WE look back....BIG EAST WBB prepares for Christmas Break

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THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE:

-We look back...Lady Cards vs. Vermont

-BIG EAST review

-HAPPY FESTIVUS!!

(With the Lady Cards off for a week, WE take this opportunity to look back at the past Lady Cards seasons...hop in the time machine with us and travel back to December 21st., 2008. WE set the dial for Freedom Hall...)

The Lady Cards were 9-1 going into the game against Vermont and ready for their Christmas break. Maybe a little too ready, as Dez Byrd mentioned after the game...

"Some of us had our bags packed in the locker room."

The foe was the Vermont Catamounts (5-4) and a festive holiday crowd of over 5,000 had showed up at Freedom Hall (remember, this is 2008) to watch the Lady Cards play and probably romp the America East conference foe. After all, it was Vermont...right?

"It was a lack of focus. I thought we were going too fast. We were more anxious than they were." senior Candyce Bingham commented after the game...a contest Louisville eventually ended up winning 67-55.

Byrd and Bingham led the Cards to the 12 point win, surviving an off night by Louisville star Angel McCoughtry..who totaled just 12 points and played only 24 minutes...saddled with foul trouble.

Second year Lady Cards coach Jeff Walz took the high road when discussing the game after the win.

"It's very encouraging. Dez, for the progress she's made from our exhibition game to now is remarkable. I'd put her up there with anybody in our league at point guard. She's still got some things to learn...but for a kid who's never played the point...I'm really pleased with how far she's come."

Louisville took the early lead against Vermont and held on to it, despite sloppy play and McCoughtry only getting two points in 13 minutes. It was 27-18 and the Lady Cards were beginning to realize that the Catamounts weren't going gently into that good night.

The Catamounts made an early second half charge at Louisville, using a second half run of 9-4 to cut the Cardinal advantage to 31-27 with 16:38 left
in the game. The Cards knew they had to pick the defense up and responded with a 12-1 run over the next four minutes to lead 43-28 with 12:36 remaining. The previously quiet McCoughtry was aiding Bingham and Byrd and Louisville's lead never dropped below ten points the rest of the way.

Louisville forced Vermont into 32 turnovers while committing 22 miscues. Byrd led Louisville with a game high 15 points and Candyce added 14. A freshman from Fern Creek High School added nine points for Louisville in 19 minutes - Monique Reid. McCoughtry had 10 second half points and was non-commital after the game.

"Shots weren't falling, I was pressing too hard, it wasn't a great game for me but we won and that's the objective."

Do you remember the Cardinal roster from back then? Reid and Becky Burke were on the team and are seniors this year. So was Gwen Rucker, who traded in her hoops jersey eventually to play volleyball. We've mentioned Byrd, Bingham and McCoughtry...here are the other players...

Keisha Hines was a sophomore center...seeing extended playing time due to the injury to Chauntise Wright.

Sharpshooting junior Brandie Radde was still on the squad...she would leave the team later in the season to concentrate on academics...but return midway through the next season to help out the roster depleted Lady Cards.

Janae Howard was a freshman on the squad. She left Louisville after her freshman year and embarked on a journey that would take her to Western Kentucky and eventually to St. Catherine College, where she currently plays.

Mary Jackson...a talented wing from Memphis...would also depart after that Final Four year and return to Memphis to play for the Tigers. She was on the roster last season and a some-time starter...but we've found no mention of her at Memphis in the 2011-12 season. A little help here, CARDINAL COUPLE readers?

Tiera Stephen was a freshman guard for Jeff Walz on the 2008-09 squad. She, too, transferred at the end of the year and is at Wisconsin...playing for the Badgers.

Angel McCoughtry...well whatever happened to her? Rumors are she's some kind of big-shot in the WNBA. (Ask anyone in Atlanta...).

Candyce Bingham was also drafted that year but failed to make the San Antonio squad. She's the head women's basketball coach at Fern Creek High School now. In her first year, her Tigers are currently 2-4. (Wonder if Mo Reid hobbles over there to coach from the bleachers...?)

Dez Byrd was injured in the NCAA Tournament that season, attempted a comeback after hip surgery, but left the Cardinal roster in the 2009-10 season. She's another one we've lost track of. Once again, help us out here CARDINAL COUPLE readers...if you have an update on her.

That 2008-09 squad would go on to win their next nine games before losing a BIG EAST match against #1 UConn. They'd finish 14-2 in the BIG EAST, losing only to West Virginia before entering BIG EAST play. UConn would defeat them in the BIG EAST TOURNAMENT finals and also in the NCAA Tournament National Championship game. They finished 34-5 and were ranked #2 in the nation in the final polls.

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Catching up on a little BIG EAST action...

