Monday Cardinal Couple - Unfinished Business

MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

( JEFF MCADAMS BRINGS US THE NEWS THIS 3RD DAY OR MARCH...LOOKING AT THE UPCOMING UCONN VS. LOUISVILLE GAME TONIGHT AND SOFTBALL'S LACK OF GAMES THIS WEEKEND. PAULIE ALSO ADDS A PEP TALK.)

A Washout

All five games on Louisville Softball's schedule were a washout this weekend, and I mean that quite literally.

With southern California having received multiple inches of rain over the course of the weekend, there was no chance to get any of the games in this weekend.  Much of California has been suffering from a severe drought, and while this storm won't make up for it all, I'm sure that area of the country is thankful for the rain that they got in general.  Unfortunately, its a basically wasted trip for Louisville, and Northwestern.  The other three teams were all local, Cal State Fullerton, UCLA, and UC Santa Barbara, so at least they didn't have to deal with the hassle of travel, but I'm sure they are also disappointed that no games got played.

Such is the way of things for outdoor spring sports, however.

The Cards return to the friendly, and hopefully dry, confines of Ulmer Stadium for five games in The Red and Black Classic.

The Main Event

Of course, the main news for the day is the Big Monday matchup between our women's basketball team and the UConn Huskies.
 

What can be said here that hasn't really been said before?  UConn is an amazing team, everyone knows that.  We've also talked about how the Walz crew will need to play a near-perfect game to take down the Geno machine.

UofL is coming off of a great road win up at Cincinnati that I had the opportunity to road-trip for.  I think this game made a great tune-up for our squad.  They looked loose, were making mostly good passes and were jumping passing lanes extremely well, and mostly were shooting well.

The Cardinals have been plagued nearly all year with some slow starts and the Cincinnati game wasn't an exception to this though the funk passed more quickly than usual.  We can hope that a (weather-permitting) crowd of more than 19,000, plus senior night, plus Native American Appreciation night (with road-trippers from across the country heading in to town to see the game), plus a nationally televised Big Monday game equals a better than typical start for the Cards.

The game starts at 7pm, and upper bowl tickets, for $5, are still available, but they are definitely getting in short supply.

The Stakes

So what is each team playing for and what's at risk for the teams?

UConn

Playing for

• Sole possession of the regular season championship in The American Conference
• Guaranteed first seed in The AAC tournament

If The Cards pull off the win tonight, we split the regular season championship with UConn, no other teams are in the running (Rutgers and USF are next, each with five losses and all other teams are sub-.500).  With a win tonight, the series between the two team would be a split, so the normal tie-breaker for first seed in the conference doesn't come into play and the #1 seed would be determined by a coin-flip.

At risk 

• An undefeated season
• #1 national ranking

Honestly, there's not much here.  A loss to a #3 ranked UofL team would probably be enough to knock the Huskies out of their long-held #1 ranking in the polls, but they surely won't descend very far.  They would probably drop behind the lurking, and also undefeated Notre Dame Fighting Irish, but would a loss to UofL drop them another spot and let The Cards move up into 2nd?  Its possible, but I remain skeptical.  Regardless of the outcome, there is very little doubt that UConn will remain a consensus #1 seed in the NCAA tournament unless they completely flame out tonight and in The AAC tournament.

Louisville

Playing for

• A share of the regular season conference championship
• A chance for the top seed in the AAC tournament
• A demonstration proof that UConn can be beaten this year and that we're a team that can do it
• A huge resume entry for a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament

Where do we send the Thank You note in Knoxville?  Last night, Tennessee knocked off South Carolina in a bit of an upset, which will probably push them out of contention for one of the #1 seeds in the NCAA tournament.  That, combined with a good showing tonight against UConn and a good AAC tournament appearance could give us the resume we need to get a #1 seed and push UConn out to the Lincoln Region.

At risk

• Not much, really

Not many people are giving The Cards (or much of anyone, really) a chance of beating UConn this year.  Our resume for the NCAA won't take a serious hit with a loss, and even just playing well and keeping the game close will give us credibility as a team that, given another shot or two at it, might be able to knock UConn off their perch.

