WBB vs UNC POSTPONED a second time -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

To UNC or not to UNC...that is the question. 

That drive from Chapel Hill to Louisville can be a killer...

The Cardinals first 2021 match has already been postponed.. but it still hasn't been cancelled.  22 hours after UofL announced it has rescheduled its previously Dec13 scheduled matchup with UNC, the TarHeels program announced they were having "traveling issues" and can't make it happen....

 ALL ABOARD the Roller Coaster Express of managing sports during a global pandemic! "We're in!", "We're out." She's here, he's there, ya dee yah! 

In the first Coach's show back since team activities resumed & the Christmas holiday..  Coach Walz mentioned that the first team practice day was on Sunday the 27th. Two-a-days for two days and then once yesterday... He said it was Christmas Eve, he was in church texting with coaches trying to get a game.  

Some quotes from the Coach Walz show Tuesday evening.

I caught the Tuesday evening Jeff Walz Radio Show broadcast, along with several other members of the Cardinal Couple columnists. Here's what I gathered from it. 

On the ups and downs of coaching/operating the program during COVID

In response to what has been anything and everything about this year, Walz said "It's COVID. So much changes in so little time".  

Coach said it was "sad how the league has handled this year (being flexible. But...some coaches have done their best.  Walz is appreciative of how UofL has handled testing/Vince's support and team doctors.  Also got honest and said it was "a little bit embarrassing how some coaches are handling it... "

( Not to point fingers or anything). 

He reiterates that UofL WBB "will continue to fight and battle through this & we will find people who want to play."  Still... not pointing any fingers... 

"That's not my team out there. It's Walz's squad."

Coach went on to answer a caller who asked what the teams been up to over this quarantine Christmas..  In between a couple technical issues with host of the show and voice of the Cards, Nick Curran (which I got a few chuckles out of; not to make fun but it made the show feel more relatable) Coach Walz said that after team activities resumed, 2 players at a time were allowed in the gym; one at each end. Then after about an hour of work the staff would sanitize, 15 min later two more players come in.

Walz also mentioned that the players were conditioning on the lacrosse field. Whether or not the Cards head LAX coach Scott Teeter was watching, looking for a draw control specialist for the 2021 UofL Lacrosse season was undetermined. We'll look into it. 

He also said he that "If you're not laughing and being flexible it can drive you crazy."  

On playing locals like Bellarmine and UK

A caller asked if there was the potential to play Bellarmine, who actually was on the schedule earlier in the season until COVID issues within the BU program..  Walz says that "If there's a date we have open and they have open we would like to make it happen". Same with UK.  He said "teams are allowed to play 25 games this year, 20 of them are conference games.  Is ACC going to reschedule the ACC games? If not, that opens the door for non-conference games.  If so, then there's no room to schedule non-conference games and you don't want to overschedule."  He said he's spent a lot of time on the phone, going through emails.  He actually said this in between yawns. 

A replacement opponent for Jan 1st? 

Walz was getting texts the entire hour-long show.. responding to them in between technical errors and commercial breaks.  At the beginning of the show I noted that he said  "Things are in the works, not 100%.  Hopefully playing on the 1st.  Not sure if it would be at home or away yet".  By the end of it, he left us with this...  

"We are going to be playing January 1. I can't tell you who it is right now. It might not be at home but we're making a conscious effort to get all the home games in this season."  

(Maybe Arica Carter, who is currently playing in Spain, has assembled a group and is trying to get through JFK customs inspections as we speak.)

 Fingers crossed, CardNation! Wednesday is a new day, let's get some good news today! Walz has called a "presser" for 12:30 Wednesday. We may find out who the New Year Day opponent is then.

                                                                 *****************

Walz said that no matter who they play, the team is chomping at the bit to get out there and play again (and that he's) "gotta make sure they're not too excited, relaxed and ready to go".

Be safe and warm out there, y'all.  Go Cards! 

-Daryl 

Jeff Walz Radio Show is Back -- Shayla Scanlan -- Thursday CARDINAL COUPLE

 UofL Brings Back Jeff Walz Radio Show

The fan favorite Jeff Walz Radio Show is back.  There were concerns on if the show would return because of the pandemic. In past years, the show was hosted at venues such as Chili's and Mark's Feed Store.  This year, the show will not have a set location.

