Tuesday Cardinal Couple -- Cards test Huskies tonight

TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


FINAL: UCONN 72 - LOUISVILLE 58

Shoni with 14 in a losing effort to #2 UConn. Cards fought hard and UConn had to leave the starters in most of the way. Jenny will have the recap in the Wednesday CARDINAL COUPLE.

-Connecticut hosts Lady Cards tonight in Hartford.

(Quentin Voigt provides the pre-game scout of Louisville's opponent tonight...the mighty UConn Huskies. Paulie's comments follow. Tip is at 9 p.m. CBS Sports Network has the feed. Cards Radio 790 locally. )

Jitterbugging With Geno's Gals

Maybe UofL could get Angel
to strangle Geno tonight?

Geno Aureimma, head coach of the UConn Huskies women's basketball team, has assembled a juggernaut-like basketball squad made up of Hoopgurlz #1 and #2 rated players combined with top-50 role players from across the country. Coach Auriemma has sprinkled his magic "go get 'em" dust over them to up their intensity on the nasty scale and turned them loose. Season to date, they are hitting shots at a rate of 50.2% from the court and holding foes to 29.9%.

From 3-point range, UConn's starters connect almost 50% of the time. If fouled, they'll sink 3 out of 4 on average. The Huskies commit a scant 14.7 turnovers a game, create 23.5 assists and grab 41.7 rebound per outing while allowing just 31.5 grabs by the opponent.

The stars of the team are many. Kalena Mosqueda-Lewis averages 16.9 ppg and the 6'0" forward grabs around 4 rebounds a night. 6'4" forward Brianna Stewart scores 14 ppg and nabs over 7 rebound a game. 6'5" post Stefanie Dolson puts in 12.9 ppg and accounts for 6.5 rebounds per contest. 5'11" guard Kelly Faris adds 10.4 ppg. 5'7" guard Bria Hartley comes up with 10.4 an outing as well. Guard Caroline Doty is 17 for 49 from three-point range, third best on the squad. Kiah Stokes a shot-blocking threat who also can burn you from multiple locations on the XL Center floor.

Like a rude partner on the dance floor, these Connecticut girls will attempt to lead at every given opportunity and each break. They are accustomed to winning by large margins and have slipped up only once this year in 14 games, a narrow 73-72 loss to the visiting Irish of Notre Dame. They visited and romped Stanford by 26, who beat Baylor earlier in the season.

So, how do you slay the giant? Keeping them within range on the scoreboard is a must, which means preventing streaks and runs offensively. Going toe-to-toe on the boards must happen. Creating and scoring off turnovers is important. Making a final stab late in the game if close enough to win. In short, having...by far...the best game of your season. Difficult, but not imposible.

Bring home the win, Louisville.

-Quentin Voigt

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When you look at the Cards 14-3 record, you notice two things. First, no one has blown the doors off Louisville this season. A mere 11 points are the difference between a 3-loss and undefeated season. Second, the Cards have not lost a game this year where Sara Hammond has been the leading scorer.

And, that will be the difference maker tonight. I'm not worried about how the Cards guards will match up with Geno's. They'll be fine. Not sweating the fact that UConn leads the BIG EAST in threes made. Louisville will get out and pressure the shots.

Inside. The paint. How will the combination of Hammond, Reid, Slaughter, Vails and Walton mix it up on the boards with the BIG EAST's leading defensive rebounding squad. Will they be able to get Hammond scoring from inside? Will Mo be able to get her patented "catch and bank for two from the block" working? Can Slaughter go up against the taller Huskies and give the Cards some tough rebounding? Can Smith rotate down and grab a few?

I like the combo of Bria Smith and Shoni in the Cards backcourt. We're liable to see it most of the 40 minutes that this one will go tonight, sans foul trouble, of course.
They'll get their points, too.

This one will be decided from five feet in tonight. The Cards are second in the league in rebounding defense to...UConn. The Cards are third in the league in rebounding margin (+10.3). Guess who's second?