From Wednesday:

PITT handled Michigan State 64-54 in Cancun
MARQUETTE downed Vermont 71-60 in Milwaukee
SETON HALL defends the home court by defeating William and Mary 71-60.
GEORGETOWN spanks visiting Miami (FL) 71-46.
CONNECTICUT visits and rolls past College of Charleston 72-24

Tonight

PROVIDENCE hosts Clemson
ST. JOHN travels to Harvard
VILLANOVA and Temple battle for Philadelphia supremacy
CINCINNATI welcomes Longwood
DEPAUL gets a visit from Southern Illinois.

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Serenity NOW!!!

HAPPY FESTIVUS! to Cardinal Couple Readers! Is your aluminum pole in the front yard? Are you ready to air your grievances around the table at the Festivus Dinner of meat loaf or spaghetti? Who will participate in the Feats of Strength after dinner? Will there be a Festivus miracle this year?

I hope you've been good this year, because Constanza is watching...
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USF clips Cards 63-60 with late three.

Speed kills.

Everyone expected overtime in Freedom Hall Saturday. Everyone except USF guard Allyson Speed, that is. With four seconds remaining in regulation, she demanded the ball from the top of the key and calmly released what would be her 8th 3-point connection of the game to put Louisville away.

As it had been thruout the game, when the Cards left Speed open...she made them pay. Her 24 points came from beyond the arc. Walz used everyone but P.A. announcer Sean Moth to try and stop the hot shooting guard.

Far from fitting and eerily ironic that the guard with the nickname "Cat" sinks the Lady Cards in the Freedom Hall farewell. Speed was expected to add valuable depth and three point prowess for Jose Fernandez's Lady Bulls squad this year. The senior guard lived up to her byline yesterday...rolling off picks to launch three point bombs against a step slow Cardinal defense.

Questionable strategy for the final sequence by the Cards skipper Jeff Walz, who removed Rachel Story from the game. Story had been the sole Card able to contain Speed...but Walz went with a taller lineup and no point guard in the final 30. Charlie Springer, over at UofL Card Game offers a nice video of the final sequence and winning shot. Not sure what happened at the end of the video...but Charlie got a great shot of the littered floor in the stands at Freedom Hall.

Such as been the tale of the Lady Cards this season. Close but no cigar. Rallies that fall just short. Outstanding individual efforts (witness Monique Reid's 32 points yesterday) and players who disappear at crucial times. A lack of cohesion, especially on defense and a frustrating and trying season for us in the seats...who continue to cheer loud and proud for our Cardinals.

Hats off to Keisha Hines with 11 hard earned points and 12 boards against the taller, more physical Bulls front line. Reid was magnificent in defeat...11 rebounds to go with her career high in points. Monique going in the paint with Angel skills and seemingly scoring at will inside on USF. Questions about Becky Burke...two points in 31 minutes with 1-8 shooting. A nice final appearance in the Hall for Brandie Radde, nailing a late, key three and finishing with eight points. Rachel Story, to use a horse term... seems to be a stretch runner..going nowhere early in the season and having her best back to back games as the season ends.

The regular season ends for the Lady Cards with a Monday trip to Rutgers. Not the star studded, All-American teams of the past for C. Vivian Stringer...but a solid team with a shot at NCAA postseason play and one that will be very difficult to beat in the RAC. Brittany Ray is a next level player...and they even have a Sykes on the team (no relation).

Next year looks promising. As far as this year...the Walz post game words sum it up very well.

"The whole season has been full of a lot of frustration and heartbreak. Look at our bench. There were no other players to put it. Dez, Nikki, Chauntise unable to play. That's where the frustration sets in. I'm not saying we'd be a 20 win team with them..but we certainly wouldn't be 13-15."

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A tip of the hat to horse trainer Jeffrey Sheets who scored a win in the first race at Turfway on Friday with Steve's Revenge. Off at 6-1, Steve benefitted from a breakneck early pace and swept down the stretch passing the other horses to win going away. Two in a row for Steve's Revenge now and a pat on the back for our favorite trainer. Jeff does not run a lot of them but puts quality ones out there when he does.

Those stable fees and transportation costs seem a little less worrisome today.

Written by Sonja
2/28/10

Lady Cards say Goodbye to Radde, Wright today

Louisville's two seniors will be honored in a pregame ceremony before the 2 p.m. tipoff against USF today in Freedom Hall. For both Brandie Radde and Chauntise Wright, it was a long and winding road to get to this day.

Tise arrived on campus back in 2005 but was not able to play until the second semester. She appeared in 16 games in 2005-06 and highlighted the season with 23 point against St. Francis. Her sophomore year saw her as a steady backup to Jazz Covington at center...she played in all 35 games and hit double figures in ten of them. She slammed Syracuse for 25 points and 12 boards and finished the season with a 6.9 scoring average. As a junior, she moved into the starting lineup and led the Big East in shooting %, while tallying 11.4 points a game and hitting double figures in 24 of the 36 games. Much was expected of her 2008-09 season...but a preseason injury to her knee and being struck by a car while on campus meant surgery and her having to sit out the season. This year, she provided a valuable spark off the bench and a crowd favorite. The NCAA ruled her inelgible for the second semester but she still remained one of the biggest supporters on the bench and in the community for UofL women's basketball.

