Cards WBB prepares for MTSU -- Softball splits with Oklahoma

SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

IN GAME UPDATES - LIVE FROM

-Update 4:31 p.m. 74-49 FINAL Shoni with 20, Mo with 15.

-Update 4:24 pm. Shelby Harper in with 2:45 left. 70-47 Cards 

-Update 4:17 p.m. It's 66-44 with 4:17 left. Deines in.  The Blue Raider just got raided.

-Update 4:10 p.m. Cards now lead 58-44 Shoni with eight second-half points. 6:08 remains in the game

-Update 4:01 p.m. Cards take off on a exciting run. 49-40 with 9:05 left. Shoni and Mo with ten combined second half points.

-Update 3:53 p.m. Cards clinging to a 38-35 lead, Shoni with 11 points. Refs are making some very interesting calls...

-Update 3:44 p.m. It's now 34-33 UofL with 15:59 to go The "horse of a different color" is charging down the stretch at Churchill Yum!

-Update Half 34-27 Cards. Nervous time..

-Update 3:10 p.m. Louisville up 32-24. Elie has three threes for MTSU and Louisville shooting 45%. 2:03 left.

-Update 3:03 p.m.. Got a 24-13 Cardinal lead. Offense getting a bit stagnant. TV time out and Walz preaching.

-Update 2:54 p.m. It's 20-8 and Walz is about to have a stroke on the sidelines. Elie has two threes for MTSU, Shoni with five points for us and three others with four each. Jude, Mo and Walton have seen action off the bench so far.

-Update 2:47 p.m. Make that 18-3. Five different players have scored and Louisville on a 14-0 run. Blue section in 102-103 rather quiet.

-Update 2:44 p.m. Cards 9 - MTSU 3 16:55 left Vails has four !


-Update 2:28 p.m. 7:09 until tip. Cards still warming up. MTSU just came back out. They got a good crowd here, the Blue Raiders do. Overall, looks like we may have 8,000 in here. Gaps in the end zones. Upstairs curtained off. Play ball, already!

-Update #2. 65-32 Boilermakers putting out the Liberty Flames. Sonja getting drowsy, must be a blow-out. Coutrney Moses with 21 for PU. Quick, little guard. 

-Update from the YUM! Purdue 33 - Liberty 17 at the half. Looking like the Cards will have Boilermakers on Tuesday if this keeps up.-  

-Cards look to Middle Tennessee, Rowe

-Media Day at KFC YUM!

-Softball splits with #1 Oklahoma

-Pick 'Em Contest -- nobody's perfect


(Quentin Voigt has the preview of the Middle Tennessee Radiers in the Sunday Edition of CARDINAL COUPLE. It isn't too late...get your tickets today and get out there for the
2:40 p.m. tip --- or the noon tip for Liberty/Purdue!)

Congratulations to the Lady Cardinals on achieving a #5 seed in the 2013 NCAA Women's Tournament. They will take on the #12 seed Sun Belt Conference champs -- the Middle Tennessee State University Blue Raiders at approximately 2:40 p.m. Sunday (or 30 minutes following the Liberty/Purdue game). By no means new to the NCAA Tournament, MTSU is making their 5th. consecutive appearance in the "Big Dance".

Coached by Rick Insell, MTSU comes to the tournament with an impressive 25-7 overall record and 17-3 Sun Belt Conference slate. They won the regular season and conference titles. Teams they have played include losses to Tennessee by seven -- in overtime -- and a 22 point defeat by the Kentucky Wildcats in Lexington. Other losses include Iowa by six, South Dakota State by seven, FIU by seven, Troy by four and UARL by eight. In Coach Insell's words:

"Louisville is a good matchup for us - it's good for our fans. It'll be good for our team. It will help keep us in our routine for when we travel on the road and a three-hour drive isn't bad at all."

Let's hope our Lady Cards can do something to move Coach Insell out of his comfort zone when the game commences.

Leading rebounder (11 rpg) and point-maker for the Blue Radiers in Lexington, KY junior 6'1" Ebony Rowe. She's started every game for MTSU and has played an average of 39.2 minutes a contest. Next is 5'9" senior guard Kortni Jones with 16.4 ppg and a team high 4.5 assists per game. Icelyn Elie, a 6'1" senior, contributes 13.9 ppg and 7.3 rebounds. Jones and Elie are the three-point threats.

As a team, the Blue Raiders typically score 67.7 points a game, make 41.3% of their shots (30.3% from three range) 71.0% of their free throws, 15.9 turnovers a game and get 9.1 steals. They average 4213 fans a home contest. Coach Insell's success has probably been a result of the chip he seems to carry about recruiting:

"We are going after the best players in the state of Tennessee every year. If Tennessee or Vanderbilt is after them, then Middle Tennessee is going to be after them, too. We will recruit alongside of them. We are not going to be intimidated, nor will we back down because they are in the Southeastern Conference, We are Division I, they are Division I. We are going to use all of our contacts." 