JEFFMCADAMS


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EDITOR'S NOTE:

TIME HAS COME TODAY. TIME FOR PUTTING AWAY SCOUTING REPORTS, GAME VIDS, POSITIONAL ANALYSIS AND PLAYER TENDENCIES. TIME HAS COME FOR REBOUNDING, BLOCKING OUT, SCREENS AND BALL FAKES.

IT ISN'T THE LARGEST, MOST IMPORTANT OR MOST RELEVANT GAME THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE WBB  TEAM HAS EVER PLAYED...BUT IT'S A DAMN FINE WAY TO START MARCH MADNESS.

THE BLANKET OF SNOW AND ICE THAT ENVELOPED LOUISVILLE SUNDAY NIGHT AND MORNING MORNING WILL MAKE THINGS A BIT TRICKY FOR FANS TREKKING TO THE KFC YUM! CENTER TONIGHT BUT REMEMBER THE BASICS...LEAVE EARLY, ALLOW PLENTY OF TIME AND DRESS WARMLY.

THIS BLANKET OF WINTER THAT GRIPS OUR AREA IS ALSO SYMBOLIC IN A FASHION. THESE INVADERS FROM UCONN WILL FEEL RIGHT AT HOME IN THIS WEATHER. MOTHER NATURE HAS LAID OUT A WHITE, FROSTY WELCOME BLANKET FOR THE NATION'S BEST. STEF DOLSON MAY ALREADY BE SLEDDING DOWN CHEROKEE HILL. BRIANNA STEWART MAKING SNOW ANGELS ON TOP OF THE WITHERSPOON PARKING GARAGE. GENO BUILDING A SNOWMAN IN FRONT OF THE KFC YUM! CENTER. PARTY FAVORS FOR THE INVITED GUESTS.

YOU KNOW UOFL. THEY'RE THE PARTY CRASHERS. THE UNWELCOME GUESTS. EVEN IN THEIR OWN ARENA TONIGHT THEY'LL BE THE SECONDARY NATIONWIDE ATTRACTION TO THE SILENT, DEADLY AND EFFICIENT KILLING MACHINE THAT IS UCONN. THE BEAST HAS COME TO FEED AGAIN.

TIME TO RUIN ANOTHER PARTY. TIME TO DANCE WITH THE PROM QUEEN AND THEN TELL HER TO TAKE A WALK WHILE YOU TAKE THE TIARA, GRAB THE THRONE AND GET COMFORTABLE. DRINK FROM THE PUNCH BOWL. DOUBLE-DIP THE CHIPS.

TIME TO CONDUCT A LITTLE UNFINISHED BUSINESS.

FOR EVERY TIME THAT YOU'VE FOUND A STRAY $5 BILL IN THE JEANS YOU'VE JUST WASHED. FOR EVERY TIME YOU'VE MADE ALL THE GREEN LIGHTS ON YOUR CROSS-TOWN JOURNEY. FOR EACH TIME YOU'VE INSERTED THE DOLLAR AND GOT TWO SOFT DRINKS OR BAGS OF CHIPS FOR THE PRICE OF ONE...

LADY LUCK? HOW ABOUT WEARING A RED SHIRT TONIGHT AND LENDING A HAND?

GET LOUD. GET CRAZY. BE CARDINAL FANS TONIGHT. MAKE THE YUM RATTLE.

AND, KNOW THIS...LADIES. WIN OR LOSE, THIS CITY, THIS FAN BASE IS VERY PROUD OF YOU. GIVE 'EM A LITTLE BONUS AND GET THE "W".

GO CARDS.

paulie
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Wednesday Cardinal Couple -- Cards ranked #3? Sounds good to me...

WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

- DAVID WATSON weighs in on UofL WBB


( OUR COLUMNIST EMERITUS AND ALL-AROUND GOOD GUY DAVID WATSON CHECKS IN TODAY WITH OBSERVATIONS ON UOFL WOMENS' BASKETBALL AND OTHER THINGS ON HIS MIND. IT'S DAVID...PREPARE YOUR REBUTTALS...)

