Looking at the NCAA Tournaments ahead...

WEDNESDAY @ CARDINAL COUPLE:

-Who will win the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament?

-How will Pitino's Cards fare in the Men's Tournament?

-The Side Line Reporters Tournament down to eight.

Can't bear to watch as your bracket picks fall apart on opening day of the NCAA Tournaments? Fear not, the staff of CARDINAL COUPLE is here to help you pick winners and blow the competition away with your prowess, skill and foresight. Yeah, right...Anyway, we have some observations on both tournaments. Not your thing? Go do Sudoku or stand on your head in the hallway. Bye, bye...now. Take care, then. Close the door behind you...we're talking hoops here today.

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The standard observation from many when looking at the NCAA Women's Tournament is that it is basically a four team event with UConn holding a slight advantage. WE won't deny that Baylor, Stanford, UConn and Tennessee are the prohibitive favorites to roll out of their regional game unscathed and gather in Indy...but, just for the fun of it...WE'RE going to offer (4) teams that might spike the punch and break up the party.

-Notre Dame. The Irish are well balanced, disciplined and shoot well. They ended up in Tennessee's region...who we feel is the weakest of the four top seeds. Wouldn't surprise us if Muffett McGraw's Irish end up in Indy..they do face the possibility of facing always dangerous Oklahoma in the Sweet Sixteen, though.

-DePaul. The 3rd best team in the BIG EAST, which means they probably would have won just about any other conference title out there. Bruno's Demons can turn up the "d" and have skill and depth at guard...which is important this time of year. Tough luck ending up in UConn's region and they do have a probable tilt with Duke in the Sweet Sixteen. Don't dismiss DePaul.

-Xavier. They can rebound with anyone and score inside at will. Their path to the regional finals starts at home, too. A pesky Louisville team, who they beat earlier in the year might try to stumble them up on the way to Seattle, and Kentucky or Stanford might challenge them for a Final Four berth. We can see them marching a long way..if Louisville doesn't whip them.

-Kentucky. Yeah, the Wildcats. Some say that Victoria Dunlap is...pound for pound, inch for inch...the best player in women's college hoops. Whether she can gather a few 'Cats around her and make a run in the regionals is speculative...but if they get by Stanford in the Sweet Sixteen, look out Indy.

David Watson weighs in on the women:

If it is to be the #1 seeds advancing to Indy, then so be it. They've done a good job beating up on each other during the regular season. Stanford beats UConn, UConn beats Baylor, Tennessee wins over Stanford, Baylor beats Tennessee. I will concede that the road to Indy looks like these four schools. I will not rule out, though, that upsets could develop. Here's four potential games that could send one or more of the "fabulous four" home early and grumbling.

-West Virginia vs. Baylor. Mike Carey's Mountaineers are a solid, battling bunch. It's Liz Repella's senior year (finally). Madina Ali is a boards monster. This is one worth watching.

-Stanford vs. UNC. I'm picking the Tar Heels to send UK home and meet up with Tara Vanderveer's Cardinal. UNC plays in argueably the second best conference in WBB. Hmmm.

-Notre Dame vs. Tennessee. The Irish have about 30 weapons on their squad. They could get tripped up by Miami or Oklahoma on their march to the Great Eight. If not, beware Vols.

-Connecticut vs. DePaul. I know, the Huskies handled them in the regular season. DePaul has to find a way past Duke to see Geno again. Bruno vs. Geno. Make it so. UConn isn't that deep.

Whatever transpires on the road to Indy, the fate of Louisville should be determined in Cincinnati. If they can get past a dangerous Vanderbilt team (#10 seed is way too low for them) and find a way to beat Xavier on Xavier's court, then pencil the Cards in for a Great Eight date with Stanford. Even better, hope that Kentucky beats Stanford and it is Cats vs. Cards for a Final Four slot. You gotta believe. You gotta want it. I'll be at the Final Four waiting to see the Cardinal Bird and the Lady Cards. I might even sell Paul my other ticket.

Maybe he'll send Sonja instead. Ooh-rah!

(David Watson has absolutely NO chance of spending a weekend in Indy with my wife. I, however, would probably go if he promises to take me somewhere other than Wendy's to eat and works in a trip to Broad Ripple...)