10 of his 13 players this year are from Tennessee.

If the Lady Cards can defend the Lady from Lexington and force her into a sub-par performance while firing on all cylinders themselves then I think UofL will "survive and move on."


-Quentin Voigt


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I headed to the KFC YUM! Center after our Saturday Morning Confusion Radio show on Crescent Hill Radio to attend Media/Practice Day. Got there just in time to catch the press conference for Liberty University. Carey Green is a likable coach who builds his basketball philosophy around two things. Rebounding and Jesus Christ. The players know if they shout out things like "Block Out", "Rebound" or praise Jesus in the huddle or in practice, they are fulfilling the goals he has for the team. The Flames flew into Louisville and actually did a little sight-seeing --getting a tour of Churchill Downs before heading to the YUM! Center.

Let's hope they didn't run into Tommy Boy or Bread Boy out there. I doubt they placed any exactas or pick 4's either.

They're here to win and are not intimidated by the facility or Purdue. When I went out to the Denny Crum Court to watch them practice after the presser, I did catch several of them looking around at the interior of the KFC YUM! Center with open mouths and looks of wonderment, though.

Welcome to the big time, Flames. Good luck.

I had a little "down" time before the next presser and hit the media buffet. I heartily recommend the loaded potato soup and hope it makes a re-appearance today. It was also good to see Brad Knoop again, back in the YUM! as the moderator for the press conferences. Where you been, boy?  The likable and affable Knoop has always been a Paulie favorite. Other media were present...no major names...the usual Courier-Journal, AP and the always stand-offish, brown-nosing Jody Demling from Cardinal Authority. (If you read this, Jody...just kidding. WE steal some of our best material from your site.) Everyone was anxious for the Walz presser to begin, since a rather important event was taking place in Lexington in a few hours and most of these local guys were headed there.  

Coach Walz, Bria Smith, Shoni Schimmel and Sara Hammond took the podium at 2 p.m. The players answered questions, Walz threw in a few barbs and jokes and talked about the upcoming game. Five things from the presser I feel are print-worthy.

1) Walz says he has no idea who the other two teams are in town. He is solely focused on MTSU. I don't fully believe that...but I like the dedication and focus to the immediate task at hand. As he said, "We're all quite aware that it's one and done time."

2) Walz feels whoever scores the most points will win. He delivered that pearl of wisdom when I was asking Sara Hammond about negating the +4 margin MTSU has on opponents this season. It's refreshing to know that Coach still remembers the basics of the game. Most points...yeah, that's the ticket.

3) Walz isn't concerned about the pace or tempo of the contest. He'll be happy with "an ugly win" as compared to a "great loss". Yep, Jeff was on his "A" game yesterday.

4) Bria Smith says she can play any of the guard spots but feels she can best help the team at point. We're having a "good citizenship" trophy ordered for her. All three players are very team-focused and that's a good thing.

5) Strangest question I've heard at a presser lately. Whoever the lady was with the rapid-fire approach asks Walz a rambling question how who would win if the coaches had to go one-on-one against each other in the tournament. Walz used the opportunity to recall his own playing career at NKU. A career that spanned 2 1/2 seasons and featured absolutely no defense, except for hand-checking. His early retirement from the hardwood was a sad day for all fans who love the "get me the ball, I'll shoot it and defense, no way..." type of ballplayer. Walz, Iverson, Maravich, Barry and Angel. All legends.

After that, it was time to go. Important stuff coming up in Lexington, you know...

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Louisville Softball split with the #1 ranked Oklahoma Sooners yesterday in softball. It is the first time the Softball Cards have ever defeated a #1 ranked team.

Caralisa Connell tossed a four-hitter (Good Carl!) in the opener and Taner Fowler had two RBI's in the 5-1 win. TF's double in the top of the fourth made it 4-0 and she later scored on a Katie "Killer" Keller single.

The second game was a 9-1, five inning affair. The Sooners rocked Rachel LeCoq for seven hits and produced six runs in the fifth inning to blow the doors off the Cardinal bus.

Taner Fowler drilled a pitch over the left field fence for Louisville's only score in the top of the fifth. Her second base-cleaner of the year.

They were to meet again today at 1 p.m.
It's been cancelled due to inclement weather in the midwest. (thanks to Jeff McAdams and asst. SID Lori Korte for the news.)
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Nobody got all sixteen games correct in the first day of the CARDINAL COUPLE WBB Tournament Pick 'Em...but Nell J. got awfully close with 15 out of 16 correct. She's followed by seven contestants that went 14 for 16 in their picks...including CARDINAL COUPLE staff columnist Jeff (Zach) McAdams. Jenny's in a group of six that finished 13-3.