Control the paint, win the game. Get caught watching it dry and get an "L" painted on you. Block out, hit the boards and play interior defense 

Do I think Louisville actually has a chance tonight against UConn, in Hartford? Strangely enough, I do. No one is expecting a close game. No pressure on the Cards. Play strong, play positive and throw a few Rutgers-like elbows and forearms to show you aren't scared or intimidated.  

And rebound.

-Paulie

(CARDINAL COUPLE COLUMNIST JENNY O'BRYAN WILL HAVR THE RECAP FOR THE WEDNESDAY EDITON OF CARDINAL COUPLE. GOOD LUCK CARDS!)

Friday Cardinal Couple - More BIG EAST Changes

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FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

(Game final from Colorado...Buffs 70-66) We'll have more later on this wild finish)
 
- Non BCS schools vote to leave BIG EAST.

-Texas, Oregon advance in NCAA Volleyball Final Four

-WBB travels to Boulder for showdown with Buffs

On the never ending carousel that also goes by the name the BIG EAST...another development. It looks like Providence, Villanova, Seton Hall, St. John's, Georgetown, DePaul and Marquette have decided to leave the conference that they founded and try their luck elsewhere.

The seven catholic-based schools would retain the automatic bid to the NCAA Basketball Tournaments...should they either decide to go form a new league or go as a group to a different conference. Could the Atlantic 10 become the Atlantic Whole Bunch of Teams? Might they form the Papal Conference and pick the Pope as the new commish? How about from BIG EAST to BIG PRIEST...

What this does is open the possibility and the door for Louisville and Notre Dame to join the ACC a year early. Aren't you glad we've already started our ACC womens' sports reviews early ?

And, just what does all this mean for womens' sports at UofL? A possibility that the Lady Cards might not play Rutgers and UConn in hoops next year? Justine Sowry and Karen Ferguson-Dayes speeding up their look at future conference opponents? Gotta believe Sandy Pearsall is grinning ear-to-ear with the distinct possibility of not having to worry about below freezing temperature games in Storrs, Providence, South Orange and Queens.  

Also, what now for Cincinnati and Connecticut, who desperately wanted to join Louisville in the latest ACC acquisition and now find themselves in a football division without Louisville?

The move by the 'Catholic Seven' has been talked about for several weeks now. It is now a reality. Tired of being driven around as passengers in the economic-engine football sedan, they've stopped by the dealership and bought a new ride.

In women's hoops, we've met some pretty interesting coaching characters over the past eight years in the BIG EAST. Some favorites have been "Q"...Quentin Hillsman,
of Syracuse...who has stormed the court like an enraged K-Mart shopper on Black Friday, passed out on the sidelines and danced in front of the visitor's bench with the precision moves of one of Gladys Knight's Pips. Who could forget Harry Perretta...dressed in the white shirt and tie...untucked by the midway mark of the first half and giving the appearance of a frazzled, stressed out accountant instead of a basketball coach. Doug Bruno, institutionally clad in that blue DePaul logoed long sleeve shirt. C-Viv. Geno. Muffett. Gonna miss some of these folks. A couple will join us out on the Atlantic Coast.

The BIG EAST brought Louisville women's sports titles in volleyball, softball and track. The Cards made a Final Four women's basketball appearance while a member of the BIG EAST. We said goodbye to Collen, Yelin, Clark-Heard, Ord and Bustin in the BIG EAST. We welcomed Walz, Kordes, Sowry, Newbauer, Williams and Trimble.

We started Rowing and Lacrosse in the BIG EAST. We moved from Freedom Hall to the KFC YUM! Center in the BIG EAST. We found out just how horrible it is to tailgate and attend a football game or the BIG EAST WBB Tournament in Storrs and Hartford while a member of the BIG EAST. 

As we like to say here...interesting times ahead. Sit down, buckle up, adjust your seat and close the door. This trip continues...