In fact, the show will not have a live audience.  It will be held completely over the air with fans having the option to call in. Nick Curran returns as the host for the show as he discusses recent games, upcoming games, and fan questions with Walz.

2020-21 Jeff Walz Radio Show Schedule
All shows will air on 93.9 The Ville.
Monday, December 7^th – 7 pm – 8 pm
Tuesday, December 15^th – 6 pm – 7 pm
Tuesday, December 29^th  – 7 pm – 8 pm
Wednesday, January 6^th – 7 pm – 8 pm
Wednesday, January 13^th – 7 pm – 8 pm
Wednesday, January 20^th – 7 pm – 8 pm
Tuesday, January 26^th – 7 pm – 8 pm
Wednesday, February 10^th – 7 pm – 8 pm
Wednesday, February 24^th – 7 pm – 8 pm
Post season show 1– TBA
Post season show 2 – TBA

UofL Features LAX's Shalya Scanlan

UofL News recently shared a story featuring UofL lacrosse player Shayla Scanlan and her Native American heritage. Scanlan is believed to be the first woman from the Seneca Nation to sign a letter of intent to play for an NCAA D1 level lacrosse program. Scanlan talked about how deep lacrosse is in her roots.  Lacrosse originated from Native American tribes in North America, which they called "Stickball".

"People think lacrosse is a rich white sport," said Scanlan.  "You are able to play this game because of my people, my descendants, my ancestors."

The rising senior has used her platform as a way to educate others about Native American heritage including inviting teammates to the reservation where she lives with her family. Native Americans are a minority in the realm of college sports.  UofL fans are more than familiar with Shoni and Jude Schimmel.

It will be exciting to see how Scanlan continues to use her platform to promote and educate others about Native American heritage as she prepares to start her senior year.

My Answers to Paulie's Questions

The first question Paulie asked in his Wednesday article was which women's basketball players were named the Wooden Award winners twice during their collegiate careers.

I have only been following women's basketball since the fall of 2012 when I began my time as a student.  Thankfully, I am pretty sure I have seen a few of them in my time following WBB.

I know for certain Sabrina Ionescu is one them.  She is also the most recent recipient.  I remember the days of Breanna Stewart dominating everyone and can safely guess she makes the list.  My freshman year, the college basketball world couldn't get enough of Brittney Griner, one of few women who have been able to dunk a basketball on a regulation size goal so I will guess that she may have snuck in a pair of awards.  Anyone who follows women's basketball knows about Maya Moore and her dominance.  I assume she won two, if not even three, Wooden awards during her time.  Perhaps A'ja Wilson and Tina Charles are in the mix too?

Unfortunately, my guesses halt there.  Stay tuned for Paulie to release the answer! I expect it'll be in his Friday column, when he preps us for Louisville WBB vs. The Fighting Brunos...oops, DePaul. 

My guess for the Louisville vs DePaul game has the Cards winning.  I think this will be a close one with the Cards sneaking by a win at 85-82.  What could play in the Cards' favor is wearing down the Blue Demons, who choose to wear a mask while playing on the court.

If you remember the mascot quizzes we do in the "slow" months, you might remember that the mascot name is DIBS (Demon In a Blue Suit).for the DePaul program. Another interesting factoid is that Doug's son Bradley is on the staff as Director of Basketball Operations. 

Happy Thursday and Go Cards!

Jared

Louisville women's basketball -- Jared Anderson's report -- WEDNESDAY CARDINALCOUPLE

IS THIS UOFL WBB SQUAD SIMILAR TO THE FINAL FOUR TEAMS? 

I attended the Chili’s Jeff Walz radio show last night.  Unfortunately, Coach Walz seems to have caught the flu from the rest of his family and could not make it.  Instead, Sam Williams  and Adrienne Johnson joined Nick Curran on the mics. Per their discussion I got a few things from attending the event and listening to the discussion among the dozens of fans in attendance.