As for Sonja, Paulie, Bill the Goat and David Watson...we'd rather not talk about it. Colorado's loss to Kansas and Syracuse's fold to Creighton seemed to be the games that tripped most of us up.

Good luck in Day 2! We'll be back later today with a game report on the hoops and COME TO THE YUM! for the games today!!!

COME TO THE YUM!

-Paulie

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Saturday Cardinal Couple -- Lacrosse falls at Loyola

SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-Lacrosse loses at Loyola

-Rowing ranked #18

-Worrell, Kylliainen with top 10 finishes in NCAA

-Softball heads to Oklahoma

-CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO

Louisville Lacrosse registered a strong first half against Loyola (MD) Friday night but took the loss 11-6 in BIG EAST Lacrosse
action. The Cards fall to 7-2, 0-1 and Loyola improves to 3-5, 1-0.

Louisville started strong...Erica Eipp scoring just 33 seconds into the contest and Eipp added a second score at the 23:43 mark. UofL increased the margin to 3-0 after Katie Oliverio found the back of the net just a minute and 12 seconds later.

Loyola responded with two straight scores, though, and the Cards didn't find the net again until Cardinal leading scorer Nikki Boltja connected to make it 4-2 with 6:11 left in the first half. Boltja would close out the Cards scoring with her second goal 3:41 before halftime. UofL took a 5-3 lead into the locker room after 30 minutes.

The Greyhounds began the second half strong and ran off six straight goals on UofL to lead 8-5 with 17:42 to play. Cortnee Daley got the Cards within two at 8-6 with eight minutes to play...but Loyola registered the final three goals of the contest to down the Cards by five in the BIG EAST opener for both teams.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The Louisville rowing squad has broken into the top 20 in the nation, getting a #18 ranking by the CRCA/USRowing Coaches Poll. It's the third highest ranking in Cardinal Rowing history.

The Cards competed well in the the Oak Ridge Cardinal Invitational...winning four races overall and challenging #1 Virginia and #14 Notre Dame in Varsity Four and Varsity Eight contests last weekend.

The Row-Cards return to action on the road (or water, I guess)against Tennessee on March 30th.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Louisville women's swimming with a strong showing in the NCAA Championships in Day Two of action in Indianapolis.

Freshman Kelsi Worrell finished fourth in the 100-fly and Tanja Kylliainen recorded a 10th place time in the 400-IM. She was matched against an NCAA champion and two swimmers from the 2012 Olympics.

The 800-free relay team of Breann McDowell, Lindsay La Porte, Krissie Brandenburg and Abigail Chin narrowed missed setting a school record in the event with a great time of 7:18:33.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Softball heads to #1 in the nation Oklahoma (27-1) for a three game series this weekend. Against always-tough BIG 12 competition, the Cards will play a doubleheader against the Sooners on Saturday beginning at 3 p.m. and a single game Sunday.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Saturday CARDINAL COUPLE Radio Hour will take a look at the NCAA Women's Tournament that begins Saturday morning and have recaps on lacrosse, softball and also interviews from the Monday Selection Show at the KFC YUM! Center. It'll be a busy Saturday...Paulie will be headed down to the KFC YUM! Center after the show to try and get a few interviews at the shoot-arounds for all four teams in Louisville for the Sunday and Tuesday games.

Unfortunately, the practice sessions are not open to the fans like they are in the NCAA Men's Tournament. WE think this is a silly and stupid rule. Why not let the fans in to observe? Even with a ticket, if nothing else. We hope the NCAA Women's Committee will change this archaic rule next year.

And, you still have time to get your tickets for the LADY CARDS game against MTSU on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Why not head down to the KFC YUM! Center Ticket Office and secure your seats today? Last report was that about 6000 seats had been sold. Let's fill that lower bowl in red, Cardinal fans!

You also have time to get your entry in for the CARDINAL COUPLE NCAA Women's Basketball Pick 'Em Contest. First game is 11 a.m. EDT. Leave your picks in the comments section or e-mail them to:

cardinalcouple@insightbb.com

WE had a question from a reader who entered but does not have a Chili's nearby. (We ARE giving a $25 Chili's Gift Card to the winner.) They wanted to know what they could have instead. We came up with several options. Here's the top ten alternatives.

1) A signed copy of Jeff McAdams singing "Danny Boy" with the Dixon Brothers Merl and Daryl and Bill The Goat.
2) Two tickets to Paradise, compliments of Eddie Money
3) A couple of plastic ducks that Sonja brought home from a recent wedding reception.
4) $25 worth of script...good at the CARDINAL COUPLE store
5) A $25 gift card to Panera. I'll talk Bread Boy into one.
6) An hour-long rebroadcast of CARDINAL COUPLE Radio (in Latin).
7. Timmy the Intern washes your car.
8. A $25 gift card to BP.
9. MArkie MArk spends an hour with you discussing hair grooming and economic indicators for 2013-14.
10. Unlimited use of one of the "bouncies" at the next UofL fan event.