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So, how far do you have Louisville going in the NCAA Men's Tournament? It's a popular debate around the taverns and office spaces as tournament time gets closer. We looked at the three CARDINAL COUPLE staff bracket selections we have so far...(Paul, Sonja and David) and came up with some interesting differences. Bill the Goat, Co-Co and Tommy Boy haven't made their picks public yet. We're pretty sure Bill has eaten his already, Co-Co stole my selections and is trying to sell them on E-bay and Tommy Boy probably won't have a bracket sheet. After all, tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day and he won't even be cognizant that basketball is being played...

-Paul has a feeling about Pitino's bunch this year and has them winning then whole thing. Remember, this is Paul were talking about and he hasn't won a bracket contest (or finished in the top twenty) since Nixon was President. His final four is: North Carolina, Duke, Pittsburgh and Louisville. The Cards and Duke in the final. What was that old Aerosmith song? Dream On, Dream On...Still, you gotta admire the lad's spirit and loyalty. We like the fact that Rick starts out with More Head. (groan.)

-Sonja is a bit more logical. She takes Kansas to the championship. Her Cardinals are bowing out to the Rock, Chalk, Jayhawks after beating Morehead and Richmond. The Sonja Final Four is: Connecticut, Ohio State, Kansas and Pittsburgh. Kansas holding off UConn in the final game. She's busy packing as we speak to go to San Antonio...where she's sure the Cards will be on March 25th. Love that Riverwalk!!! (Hope she likes Greyhound, too. I'm not driving her there.)

-David is a BIG EAST fan...we all know that. His Final Four of Louisville, Pittsburgh, Connecticut and West Virginia, though, is simply ridiculous. He has the Cardinals falling to the Huskies in the championship. This one is suitable for bird cage liner...David also picked Belmont over Wisconsin, Akron over Notre Dame, St. Peter's over Purdue and Memphis over Arizona. Sometimes, we wonder about the boy...

We went to a site called the Blindfold Bracket and did a sheet. This is where you're not given the name of the team but a descripton of them, their strengths and weakness and such. It's a lot of fun and based on what we filled out there...we came up with a final four of Ohio St., San Diego State, Florida and Notre Dame. Notre Dame beating San Diego State in the final. You can try it at http://www.wsj.com/ It's the Wall Street Journal's web site and you have the scroll down a bit to find it...but click it and see how you do...A second try gave us Kansas, Texas, Ohio State and Wisconsin...with Kansas the Champ. HOO-BOY!

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Andrea Kramer blew past Rebecca Lobo in the final match of the first round in the Sideline Reporters Tournament. Lobo claimed foul and limped back to the UConn locker room. That means we're down to the GREAT EIGHT. Your matchups are: Erin Andrews vs. Heather Cox, Tony Siragusa vs. Allison Williams, Alex Flanagan vs. Pam Oliver and Eamon McAnaney vs. Andrea Kramer. We're going to give the contestants a few days off and continue the matches on Tuesday.

(Heather Cox, pictured here...will have her hands full with a tough Great Eight matchup against the Queen of Sideline Reporters Erin Andrews. We think 'Cox can post up inside, though and score.' (SMH). Action resumes Tuesday, March, 22nd. )

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LADY CARDS HEADED TO CINCY VS. VANDY 1ST ROUND

-CARDINAL COUPLE WILL BE AT NCAA WOMEN'S TOURNAMENT 1st ROUND WITH FULL COVERAGE OF THE SUNDAY GAMES.
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LOUISVILLE TO FACE COMMODORES
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WATSON HAS A TAKE ON 1st ROUND GAME.
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THE SIDELINE ANNOUNCERS SWEET 16.
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CARDINAL COUPLE has received word from the NCAA Tournament poobahs that WE have been approved for and will be granted media access and coverage of the games in Cincinnati on Sunday. WE'LL be there to cover the action, post game presser and all the fun and excitement surrounding the Cards vs. 'Dores. Sonja and I look forward to a 'Natti' weekend and bringing our readers the event. (Now, if they'll let us bring Bill the Goat and the intern Chimps along...WE'LL really have some fun. Strangely, they haven't been approved yet...)
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The NCAA Women's Basketball Championships have been announced and the University of Louisville has received a #7 seed in the Spokane Region and will face #10 seed Vanderbilt in Cincinnati at noon on Sunday, March 2oth.