This team is similar to the Final Four teams of the past. The 2009 squad had Angel McCoughty and Candyce Bingham as the big playmakers. 2013 had Shoni Schimmel and Sara Hammond. This year has Asia Durr and Myisha Hines-Allen. The duo matches up with similar style play of the other pairs.

Like other successful seasons this year’s team has a quite impressive defense. They found ways to shut down opponents, either throughout entire games or in second half adjustments to win games.  Even the loss to Florida State showed solid defensive pressure. They held the Seminoles to just 50 points and kept the game close despite the poor offensive outing.

Coach Williams and AJ discussed recently about how we often view success of players. Many fans look at points scored as a scale of success. They don’t look at other factors in a game such as rebounding, assists, and defense. Dana Evans and Arica Carter have learned to control the ball well and dish out assists all game. MHA and Bionca Dunham haul in boards on both sides of the court. Jaz Jones and Sam Fuehring bring intense energy. "Nite-Nite" lights up the scoring almost every game. Myisha Hines-Allen may be the rest rebounder in women's college basketball and brings offense almost every outing. As a team, everyone plays great defense. Each player brings something to the table. This is a highly successful squad. In many realms. 

Coach Walz is fortunate to have a solid rotation of players. There’s about eight or nine different players he can feel comfortable logging major minutes and still find ways to maintain a lead or expand on it. That goes back to each player being able to contribute something to the game, as mentioned in the previous paragraph.

Louisville has one of the best fan bases in the country. 10,000+ fans in three straight games is not something you’ll find at most major women’s basketball programs. The large attendance numbers play a key role in recruiting. Having a sold out lower bowl of fans on their feet creating an intimidating atmosphere for opponents and is encouraging as a player to have a fan base behind them. When recruits witness this in person it can help sell Louisville as their choice for college. The question arises -- would you rather play in front of 1,000 or 10,000? Opposing teams come to Louisville and their coaches almost always mention the incredible attendance during their post-game interviews. 

Another topic that came up recently is the lack of interest in women’s basketball as a whole. 

Louisville is one of the better bases for women’s basketball but there’s still a big gap between 21,000+ average for men’s basketball and anywhere from 6,000-12,000 at women’s basketball. Possibly the biggest factor contributing to the lack of interest is the lack of competition.

UConn has dominated the realm of collegiate women’s basketball since Geno first took over as head coach. It’s always been “Everyone vs UConn” with the Huskies almost being guaranteed another undefeated season or national championship and everyone else battling for second place. However, that gap is closing. South Carolina, Mississippi State, Notre Dame, and Louisville have all found their way up there. The Bulldogs upset UConn in the Final Four last year. The Irish took the Huskies to the mid-fourth quarter before struggling down the stretch.

Other teams are getting better. Having more than one team having a good chance at claiming the title will attract interest and having half a dozen teams all battling it out to the death (not literally) will spark interest.

It’s safe to say I got a lot out of the discussion among the fans at Chili's. I doubt I’ll get that much each time I’m in attendance but seeing the turnout and support gives me confidence the Louisville women’s basketball fan base will continue to grow. It also appears that the program is going to continue to improve as the years progress.

On a closing note it has been offered that if Louisville lost one more regular season game but won the ACC Tournament and NCAA Tournament that the championship would be Coach Walz’s 300^th program victory. I did some research and math to test this theory and here’s the results:

* 263 wins through 2016-17 season

* 22 wins in 2017-18 season up to date

* 8 regular season games remaining

* 3 potential games in ACC Tournament as top four seed

* 6 potential games in NCAA Tournament, seeding doesn’t matter

302 potential wins for Jeff Walz if Louisville wins out. So, the theory was incredibly close.

One  regular season loss would give Jeff Walz his 300^th in the Final Four. Two regular season losses would make it 300 in the championship if everything else played out. However, there’s the ifs of winning in the ACC and NCAA Tournaments and what-not with a few different scenarios.

 I’ll hit on that more on Friday. The good thing is that we could easily see Jeff Walz’s 300^th career win before the year is over. If not, it will happen at the beginning of next season.

Enjoy your Wednesday and Go Cards!

Jared