First off, let's get something quite clear --UConn and Notre Dame are the best two teams in the country in college women's basketball. Muffet McGraw and Geno Auriemma are the two best coaches in women's college basketball. I'm starting to see a trend here and it has nothing to do with conference alignments, strength of scheduling or the moon waxing over Neptune. Them that gots, gets. Them two got.

I think DePaul has a pretty good squad as well this season. They've got to be relieved they don't have to play Connecticut and Louisville this year. Even Syracuse is gone. They did face Notre Dame and UK in the non-conference slate. Two of their four defeats and understandably so. Doug Bruno's grin has probably never been wider. Bruno has been at DePaul since the disco era. He's dancing this year.

And, what is going on with UK WBB these days? It might be time to send Dr. Phil (or Dr. Seuss or Dr. Spock) to Lessington for some counselling and group hug therapy.

Louisville ranked #3? Yeah, sure. Why not?

They held their own against UConn. They haven't flubbed against an un-ranked like the Dookies or Stanford and Son have. Way too much is put into strength of schedule. Charlie Creme needs to add some sugar or set the mug down. This UofL team can flat out ball and with a sore-shin on Shoni (say that fast five times), Asia throwing up all day Saturday and Bria still probably riding a bike in Cardinal Arena (I've wondered about that -- if your knees hurt, what are you doing on a stationary bike pedalling?) the Cards didn't do bad in Storrs. Mind you, I'm no physical therapist. And I'll spend 5-6 hours walking on grass trying to find a little white ball, just to whack it again and try to re-find it with tendinitis issues. The world isn't fair. 

The Cards weren't great either in Storrs. The mad scientist is working on it. Whoever can figure out how to get Shoni in double-figures against anything wearing a Connecticut shirt please call Louisville Women's Basketball immediately.

The key here, as many have mentioned, is not tripping up in the five games before facing Gennecticut again. Temple will be looking for revenge for beating them in from of Bill Cosby (OK, I doubt he was there, but it sounds good). Playing Memphis in Memphis is always dangerous, no matter what the sport. Those folks have a definite hatred for anything in red or with birds on it.

Those Rutgals are the one that worry me the most. They definitely want to avoid being the #4 seed in the Geno Classic (oops, AAC Tournament) and wins can prevent that. They'll come into the YUM! for the last time in the foreseeable future ready to put a third loss on the Cardinals schedule.

Louisville says goodbye to Cincy after that and that one can't be overlooked either. Jamelle Elliott is a Geno disciple and and I wouldn't put it past him to sneak a few of his All-Americans down there and disguise them in blonde wigs and ponytails to spice things up.

Whaddya mean you let UofL in the ACC?

So the plan is nicely laid out. A lot can happen, of course, in the 20 days before Geno lets the dogs out in the fried chicken arena.

Maybe someone, dare I say it -- knocks off UConn before the Cards get a second shot at it?

Where's Doug Bruno, Quentin Hillsman and Muffet McGraw when you need them?

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Finally -- would someone PLEASE draw up a set of six or seven rules of universal officiating, distribute them to all women's college officials and make them memorize them and repeat them before they get paid to call a game? The last time I was this confused about procedure was when I little boy and the doctor told me to take the pill he showed me three times a day. No matter how hard I tried, once I took the pill the first time, it was gone and I couldn't take it again.

The NCAA tries experimental rules enforcement tactics

Make them get tattoos on their arms with the rules. Flash them on the jumbotron in the arenas ( OK, that won't work in most arenas) or have an annoying little man running around on the court spouting them out continuously. Woody Allen is available.

Just be consistent. If something is a foul in the first half, or on Tuesday night -- make it a foul in the second half or on Sunday afternoon. This isn't the pizza buffet.

Dear college womens' basketball referees: You're giving a lot of coaches ulcers. We assume you don't drive on both sides of the street or brush your teeth with both ends of your toothbrush. Could a confused fan get a little congruence here?

Have a great Wednesday CARDINAL COUPLE readers. Go watch your excellent WBB squad in a bird battle tonight in downtown Louisville. Enjoy $2 beers, get out of the cold for a few hours and make some noise.