If the Cards are successful, they would most likely face #2 seed Xavier in the next round...in a rematch of an earlier season meeting between the two teams. Xavier takes on #15 seed South Dakota State in the 2:30 p.m. game. The games will be played in the Cintas Center...on the Xavier campus.
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The game is also scheduled to be broadcast on ESPN2.





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The Vanderbilt game has an interesting sidebar...Cardinal guard Tia Gibbs transferred from Vanderbilt two years ago to come back home at play for Louisville.
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As of 8:25 p.m. Monday...Ticketmaster still had lower level seats available for the game. Cardinal fans can also call the UofL Ticket Office at 852-5151 or 852-5863 and get tickets beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday morning. Lower level seats are $20, according to Ticketmaster's website.
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The Commodores (20-11) bowed out in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament to Kentucky 69-56...the third time the Wildcats defeated Vanderbilt this season. Kentucky is the 4th seed in the same region, but plays their first and second round games in Albuquerque, New Mexico. If the Cards handle Vandy and Xavier...they would travel to Spokane to play in the Sweet Sixteen.
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This will be the 12th straight season that Vanderbilt has been selected for the NCAA Championships and their 24th appearance overall. The Commodores are 37-23 in all-time NCAA Tournament appearances and have advanced to the Sweet Sixteen six out of the last ten years.


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Louisville and Vanderbilt met in the first round of the 2006 NCAA Tournament in Nashville at Memorial Gym, on the Vanderbilt campus. The Commodores took a 76-64 victory from the Cards on March, 18th. and were ranked #25th in the nation at the time. Louisville is 3-8 all-time against Vanderbilt and the last meeting was the 2006 NCAA contest.
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Tom Collen was the Cardinal coach at the time. He had originally applied for the Vanderbilt job before coming to Louisville..but a mistake in his resume and transcript disqualified him from receiving the job. Instead, it went to Melanie Balcomb...who is still there and in her ninth season as the Commodores head coach. Coincidentally, she previously coached at Xavier before taking the Vanderbilt job and led the Musketeers to three NCAA Tournaments while there, including a Elite Eight appearance in 2001.