NO REASON TO DELAY! Get that entry in pronto!

Paulie


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FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-For the "Blonde Blur" it went by way too fast

(David Watson hosts today's CARDINAL COUPLE. He takes a look at one of the most popular Lady Cards to wear the Red and Black...or grey and white...Shelby Harper.)

For Jeff Walz, it was a decision based on attrition. With barely enough guards available to hold practice, the third-year Louisville head women's basketball coach turned to the bench and saw injuries and a diminutive freshman guard that had walked on the team near the start of the fall to help out with practices and to fill a chair on the Cardinal bench. Attention Cardinal fans --this lineup change -- Shelby Harper is now your starting point guard.

The freshman from Allen County-Scottsville, near Bowling Green, KY. had delivered a solid high school career and a couple of the current Lady Cards were familiar with her mad dash, up and down the court style of point-guardmanship. They got quite used to it the majority of the 2009-10 season, for the former walk-on began starting in January and was in the starting lineup for 17 games. She ended up second on the team in assists and second in three-point shooting percentage.

The 2009-10 team took their lumps and ended up with a 14-18 record. It was a season of being out-numbered at times but the squad will probably be one of my favorites for a long time because they battled against adversity, low numbers and injuries and never gave up.

One wondered how Harper would fit into the 2010-11 Cardinal women's basketball plans. Stellar guard Shoni Schimmel had arrived on campus and Becky Burke and Tia Gibbs were available to give the Cards good strength in the backcourt. Harper returned to the bench but appeared in 27 games for UofL as a valuable substitute. She continued to draw oohs and aahs and applause from the Cardinal fan base for her helter-skelter, continual hustle appearances and Louisville came back from the depths of despair to record a 22-13 season and advance to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament.

More guards unloaded their baggage in the UofL dorms in 2011-12. Jude Schimmel and Bria Smith proved their mettle and Harper continued her role as an off-the-bench spark for the Cardinals. This Cardinal squad was beset by the injury bug again but managed to go 23-10. Harper saw action in 30 games and fans delighted in seeing her and Jude as a backup guard tandem on the court together. Both barely tall enough to get on the adult rides at the State Fair but delivering large performances whenever they entered games.

We see Shelby Harper as a senior this season and the spark plug, motivator role continues. A rare start on senior night, a season of providing brief stretches of inspired, hard-working minutes for a Cardinal squad that will play its (hopefully) final TWO games in front of the faithful at the KFC YUM! Center on Sunday and Tuesday.

Where has the time gone? It seems like only yesterday she was bringing Cardinal fans to their feet with her five-threes made against Cincinnati. 

Her take? Her advice to those that will remain after she graduates?

"Enjoy every minute of it. Try as hard as you can. It goes by way too fast."

It's gone by way too fast for us also, Shelby. Hard to believe we won't see that face -- showing that look of determination when on defense -- next season on Denny Crum Court.

Coach Walz summed it up pretty well when she said:

"I told her parents that if my daughters grew up to be like Shelby, I'd be quite OK with that."

Shelby will never get any taller. She will, however, have a large spot in the hearts and admiration of UofL Women's Basketball fans forever and that spot will grow as years go by.

Blonde Blur? Love her.

David Watson


(Editor's Note: Some of the photos used in this article are from Charlie Springer. www.uoflcardgame.com  The best ones, of course.)


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Still plenty of time to get those tickets for UofL WBB in the KFC YUM! Center for Sunday and (we just know it...) Tuesday action in the NCAA Tournament.

Ticketmaster, KFC YUM! Center Box Office, from that shady guy standing on the street corner...whaever it takes. Man up, buy a ticket and support the Lady Cards. You don't want a Blue Raider in the lower bowl of the YUM! do you? Yikes!

Also, don't forget to try your luck in the CARDINAL COUPLE NCAA Women's Tournament Pick 'Em Contest.

25 entries in as of 7 a.m. today. Take a chance, fill out your dance card for a chance at a $25 Chili's Gift Card. The prestige of being the best. Totally awesome, dudes. Your not a scaredy cat, are you?

Leave your picks in the comments section of today's article or you can e-mail them to:

cardinalcouple@insightbb.com

Don't delay. The tournament is just a day away. Make your day. Have a say. C'mon and play. OK?



