of Sam Fuehring and Erin DeGrate significant relief minutes. 

We'll know around 3 o'clock this afternoon how well Redemption Train did on this rough stretch of track. It's a ESPN 3 game...so Don Russell and Sara White will be providing their interpretations of the action and Paulie and Sonja will probably be viewing this one in the end zone...for all of those who like to play pre-game "Where's Paulie?" 

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THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR

Adoring fans line the sidewalk to Crescent Hill Radio
studios...hoping to catch a glimpse of Worldwide or Paige

Yes, it was a wonderful time and broadcast yesterday on the highly acclaimed CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR show. Swish Appeal and CSZ women's basketball columnist Paige Sherrard joined Worldwide and I for discussion, review, preview and analysis of Louisville Softball, Volleyball, Lacrosse and women's basketball.

The rebroadcast should be available later today on the Crescent Hill Radio Soundcloud. Or, you could just call up Paige or Worldwide and ask them to re-create it via cell phone. Maybe you could do your own interpretation of the show and send it to us. We'd probably listen to it. Maybe you'd like us to come to your house and do it live in your living room or carport. We'd probably need cab fare...

LINK: THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR 1/9/16

paulie
xxxxx 

USA U17 wins the gold!

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WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

(Columnist Jenny O'Bryan reviews the USA Women's U17 capturing of the Gold in Amsterdam...plus other women's basketball news and a huge early season match for volleyball tonight.)



USA Women’s U17 women’s squad won the gold in Amsterdam on Sunday with a 75-62 win over Spain.  The squad went 8-0 on the road to the gold.  The 12 member squad was made up of 11 seniors in high school and one junior. 

The starting 5 remained the same for each game.  Diamond DeShields (UNC verbal), Rebecca Greenwell (former Uof L target, Owensboro, KY native), Taya Reimer (Indiana native and Notre Dame verbal), Mercedes Russell (top Uof L recruit) and Lindsay Allen (also a ND verbal).  While the starting 5 is a stud of a line-up, the remaining players on the team are all elite players and all played in every game, excepting Jessica Washington who was nursing a tweaked muscle of some sort.    The remaining roster consisted of Kaela Davis, Brianna Turner (lone junior on the squad), Linnae Harper, Oderah Chidom, Erica McCall and Kai James.  The team was so good and so deep that any combination of a starting five, I believe, could have brought home the gold. 

The team defeated South Korea, Canada, Italy, Belgium, Mali, Australia, Canada and Spain en route to the gold.  The smallest margin of victory was in the championship against Spain when USA won by a mere 13 points. 

While I had been following on line and twitter the success of these young women, I actually got to watch most of the championship game (when my computer was not stuck in a loop showing the same thing over and over again) on line at fibatv.com. 

As a women’s basketball fan in general, the run to the gold was interesting in and of itself to me.  Of particular interest to Cardinal Couple readers, though, is the play of top U of L recruit Mercedes Russell and Rebecca Greenwell as a KY native  (and former highly sought after U of L recruit). 

Let’s start with Becca Greenwell.  Greenwell averaged 25 mpg, averaged .388 shooting percentage and .286 from beyond the arc.  She led the team in free throw percentage at .944 and also led the team in rebounds for the tournament at 58.  Greenwell's knee seemed to hold up well during this past summer season and her during her USA play.  That's great news for both her and which ever school she chooses to spend her collegiate career at.  Her final two consists of Duke and Notre Dame.  Greenwell tweeted something to the effect of she was heading home from Europe and completely healthy this time. (It was during overseas play last year that Greenwell tore her ACL which led to her junior season spent rehabbing while on the bench).  

Mercedes Russell led all players on the team with a shooting percentage of .640, was second behind Greenwell in rebounds with 55, and also led the team with total blocks with 13 for the tournament.   Russell also set a record in the first game vs. South Korea in a perfect shooting percentage of 8-8.  Finally, she led the entire tournament in the field goal percentage category with .640. 

In the championship game that I got to see most of, Russell did not get a whole lot of touches on the ball offensively, or so it seemed.  She was playing the high post and there was little to no offense running through her.  She did have a particularly good game defensively though, with 3 blocked shots and 2 steals in 24 minutes of play.   I was disappointed to see so little offense, but with an all-star team of the best in the class, there was plenty of offensive power on the team. 

A player that caught my eye was Linnae Harper.  Harper is a small guard that can play the 1,2 or 3 spot, and she does all the things that makes a team successful.  She is tough as nails, a fearless defender and is said to be a great rebounder for her size.  She led the team in steals with 34!  The next closest player to her in steals was Greenwell with 16.  She was also 4^th on the team in rebounding.  As the smallest player on the court, that is quite an accomplishment.  I have continued to hear Harper’s name as potentially interested in Louisville.  All of the internet chatter is that she is a KY lean with a former teammate already on the squad there, though her name does come up as interested in Louisville.    It would be pretty exciting if we landed an official visit from this young player.   I am not saying that it will happen, but I would not be surprised if it did.  Rest assured I would be very excited if it did.   Keep your ear to the ground on this one.  You will want to watch her play in college, wherever that may be. 

Diamond Deshields was named MVP of the tournament and she and Linnae Harper were both named to the all tournament team. 

The talent on the team was deep.  All of the kids deserve a big congratulations for representing USA.  My purpose today was to simply speak about the kids with some sort of local connection.  Lots of good information regarding all of the games and coverage on all of the players and stats are available at this website:   http://www.usabasketball.com/womens/u17/

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On another basketball note, Sydney Brackemyre was spotted at the UofL/Penn State Volleyball game on this past Saturday evening.  It was a great night to bring a recruit to YUM, as tweeted by Cortnee Walton, there were “more people at the volleyball game than attend some basketball games.”  Louisville loves its sports teams!   I am glad Ms. Brackemyre was able to witness the fans love of the VolleyCards. 

I also had the pleasure to meet Monny Niamke at the volleyball game this past weekend.  She was with teammates ‘Nita Slaughter and Sherronne Vails as we all found ourselves in the elevator after the game together.    I welcomed her to Louisville and told her I look forward to seeing her on the court next season. 

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Speaking of volleyball, Football is not the only team playing Kentucky this week!  Start the battle off right by finding your way down to the YUM center to watch our VolleyCards take on Kentucky this evening at 7:00 p.m.  

( Great work as usual today from our Jenny. CARDINAL FANS...We hope to see YOU down at the YUM! tonight cheering on the VolleyCards. Set, spike, celebrate!)

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