In the "what will he do this time?" category:
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The last time Louisville and Vandy played, CARDINAL / LOUISVILLE SPORTS REPORT guru Howie Lindsey was so upset over the officiating...he decided to leave the arena and go in for an emergency appendectomy. All kidding aside, the 'Howster" started feeling bad during the game and went to a Nashville hospital emergency room, where it was discovered that his appendix had burst. Some say he hasn't been the same since...WE'RE guessing Howie will be a no-show in Cincy...men's hoops and all going on this weekend. WE'LL alert EMS, just in case he attends...
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Vanderbilt comes into the contest with a 4th place finish in the SEC. At 10-6, their losses were to Tennessee and Kenticky twice, Mississippi and Florida. They made it to the semifinals of the SEC Tournament before losing to UK. Other losses on the season were to Fla. State, Bowling Green, Denver, and Virgina Tech. The Commodores have lost three of their last five games and are 6-4 over the last ten. They are 2-1 on neutral courts. The drew well at home, with an average attendance of 4589. Common opponents are UT-Martin, who they beat 72-40, Kentucky and Tennessee. All three schools received NCAA Tournament bids.
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The Commodores feature a balanced attack...with five players in double figures. Lence Rhoads leads the Commodores in scoring (11.9). Jasmine Lister, Hannah Tuomi, Stephanie Holzer and Christina Foggie also score over 10 points a game. Tuomi and Holzer are the leading rebounders...6.2 and 6.1 a game. The three point threats are Lister (62-171), Foggie (41-114) and Angela Puleo (40-104). Rhoads and Lister see the most court time...about 35 minutes a game each. They shoot 70% from the free throw line...Tuomi, Foggie and Holzer the ones you want to keep off the stripe. Holzer has blocked 39 shots this year, Rhoads has 30 steals and she is the assist leader, too...with 4.8 per game. Tiffany Clarke came on strong beginning in Feburary for Coach Mel's squad, leading the 'Dores in scoring in the Florida and Miss. State games in conference play and in the Miss. State and Kentucky games in the SEC Tournament. She also led Vandy in rebounding six out of the last ten games and in both SEC Tournament games. Clarke was a late bloomer for Vanderbilt, starting only 16 of the 31 games for Vandy. She saw early schedule starts and then was banished to the bench until late in the season
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Vandy averages 71.6 points a game and allows opponents 63.6. They out-rebound foes 39.8 to 36.5. In three pointers, they're 173-498 (34%) and teams shoot 30% against them from beyond the arc.
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SONJA SAYS:
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Vanderbilt plays the smart, paitent basketball that has been a Melanie Balcomb trademark since she arrived there 11 years ago. With a little less than 17 turnovers per game, they tend not to beat themselves with unforced errors. Against Kentucky in the SEC Tournament, they got off to a very slow start...hampered by Kentucky's all-out full court defensive pressure. Walz would be wise to employ the same strategies against the Commodores. A rapid-fire transition game could work to Louisville's advanage...because Vandy would rather take you down to the half court game and make you beat them from outside. Louisville can rebound against them...but blocking out and positioning will be a key...since they swarm to the ball and there really isn't one player...it's a team effort...who is the dominant force for them in the paint. Strength against them has been successful...UK's Victoria Dunlap and Tennessee's powerful front line prospered on the boards.
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Louisville wil win this game if they have a decent shooting afternoon and can get the powerful Monique Reid into her inside game. The ball-hawking Tia Gibbs and Shoni Schimmel have to be ready to roll and take the transition game right at the Commodores. Hines needs to avoid the foul trouble which usually plagues her in big games and a strong Asia Taylor effort in the paint could be a key factor to Louisville advancing to the second round. Cards by 5 in a nail-biter, in my personal opinion.
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DAVID WATSON looks at the Lady Cards opening
game as only he could possibly see it:
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Yeah, yeah,. The Commodores again. At least it's on a neutral court. I was at the last match, down in the barn where Vanderbilt plays their home games. A weird little venue...benches under the baskets and an elevated floor. It's like somone saw Memorial Coliseum in Lexington and said...'Hey, what if we add this and subtract that?' Whoever designed the Tennessee version should have his architect license revoked but they've probaby gone on to their great reward years ago. This matchup could be called The Gibbs Grudge Match..since Tia Gibbs started at Vandy and ended up at Louisville. Also could pass for being called the Tom Collen Spurned Suitor Event. The 'Dores dumped him and he dumped the Cards.

Would anyone get upset if I referred to it as the L&N Collision...since the schools are located in Louisville and Nashville? How about the Derby City vs. Music City Showdown? What I really want to see happen, though, is the Cards advance to play Xavier on Tuesday night. Louisville has become a much better team since the Muskies put a 15 point beatdown on Louisville back in November. I'll be in the seats somewhere. Ticketmaster, here I come.

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Eamon McAnaney downed Sam Ryan in the Sideline Announcers contest by just one vote. Guys are now 2-0 against gals in the tournament. On the left, Rebecca Lobo (or "B") as they refer to her at the four letter network takes on veteran sideline troll Andrea Kramer (right) in the final match of the Sweet Sixteen round. Lobo is best known (away from her stellar hoops career) as following the UConn Huskies women's team from the sidelines whenever they're on TV...but she does occasionally do other basketball games. Kramer (right) is a football side liner mostly, but we've seen her on other sports sidelines as well. WE think she bears a striking resemblance to Edie Falco (Carmela Soprano on The Sopranos). Separated at birth? Vote in the comments section here or by e-mail to cardinalcouple@insightbb.com.

Carm checks out the wide screen to see if her twin sister Andrea Kramer is on the sidelines for the Giants vs. Eagles game. Tony Soprano refutes any rumors that he had an affair with Kramer on his boat...and denies that Paulie wanted to marry Kramer after meeting her while she was slugging back Cosmos at the Bada-Bing. Also unconfirmed is the alleged "hit" that Erin Andrews ordered several years back on Andrea and Carm. Seems Andrews thought the two were part of the conspiracy when some guy secretly taped Andrews in a hotel room undressing and practicing the alphabet. Turns out Andrea hired the guy to video her in Andrea's hotel room...doing a Sopranos screen test as Carm's long lost sister April... but the doofus showed up at the wrong location. Allegedly.

Fagettaboutit...

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