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Thursday Cardinal Couple

Thursday Cardinal Couple - The Its-Supposed-to-be-Spring-Now Edition

( Jeff McAdams has the Thursday CARDINAL COUPLE report on UofL women's sports. He likes to "get in the mood" for each segment...so he started by typing with a lacrosse stick, went outside Shoni's dorm and added the second part...then ran over to Ulmer Stadium for his softball recap and finally ended up sitting in the dark, cold Trager Field Hockey Stadium with his laptop...juggling field hockey balls. That's dedication! Campus security finally stopped following him when he hopped into the Jeep and drove to the Holy Grale. )

On deck today

***Lacrosse

***Shoni

***Softball

***Field Hockey

Lacrosse

After solid wins...let's call them what they really were...beatdowns...of Presbyterian College and Detroit, and an eeked-out, come-back win against a good Drexel team, Louisville Lacrosse has made an appearance in the national rankings again.  Sneaking in the last position on both polls, this ties the highest Louisville has ever appeared in the rankings with their appearance at 20th a few weeks ago.

After appearing in the rankings previously, the Louisville Lacrosse squad headed out west and lost a tight game against Denver, who is receiving votes, but not ranked, in both polls.  Drexel is also receiving votes in the deBeer Women's Media Poll.

The road ahead is a lot harder for the Lacrosse crew as the only opponents on the rest of the schedule that aren't at least receiving votes in the polls are Cincinnati, Villanova, and Marquette.  That leaves, on the Cards schedule either ranked or getting votes...#16 Loyola (MD), #8 Georgetown, #7 Notre Dame, #5 Syracuse, with Connecticut and Rutgers getting votes.  I'm looking at the ILWCA poll here, the deBeers numbers are a little different...Rutgers is #19 in that one, for example.  Regardless, the takeaway here, is that Big East play is tough in Lacrosse.  Looking forward, it gets no easier in the ACC as Notre Dame and Syracuse will be waiting there for us, and we'll also have to contend with Duke, North Carolina, and Virginia who are all ranked...and well ranked, at that.

Back to the present though, Lacrosse is over the hump on their road trip with three games gone and all chalked up in the victory column.  Loyola (Md.) is up next in Baltimore, MD on Friday at 6pm.

Shoni

Shoni Schimmel collected another honor today, in the form of an All-Region 1 nominee to the WBCA Coaches All-America team.  The WBCA Coaches All-America Team is a ten member selection, picked from the 52 candidates picked from the eight regions.  The announcement of the final team will be made during the Final Four celebration, April 6th in New Orleans.

Softball

Whitney "Arion Nation"
put two outta there Weds.

Kudos to Sandy Pearsall's Softball squad for tangling with the IU Hoosiers...and the cold...and coming out victorious against both.

You can credit much of this one to Whitney Arion, who accounted for all 4 RBIs in the 4-1 victory...and, oh yeah, two of those Runs that she Batted In were herself.  Arion started it off for the Cards with a lead-off shot over the right field fence in the 3rd to bring the Cards back to all-square with the Hoosiers who put one over the left field fence in the first frame for their only score of the game.  She followed it up in the 4th, by following Kayla "de la" Soles and Taner "her mother thinks I look like Zach Galifianakis" Fowler who each had one-out singles to get on base.  Arion put this one over the right field fence to bring everyone home.

Hot and cold Caralisa "Carl" Connell was hot in the cold tonight as she went the distance with 9 Ks and only allowing three hits.

The Softball Cards hit the road again this weekend with a three game series at Oklahoma.  Those festivities start Saturday with two games, and the third on Sunday.  If you're going to be at the KFC Yum! Center cheering on the Women's Basketball Team...and really, what possible excuse could you possibly have for not being there...we'll have to make due on our own for getting softball news.  Sean Moth with be announcing the games Sunday, but as its an NCAA event, he has to be neutral, which presumably means there won't be announcements about other UofL team scores.

Field Hockey

For the first time in weeks, I've got nothing about Field Hockey to talk about.  I may be going through withdrawal symptoms later, but I'll stay strong.  You can check us out again Saturday at 11am on the Crescent Hill Radio - Cardinal Couple Radio Hour and see how I'm doing kicking this Field Hockey signing announcement habit.

Jeff McAdams

(Nice work today, Jeff! We'll do all we can to help you go "cold turkey" on field hockey on Saturday's show by having you recap ALL the current and upcoming games in Saturday NCAA women's basketball action. In Cantonese...)

WE'D ALSO LIKE TO REMIND YOU THAT THE CARDINAL COUPLE WOMEN'S NCAA TOURNAMENT ENTRIES NEED TO BE IN BY SATURDAY 11 AM. TURN THEM IN AT 10:55 and then listen to the CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR on CRESCENT HILL RADIO.

ENTRIES CAN BE SENT TO cardinalcouple@insightbb.com  or entered in the comments section of today's article. You can hear us babble live or in the archives of www.crescenthillradio.com

BE THE ENVY OF ALL THE KIDS ON THE BLOCK. Enter today!