Brandie Radde came to Louisville a year after Tise and quickly became the Cards three point specialist her freshman year. She averaged 6.1 a game her first year and nailed 56 threes while starting 18 of the Cards 34 games. Her sophomore season saw her improve upon those stats...with 70 threes and a solid 8 points per game...starting 32 of the 35 contests. Last year, Radde played about 2/3rds of her junior year before taking a leave of abscence to concentrate on academics. Radde wanted to make sure she got into medical school and once those dreams were realized...she asked Walz if she could rejoin the team halfway thru this current season and has been a valuable contributor off the bench. She'll finish her career at UofL as the 6th leading three point scorer in Lady Cards history and her 70 connections in 2007-2008 ranks third for 3-point field goals made in a season.

Brandie and Tise are the final Cardinal connections to the Tom Collen era at UofL. Current juniors Laura Terry, Keisha Hines and Dez Byrd were recruited by Collen but never played for him.

Ironically, both Wright and Radde were absent as active players during the Cards march to the NCAA Championship game last year...but returned this season to give what they could to the Lady Cards. Each player's families will be in attendance today for the pregame ceremony. Cardinal fans will always remember Wright's dominating play in the paint and the sweet long distance accuracy of Radde's bombs from beyond the arc.

Two of Louisville's favorites make their final regular season appearance today at Freedom Hall. A special halftime tribute honoring the Lady Cards seasons in Freedom Hall will happen at halftime and the team and Coach Walz will address the crowd after the game.

We'll review the activities here on Cardinal Couple tomorow. Please make an effort to get out today and say goodbye to these key Lady Cards this afternoon if you can.

Written by Sonja
2/27/10

Women's Hoops at Seton Hall tonight

Walz and the Cards make the first of two trips to Jersey tonight to take on the woeful Lady Pirates. Louisville seeks to win their second game of the year on the road against Big East opponent. Pictured to the right...Jeff Walz and Monique Reid discuss the final episode of The Sopranos and whether Tony will be at the game Weds. night. (just kidding...) Seton Hall has one conference win this season. Futility meets Despair. The Cards return to Jersey to end the season against Rutgers on 3/1/10. Fagettaboutit....

It has been a "fagettaboutit" kind of season for Lady Cards basketball this year. More injuries than I can ever remember in one year. Massive blowouts administered by Kentucky, Tennessee, UConn and St. John's. A walk-on freshman point guard directing the offense. Eight available players for the final three games of the year (knock on wood). To use a old saying from deep in the hills of eastern Kentucky.."they kicked my dog, busted up my still and run off with my youngest daughter...and it ain't even noon yet."

The season has three games remaining before all Big East women's basketball teams are summoned to Hartford, Connecticut for the annual coronation of Geno and his Huskies. The Cards are 4-9 in the Big East standings...good for 12th place.

Still, there are some encouraging things surrounding this current flock of birds. Shelby Harper has done much more than anyone would have expected in her trial by fire at the point. Asia Taylor has played well in the last couple of games and the freshman seems to have a lock on the power forward spot right now...maybe by attrition but we're beginning to see her potential realized.

Monique Reid and Becky Burke continue to be the scoring leaders for the team...both are sophomores. Louisville loses no one to graduation this year except Tise Wright and with a stellar recruiting class coming in for the 2010-11 season, next year shows a ton of promise and potential. Keisha Hines is a better than average Big East center and with the latest win over Marquette...the Cards are off the 5 game losing streak.

The Cardinal fans have remained faithful during the year as well. Louisville ranks third in Big East attendance behind Connecticut and Notre Dame...averaging over 6500 fans a game.

So, will the road finally provide the Cards a break tonight against cellar dweller Seton Hall? Will the Cards inch closer to a .500 season on "Pack the House" promotion night in South Orange? Will the cast from Jersey Shore drop in for the game?

We'll recap the action tomorrow and hope that the Cards can continue the winning ways. Game time is 7 p.m. and the broadcast can be heard locally on 790 WKRD AM with Jim Kelch and Adrienne Johnson.


Written by Paul
2/24/10

Lady Cards lose at Pitt 72-69

It was a frustrating way to spend Valentine's Day night. Even the home cooked meal by my dear husband and the bottle of wine didn't soothe the angst and frustration of watching the Lady Cards lose another one...this time to 1 game Big East winner Pitt.
Sure, I got over it...and the rest of the evening went fine, but this version of the Lady Cards is going nowhere in the post season but back to the classroom.