These days are fleeting and before you know it you'll be filling out NCAA brackets and arguing about seeding, locations and game times. Less than three weeks until the madness of March arrives. I may just have to leave the balmy warmth of southwest Florida and purchase a ticket for 3/3/14.

Jose points out to Geno where I normally sit
for USF games. Geno checks Jose for weapons..

Nah.

I've got Jose and the Bulls in case my withdrawl from live WBB gets too overpowering. It may be methadone for my heroin-type addiction for live college basketball, but the fairways in Muncie and Louisville probably don't have much roll currently.

GO CARDS!

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-DAVID WATSON-

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Thursday Cardinal Couple -- Catching up with The American WBB Conference

THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

- THE AAC PRESENTS CHALLENGES FOR UOFL WBB


We got an e-mail the other day at CARDINAL COUPLE asking how Louisville's nine opponents in the AAC were doing this season. I knew immediately about UCONN but found I was not real sure about most of the other WBB squads that the Cards will face. So, a bit of research and...voila!...a report on the teams is below.

UCF   (7-1)

The name around Orlando in women's basketball is Briahanna Jackson. She's had two 30-point efforts this season -- the latest coming in a 84-79 win over Flagler. The sophomore guard has led UCF against a less than challenging pre-conference slate and gets plenty of help from Sara Djassi, Zylira Lewis, Stephanie Taylor and Brittni Montogomery.

Excuse me if I'm not impressed with a five point win over the Saints. No, not the New Orleans version.

CINCINNATI  (4-4)

Hopeful things for Jamelle Elliot as her freshman star Bianca Quisenberry was named AAC Rookie of the Week. And Dayeesha Hollins is playing well with 12.6 a game for the Bearcats. They get a test Sunday when Ohio State comes to town. They did beat Youngstown State in their last...but losses to Northern Kentucky and Fordham aren't anything that you write home about. Unless you play for NKU or Fordham.

UCONN  (10-0)

What we know:  #1 in the country. Better than half the men's teams in Division I.

What you may not know: They're down to six healthy scholarship players currently.
 
What does it mean? Those six are pretty darn good. Brianna Stewart, Bria Hartley, Saniya Chong, Brianna Banks, Stefanie Dolson and Moriah Jefferson are a strong core.

Who they play next? A respite of sorts before they tangle with #2 Duke on Dec. 17th.

Geno vs. Coach Joanne P. Must see TV.


HOUSTON (3-6)

A loss last time out to Alabama in a game where they only managed 44 points. They lost to Washington before that. I have a feeling the word "loss" is going to be a part of most of the Coogs game descriptions this season. They have talent...Yasmeen Thompson (C), Marche Amerson (G) and Te'onna Campbell (F) play stifling defense and are the leading scorers...but they'll probably dwell in the AAC cellar for the season.

Think Seton Hall stats from our previous association with that other league.

MEMPHIS  (4-5)

Freshman guard Breigha Wilder-Cochran was huge in a win over UAB last out with 14 points and AAC Honor roll recognition but their next against Tennessee Tech will probably put another "L" in the Tigers loss column.

Compare this. They beat Wright St. 83-75. Louisville beat Wright State 99-40. The Tigers also have losses to Samford, Ark-Little Rock, Texas A&M (by 10), Syracuse (by 19) and Texas (by 29).

Teams are taking the Tiger by the tail this year and will continue to do so...

RUTGERS  (6-2)

Back in a big way is Betnijah Laney...averaging a double-double for the season (10.7/10.1). They demolished Davidson and pounded Princeton. They'll wear out Wagner in their next
game. It's a cupcake schedule...except for the loss to LSU. The defeat to UMass (2-7) is a head-scratcher.

C. Viv Stringer's squad hasn't scored over 80 points a game yet this season, though. Despite a win over Texas Tech, I'll need to see more offense out of the Scarlet Knights before I can consider them a threat to Louisville or UConn.

But...they still have Precious Person on the roster. Julie Hermann is the AD. That's enough to make me cheer for them all season long...except when they play The 'Ville.


USF  (5-3)

Gone are the Smith sisters. The Russian Rocket Inga Orekhova is out with knee trouble 3 or 4 more games. Courtney Williams is filling in nicely with 15.6 a game, though, and veteran Akita McDonald is still a beast of "board"om.