Paulie

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Wednesday Cardinal Couple -- Tournament and Softball

WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-NCAA Women's Championship Pick 'Em Guide (or...How I stopped worrying and learned to love the 'Madness')

-Softball Cards defeat Iowa 6-4

A picture of a bracket

One of the most common complaints I hear (besides not remembering to spray wash my own undergarments and that I snore) is from people who would enter a NCAA Women's Basketball Pick 'Em contest...but aren't real familiar with the teams. Not even Coach Walz is familiar with all the teams. Request denied, sir! Fill out a bracket.

So, today...I will offer sage wisdom, prudent decisions, a few upsets and uncalled-for advice on how you, too, can have a satisfying NCAA Women's Tournament Bracket Pick 'Em. Remember, one man's lock is another man's upset...so don't be afraid to go out on a limb from time-to-time.

Paulie's Rule #1 - Your FINAL FOUR SHOULD READ: Baylor, Stanford, Notre Dame and Connecticut. Anything else is just wishful or moronic thinking.

Paulie's Rule #2 - Play CLOSE attention to where teams are playing the early rounds. Besides the four mentioned above, the majority of NCAA Women's Basketball teams don't do very well too far from home. It's a "village" thing.

OKLAHOMA CITY REGION

Put Baylor in as winning and work your way backwards. Who will they face? The logical (and popular) pick seems to be Tennessee. This is a good "Great Eight" start...but you might want to consider Syracuse and UCLA in place of Tennessee.

I am not scared of Prairie View, Princeton, Liberty, Central Michigan, Stetson, or Oral Roberts. ( I am maybe scared of oral surgery...or wearing a stetson in public.) Creighton may be a dark-horse candidate to uphend Syracuse and Middle Tennessee is a good, not great team. So is Louisville, according to Jeff Walz. I went with Baylor, Louisville, UCLA and Syracuse as the four teams to advance out of the first and second rounds. Yes, Tennessee is playing in Knoxville (let the hate e-mails begin) but I was very impressed with Syracuse this season and like their toughness. I also like pretty balloons and the Three Stooges.

SPOKANE REGION

Write in Stanford (in pencil) as the FINAL FOUR participant in this region but take a close look at these four contenders. South Florida, Villanova, LSU and California. Warch Gonzaga, because they are playing in Spokane (their home town) They'll survive the first round against a good, not great Iowa State squad. They could even advance against a middle-of-the-pack Georgia team who is travelling a long way to be in Spokane.

No fear of Green Bay (unless Aaron Rodgers decides to play), Tulsa, Montana, CalPoly or Fresno State. A great match-up in the first round here is Texas Tech, at home in Lubbock, playing South Florida. But, South Florida went on the road and defeated Louisville in front of the 10,000 rowdy UofL fans. I doubt there will be that many in Lubbock...unless they offer free barbecue.

I have Stanford, Gonzaga, LSU (playing their first two in Baton Rouge) and California in the regional in Spokane. I think Stanford will probably survive...but it wouldn't surprise me to see South Florida or California advance to New Orleans. If Cal-Poly gets there, I'll buy every reader a new laptop...(with Jeff's VISA Card). Pending approval.

NORFOLK REGION

You know the routine. Write in Notre Dame as the winner in the bracket and also scribble in Texas A&M as the team they beat to get there. There are other excellent teams in this region, but they won't advance. Colorado will fall to the Irish. Duke will barely lose to A&M. DePaul will give Duke a test..but lose in the second round. Unless they have cloned Anna Martin and both the clone and the original play. 

Dead zombies...UT Martin (no realation to Anna), Iowa, Kansas, South Dakota St., Chattanooga, Wichita State and Hampton. (I do like the Hampton breakfast bar, though.) I'd love to see Doug Bruno's DePaul squad down Coach Joanie P's Blue Devils and almost picked them. Could be a upset special. I ended up with Notre Dame, Colorado (who beat Louisville in the regular season), Texas A&M and Duke as the teams meeting in Norfolk. Irish eyes will be smiling.

BRIDGEPORT REGION

It's a shame Connecticut has to do such extensive travelling to make the final four. Storrs and then Bridgeport. Maybe they'll go by way of Bristol. Most are liking Kentucky to play them in the final of the GENO Bridgeport regional. I'll offer St. John's, Delaware and maybe even Dayton as possibles to see April Fools Day still alive in Bridgeport. Kentucky did not win the SEC Tournament. That honor went to Texas A&M. Kentucky travels to play in Queens, NY to open the first and second rounds. St. John's is from Queens. I agree with CARDINAL COUPLE reader Joe Hill on one thing...my "uber, outrageous, what's he thinking?"  upset special is St. John's over Kentucky. (Quick, bring my meds!)