No WNIT, definitely no NCAA and an early exit from the Big East tournament. They simply don't have what it takes to win this year. There are a variety of reasons..choose whichever helps you sleep at night...but I'll be surprised if they can rally behind the home crowd on Tuesday night and beat a very average Marquette team.

It doesn't mean I'll cheer any less or drop any support for them. They're doing what they can with what they have. They are young, learning, still making a ton of errors and misjudgements and disappear at times. Walz will tell you that for every good thing that they accomplish, they have the knack to neutralize it with a miscue.

Next year brings five new players into the fold. It also brings the return of Dez Byrd and Tia Gibbs becomes available. It will be interesting to see how Walz mixes the new with the old and the present, future and past. He needs finishers. He needs game changers and rally starters. He needs a aura of "can do" and the aggressivness that he's facing every night when the Cards go up against Big East foes.

Louisville simply could not catch up with and put away a very sub-par Pitt team last night. Give Becky Burke for a big first half to keep the Cards in it...but where was she in the final twenty minutes? Zero rebounds for the entire game. Five second half point and 5-19 shooting for the game. Brandie Radde with 26 minutes and a goose egg in the total points column. Monique Reid with 20 points...18 of those in the second half...but no help at all in the first twenty minutes. Shelby Harper, scurrying down the court, producing so much more than you'd expect of a walk on freshman. Give her 40 minutes, 11 points, 9 assists and 7 turnovers yesterday. Give her someone the remainder of the year that can give her 5-10 minutes of rest per game. Watching Rachel Story languish on the bench is getting old. She needs more than two minutes court time or she needs to give up her scholarship, transfer or somehow get out of Jeff Walz's doghouse.

Keisha Hines continues to fight on. A double/double for her yesterday against a tough as nails and physically talented Pitt front line. Her fatigue at times is obvious but she doesn't quit, back off or surrender. A talented back up center to give her the 10 minutes of bench time she needs per game just hasn't developed in Gwen Rucker. Rucker's performances have been adequate at best and not as good as her breakout freshman season. She wasn't even going to play basketball this year but agreed to join the team because of the lack of depth in the middle.

Jeff Walz wants to return women's basketball back to the status it was when Angel Mccoughtry ruled the court. It's doubtful he'll ever find another Angel McCoughtry...but there's no reason he can't build a talented team that can compete night in and night out. The blowouts this year have been embarrasing and numbing.

The Cards have four more regular season game before they head to UConn for the Big East tournament. Currently at 11-14 and 3-9 in the Big East conference, they need to sweep the final four and win at least one in the Big East Tournament to draw any WNIT interest. Not trying to be a doomsday prophet or negative Nellie...but it simply isn't going to happen. Not with the current mindset, performance abilities and players remaining on this team. The four remaining opponents (Marquette, Seton Hall, South Florida and Rutgers) are beatable and not powerhouses in the Big East this year.

Unless this Lady Cards team finds a little heart, hustle and gumpton...they will lose all four.

We'll still cheer, support and hope for the best. We'll look for postives in the performances. But, we'll also realize that in this season from hell that this version of the Lady Cards was undermanned, overrated and disappointing. The season is taking a big personal toll on Jeff Walz. His "in your face" firebrand style on the sidelines just doesn't seem to be having any positive effect on this group of freshmen, walk on's and former bench warmers.

It needs to change. Indications are that it will. We'll be waiting and watching.

Written by Sonja
2/15/10

Welcome back Brandie

It was a welcome surprise to the Cardinal fans in Freedom Hall Tuesday. Brandie Radde back on the court after a year long sabbatical to work on academics. A new jersey number (44) but the same old Brandie...with the long, loping stride and dribble as she warmed up with the other Lady Cards.

Details on Radde were hard to come by after she abruptly left the squad last year. Rumors of problems between her and Walz were spread. Walz refuted these, saying that Brandie came to him and told him that she needed to concentrate on academics...to make that final push to keep her GPA high and follow up on her dream to eventually attend medical school and become a doctor.

Fortunately, I was able to find her on FaceBook, become a friend with her on there and follow her. She lived the life of a normal college student for a year away from basketball, joking about situations and exploits in her own life and talking with former and current college teammates on the site. Staying in shape by jogging and intramurals. Just being a typical coed at a major university. You had to be happy for her but you also wondered in the back of your mind if the Lady Cards 8th all time 3 point scorer missed college hoops.

Obviously she did. And, obviously she hasn't lost the touch that made her one of the best three point specialists in the Big East last year. In 26 minutes of action against Cincinnati, she netted seven points including one three, and made no turnovers playing for the first time in over a year.

Welcome back, Brandie. It's good to see that smile and that intense look when you're on the court containing an opponent or launching a three.

Written by Sonja 2/4/10