Jose Fernandez also has a very talented player by the name of Ariadna Pujol from Spain on the roster that'll make an impact this season.

Losses to Clemson and Maryland aren't too surprising. Falling to Florida-Gulf Coast isn't shocking either...but this Bulls squad isn't quite the caliber of previous years.


SMU  (8-2)

Keena Mays is turning heads in the AAC. She's been named the Conference Player of the Week for the second straight week and third time this season. Mays had 34 against UTEP last out in a loss to the Miners. She and Louisville's Shoni Schimmel are battling for the assist lead in the conference. 

The Mustangs return to ballin' on Dec. 21st against North Texas. They'll get tested soon enough...their first two AAC games are road trips to Louisville and Cincy.

They also fell to Tennessee this year. No shame in that.


TEMPLE   (4-2)

A twenty point loss to city-rival St. Joseph surprised me.  Freshman Feyonda Fitzgerald leads them in scoring (14.2) and they travel to Montana Saturday.

The Owls lost to Michigan State by only 4. Four starters average in double scoring figures.

They just might be might dark horse team in the AAC to crack the top four by the end of the season. Like every other women's sport they face Louisville in, though...they'll lose in hoops also to the Cardinals.

Owls. Dark horses. Bill Cosby. And Philly Cheesesteaks.

Go Owls!


paulie
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Tuesday Cardinal Couple -- Check out today's laundry - more load in the washer now!

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TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-Sandy's Laundry day covers hoops, soccer and viewing. 

CARDINAL COUPLE columnist Sandy Walker catches us up on events from the Olympics , college basketball and Mercedes Russell. 
Please stand for our
national anthem! 


OLYMPIC WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

USA romps Canada 91-48

USA had a relatively easy time with our neighbors to the North this morning in the quarterfinals of the women's basketball Olympic games...disposing of Canada 91-48.

For once, a solid start...USA holding a 19-8 lead at the end of the first quarter and expanding that to a 42-21 half-time advantage. Five USA players in double-figures, led by Diana Taurasi's 15 points. "Big Syl" apparently over her foot trouble...with 12 points in just eight minutes. 

The Angel numbers impressive today. In 15 minutes, she tallied 11 points on 5/6 shooting and 1/2 from the charity stripe. Give her five boards and two steals in a reserve role. UConn darlings Maya Moore and Taurasi got twenty minutes plus.

(In case anyone is interested, Angel weighs 70kg in metric.) 

One can’t write of UofL women sports during the Olympics without giving time to Angel Mc Coughtry’s continued starring role in the US Olympic team’s continued supremacy in the 2012 games.   I actually spent less time watching the women’s basketball against China than one would expect but after fast forwarding the tape until Angel’s entry into the game I found that almost half of the game was gone.  Last week I suggested that Geno might want to rethink his starting lineup but to what should be his embarrassment, for some totally inconceivable reason he did not pay attention to my suggestion. 

This really should have been no surprise as he apparently believes this is the UConn Olympics.  No slam to Maya Moore’s playing abilities but as a late – late - late off the bench player, Angel is the high scorer and rebounder for the US team vs Maya’s reward of a starting spot.  Case in point.  In Sunday’s game against China Geno finally brought her into play with less than 3 minutes left in the half and again did not start the second half. 

Final Angel game stats... 16 points (Olympic record of 8 scores for 8 shots), 6 rebounds, 5 steals and 6 assists (2 less in the first 3 minutes of play due to her teammates missing  shots which Timmy the Intern would have made). Well respected women’s basketball writer, Mechelle Voepel, is quoted as saying “McCoughtry is clearly one of the best players in the world at this stage in her career. But what she has shown indisputably in this tournament is a Sheryl Swoopes-like ability to have a major impact on games with her opportunistic defense.”

(Great observation of #35's skills. Who ya gonna call? McCoughtry!)