Teams that won't need long hotel reservations are Idaho ( a shame they had to travel across country to play UConn) St. Joseph's ( who will need baby aspirin after meeting Vandy), Marist, Quinnipiac, Albany and Navy. The first round match up with Dayton and St. John's will be classic. Delaware and North Carolina will be a close one, too. I have Connecticut, Maryland, Delaware and St. John's going to Bridgeport. The Huskies raise a leg on the Terrapins and Red Storm and trot off to New Orleans.  

FINAL FOUR

I'm leaving you on your own here. I can't spoon-feed everything to you, you know. Baylor won it all last year. Notre Dame came in second. Go from there and good luck in your selections.  Both teams have their best player back.

The CARDINAL COUPLE NCAA Women's Tournament Pick 'Em closes on Saturday, March 23rd. when the first game begins at 11 A.M. All picks need to be in by then. Leave your choices in the comments section or e-mail them to:

cardinalcouple@insightbb.com

Good luck, we hope you play and remember for the tie-breaker you need to give us TOTAL NUMBER OF POINTS you think will be scored in the final game. First prize in a $25 Chili's Gift Card. If there isn't a Chili's in the area you live in...move immediately. Or, if you win...just let us know. We'll think of something to substitute. Maybe Bill the Goat's latest CD. Or an afternoon of watching Quentin throw paper wads at a trash can. A guest spot on our radio show.

Also, remember to put your name on your entry. Duh!!



"Whaddya mean Syracuse has no guards? Sir, you are a
moron! And your socks don't match!"

(You can get brackets to fill out at NCAA.com and the Courier-Journal has a nice one in the Tuesday edition. ESPN.com has them, too.) If you want to e-mail your bracket directly us, that's fine...be advised that IF we don't send a confirmation to you that we got it, we may have not received it. We are quite technology challenged.)

Games begin Saturday, March 23rd. at 11 a.m. EDT. The contest is purely for entertainment purposes and Cardinal Couple is a non-profit entity. That ought to keep the CC laywers happy campers.

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Louisville softball bounced back from the Monday loss to Iowa with a Tuesday win at Ulmer Stadium over the visitors 6-4. The Cards found the bats early in this one...touching the Hawkeyes for four first inning runs.

Katie Keller singled and eventually scored when Whitney Arion was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to make it 1-0. Taner Fowler cleared the bags with a deep double and Louisville was up 4-0.

UofL increased the margin to 6-0 in the fifth inning, picking up two runs on just one hit. Jordy Trimble was safe at first on a Hawkeye fielding error and Alicja Wolny was walked. Trimble touched home on a Maggie Ruckenbrod single and Wolny followed when Arion reached on a fielder's choice.

The Hawkeyes fought back late...two runs in the sixth brought in Caralisa Connell to relieve starter Rachel LeCoq. Iowa added two more runs in the seventh but could not fully close the gap. Le Gran Le Coq gets the win and is now 10-2.

Louisville (24-4) takes on Indiana today at 6 p.m.at Ulmer. TV available on this one in case you can't attend...WHAS 11.2 and the accompanying Insight and Comcast numbers...whatever they are. The BIG 10 tour continues.

Paulie

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Cards ready to host 1st/2nd rounds of NCAA Tournament

TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

( Staff Columnist and radio personality Jenny O' Bryan with today's report and a good one it is...the Selection Monday for WBB at the KFC YUM! Center! She also did the photos that you'll find in today's article. They would not allow her or Jeff in the bouncies, however...)

Fans waiting for Lady Cards autographs!

One of the many things I love about Louisville Women’s Basketball is how attending a women’s basketball event is such a family affair.  Selection Monday at the YUM Center was no different as the team welcomed fans, young and old, to a watch party as the NCAA Bracket was revealed. 

From the onset fans were greeted by the team set up in the lobby of the main concourse providing season posters and autographing them for the Cardinal Faithful.  Many waited in line to greet, chat with and get autographs from their favorite players. 

The lobby was filled with not only opportunities to meet the team, but free pictures with Louie the Cardinal Bird, face painting and a giant bounce house and slide greeted the young at heart.   I found myself spending much of the hour prior to the bracket unveiling snapping pictures and talking to friends who love this women’s program. 

When I finally found my way into the lower bowl and found my seating, I was delighted to see such a good turnout for the night.  My unofficial guestimate for the night would put the crowd between 300-350 Cardinal Faithful. 

Shelby Harper signs for the fans

Fans would have to wait until the final region of the bracket was revealed to learn who our first round opponent would be.  That is not to say that it was a long night of waiting by any means.  Cardinal PA announcer Sean Moth spent the commercial breaks between each regions unveiling speaking to several members of the Cardinal team.  Bria Smith, Coach Cameron Newbauer, Sara Hammond and Coach Jeff Walz all got a few minutes at the mic.  Shelby Harper also seemed to be put on the spot and given the mic just a few minutes before the show began.