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VIEWERSHIP

Britain...being relative newcomers to the sport...are not known for their focus on women’s basketball with beach volleyball claiming the higher viewship (I wonder if the cooler evening temperatures which allowed for the players to actually wear pants instead of underwear dropped the ratings).  In fact they are compemplating eliminating both their women’s and men’s teams in future Olympics due to their lack of success, so as reported by AP basketball writer Doug Feinbert. It has been happily noticed that “women’s basketball is making a good impression on British fans”.  Observers have noted that their enthusiasm is making up for what they lack in knowledge.  Attendance and television viewership has also been a pleasant surprise.   Attendance is averaging about 8500 fans per game with the US team bringing in 9200 during pool play.  The greatest surge has been for televised games as NBC reported their USA Women’s Basketball opening game showing a 96% viewship increase from the 2008 games.

Those present for Australia’s win against Russia were treated to seeing a historic first Olympic women’s dunk.  It appears that the WNBA’s Tulsa Shock player Liz Cambage

Liz dunks (Photo courtesy of AP)

(mentioned last week due to the team’s economy class airline seating for her 6’8” body) was able to unfold her legs well enough to put herself into the record books.  Her twitter followers have taken notice and pegged her with the moniker "Slambage".

(Editor's note: With Candace Parker on the USA roster, the first dunk should have belonged to us... apparently Coach Geno has imposed a "no dunk" rule on the girls. Can't say we approve.) 

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MERCEDES UPDATE

It looks like everyone is traveling abroad to play this month.  After spending 6 days at the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, tomorrow Mercedes and her 11 teammates from the 2012 USA Basketball Under 17 World Championship team will leave for Caorle, Italy to play exhibition games against Brazil, Australia and Italy.  And this is only a warm up.  She and 5 players returning from the under 16 gold medalist team will next arrive in Amsterdam Netherlands to play in the Worlds which begin August 17 with the championship game on the 26^th. Pretty heady exposure for Mercedes and her teammates. 

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OLYMPIC SOCCER

I know Olympic Soccer is not a UL direct related team but future participation is an absolute goal for every Louisville women's soccer player.  Yesterday’s game against Canada has contributed to today’s late Cardinal Couple submission as I stayed up very late while unable to pull myself away from the 120 minute double overtime win of the US team.  The win was particularly sweet as aside from their unbeaten Olympic streak with Thursday’s Gold Medal game against Japan on the line – as if that was not enough – Canada’s coach sparked controversy when his pre-game comments including accusations of “illegal” play by the Americans.

I admit to not being a passionate of fan of soccer as of some of the other sports but last nights’ event was a total new experience for me.  Women’s soccer (football in the UK) is one rough and tough game.   These women ran, hit and at times stomped across the field, and if in their way, bodies through regulation, double over-time and to the last seconds of the injury allowed period to a 4-3 win.  

Canada’s coach might have been whining about “illegal” plays but perhaps he should focus on highlights of the hits and “hold the mayo sandwiches” his players were making with the use of Canada’s double teaming of any US player with the ball. 

It is obvious that this is one physically tough and exciting game to watch. UofL women’s schedule begins with exhibition games this Friday August 10 against Ohio State at 6:00 and Sunday August 12 at 1:00 against Wright State both at Cardinal Park.

(CARDINAL COUPLE hopes to get a interview with coach Ferguson-Dayes and a player or two later this week. We've followed protocol and requested such through the UofL Sports Information Department.)   

UCONN PLAYER UPDATE

It is reported that Junior Lauren Engeln is transferring from UConn after indicating her desire to play a bigger role.  She would be the 3^rd player of UConn’s class of 2014 to transfer along with Samarie Walker and Michala Johnson.

For those who think transfers are reason for concern and worry. we advise you to take a look around. It affects all the major programs and it can happen for a variety of reasons. 

It's all part of the "play me or trade me" syndrome that we see in a lot of professional sports. Whether it's better to be a bench-rider on a national contender or getting 30 minutes and 20 points on a team that finishes mid-pack in the division is a matter of debate, but players come and go. 

Never forget that one of UofL's most successful players was a transfer. Candyce Bingham began her college at Xavier and transfered to Louisville after two years of playing sparingly. Former Cardinal stars Missy Taylor and Nita Slaughter weren't original Cardinals either. 

Show me a team that has all the original recruits four years after the fact when they're seniors and I'll show you rarity in college basketball. 
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