One of the themes of the night, from anyone given an opportunity to speak, was the fan support of this team.  All three players and both Coaches mentioned one of the best things about playing/coaching for Louisville Women’s Basketball is the fan support.  Coach Newbauer apparently was told early on, in this his first season with the team, that even in a bad game fans woud number 8,000+.  He mentioned that being one of the many things that stand out to him from this season.  The players, too, were all very appreciative of the fan support and are grateful to play the 1^st (and hopefully 2^nd) round of the tournament at home in front of such great fan support.

Hammond, when asked about the transition from her freshman to sophomore year, commented on the pace and physicality of the game.  As an incoming freshman one comes in and is just “wow’d” by how much faster the game is.  She was better prepared for that after a season under her belt and off season workouts to improve her game.  Smith commented on an already physical game getting tougher in the post season.  Both are grateful for the home comforts that hosting the first rounds provide. 

Bouncies for the kids!

Coach Walz commented after the show on being pleased with the draw.  All three teams coming to the YUM Center Middle Tennessee, Purdue and Liberty all travel well and are very close in proximity.  All can and will bring fans with them to the YUM Center.  It is of utmost importance for any Cardinal fan out there who has been waiting to get their tickets, to do so now.  Now that the bracket is established, fans of other teams will be securing their seats as well.  Coach Walz would love for the Cardinal Faithful to fill the lower bowl and continue to support this team. 

I went in to the evening hoping Louisville got a little unfair treatment from the Bracket Committee, as in years past, and maybe got seeded a little lower than they deserved, and would be pushed down to a 6 seed.  Much like one of the readers here at the Couple commented recently, a 6 seed would have pushed us in to the lower half of the bracket and matched us against a potential 2 seed in the regionals instead of a 1 seed.   Instead, a very reasonable 5 seeding for the team gets the team the likely 1 seed if they make it to the Sweet 16.  In this case, Baylor. 

Before I go too far down that road, though, the team first has to be ready for 1^st round action on Sunday around 2:30 p.m. as an estimated tip time.   It’s win and survive, or lose and go home. 

The NCAA Tournamnet kicks off in Louisville on Sunday around 12:10 for first round action of Purdue (4) vs. Liberty (13).  Following that game is our hometown favorite Cardinals (5) vs. Middle Tennessee State University (12) with an estimated tip off at 2:30 p.m.

Allie ready to celebrate after face-painting

Not only can we not overstate the need to buy your tickets and get your butts in the seats for our Cardinals game, but a strong attendance for both games will go a long way in helping to secure future bids for hosting touranments.  It is not enough to show up just for Louisville.  Get there early and watch back to back games and see just what is in store for our team when they make it to the second round against the winner of the first game. 

Cardinal Faithful, this is your call to action!  Be there.  Support your local team. Support your hometown seniors Monique Reid and Shelby Harper as they play their final games at KFC Yum Center. 

Editor note: Great recap of the event, Jenny! Be sure to listen to Cardinal Couple Radio on Saturday for interviews with Julie Hermann, Sean Moth, Cam Newbauer, Al Greener, Asia Taylor and fan reaction to the Cards seed and
opponents....

HERE'S A INFORMATIVE READ ON LOUISVILLE'S FIRST ROUND MATCHUP:

http://www.goblueraiders.com/content.cfm/id/66889

 

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I apologize for the lack of detail, but, wanted to inform the readers that the Softball Cards lost on Monday to Iowa 6-2. 

A positive note for softball, though, is that junior catcher Maggie Ruckenbrod was named Big East Softball Player of the Week.  Congratulations Maggie, keep digging them out of the dirt and pegging them off at the bags!

Editor's Note:  The Cards were in trouble early in this one, but for once is wasn't Caralisa Connell in hot water. Rachel Le Coq drew the start but didn't make it out of the first Iowa at-bat before Connell came in to relieve.

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Lacrosse Cards crept back in to the rankings at #20 this week after adding two more wins on the season.  Check out the latest news out of the lacrosse camp:

http://www.gocards.com/sports/w-lacros/spec-rel/031813aaa.html

Also, congrats to Katie Oliverio for being named to the Big East Honor Roll!

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I would be remiss to not mention this news on Louisville’s incredible Athletic Director Tom Jurich.  He has been named as a finalist for Athletic Director of the Year award. 

Tom Jurich has led this Univeristy in ways that I can not even begin to mention.  Check out the attached article to really understand some of the many things he has done, and continues to do for the athletic programs at U of L.  Of particular note this past winter was securing a long term contract with the highly sought after Coach Charlie Strong of football.  If that was not enough for one man’s job, he also steered Louisville out of the soon to be defunct Big East Conference as we know it, and secured a spot for the University of Louisville in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). 

It is my humble opinion that Mr. Jurich is highly deserving of this award.  Congratulations to a very deserving man.  In Tom we Trust!

http://www.gocards.com/genrel/031813aab.html

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