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Semi-final action from the KFC YUM! Center in the Final Four NCAA Volleyball Tournament provided a thriller in the first match...with Texas needing a fifth game to finally dispose of pesky Michigan. It looked like the upstart Wolverines were poised for the upset, going up 2-1 in games...but the Longhorns used some pretty impressive blocking at the net to slow down the Wolverine offense and advances to the finals Saturday night.

They'll meet Oregon there, who upset #2 in the nation Penn State three games to one. Hopefully, Jeff, Sandy or Jenny will stop by and add comments on this one. Truth be told, I was watching at home on ESPN2 and fell asleep at the halftime break with the games 1-1.

They announced on the "Deuce" about 13,000 in attendance. Not enough to break an NCAA record, but a nice crowd from all reports. Staff columnist Sandy Walker notes that there was  massive confusion over seating for the games...with many duplicate seat tickets printed for the evening that resulted in some last-minute seating shifts and long lines at the will-call and event services stations.

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Lest we forget in all this hub-bub and drama, the UofL WBB squad is in action tonight in Boulder, CO. to face the Colorado Buffaloes at 9 p.m. EST. The Cards will be without the services of Sara Hammond (last we heard) because of the death of her grandmother. Her board prowess will be missed. Time for Vails, Dyer, Walton and Reid to step it up one notch and let's hope the Rocky Mountain rare air equals lots of net-swishes for Shoni and Nita from beyond the arc.

We have a report from Sandy that we may be able to see this one on TV. The link is:

Louisville v Buffs

http://pac-12.com/ScheduleResults.aspx#networkId=Live%20Stream

Also from Basil G. Brooks, out of the CU sports information department, this link (for ALL CU home games).

Colorado Women's Basketball broadcasts


You know how we roll here...turn down the video feed sound and listen to our own Matt Andrews and A.J. with the call on 790 WKRD AM.




The Buffs are not to be taken lightly. 8-0 and striving for some national attention by knocking off #8 Louisville. This matchup eerily reminds of us the 2008-09 season...when 5-0 Louisville went to Nevada and dropped a 85-82 decision. The Cards went on to win their next 14 games.

6'1" forward and redshirt freshman Arielle Roberson, who leads CU with 16.5 ppg, talks about the ramifications of a Buffs victory:

" I think more people would definitely recognize Colorado women's basketball...it would be a big boost in a lot of areas, especially in recruiting. I also think it would give our team a lot more confidence and it would really give something to the fans."

Armageddon in the aspens? Clash in Colorado? Beatdown of the Buffs? Rock steady, Cards.

We'll be back tonight with the recap.

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Finally, fingers crossed and good thoughts, all, for staff columnist Jenny O'Bryan...in for a little out-patient surgery today. The rumors that we're having a tracking chip implanted in her or transplanting her brain with Timmy the Intern's are totally false...




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Thursday Cardinal Couple -- Angel soars over Turks for USA basketball win

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THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


-McCoughtry magic on display as USA carves Turkey 89-58


The Olympic women's basketball television announcers marvel and fawn over the way Angel McCoughtry comes in and takes over a game. 


Old hat stuff to Cardinal womens' basketball fans or Atlanta Dream followers...who've seen #35 do that for the last 7-8 years. 

Wednesday against undefeated Turkey followed a predictable pattern. USA falls behind early. Trails the Turks 10-6 with five minutes left in the first quarter. 


Geno does a five player substitution at the 4:12 mark and Angel scores seven out of the USA's next nine points to give USA a 19-16 lead at the end of the first quarter. 


It was a demonstration of basketball excellence. 


3:19 -- McCoughtry fouled driving to the basket. Hits a free throw.
2:12 --  McCoughtry muscling inside for a putback and two.
  .55 -- McCoughtry fouled again on the way for two. Free throws fall through the net. 
  .02 --  McCoughtry steals a pass and breaks away for a layup and score.


Production figures the guys out at the Ford Plant on Fern Valley would be proud of. 


Scenarios Cardinal fans have seen time and time again. All we need is Louie the Cardinal Bird, Al Greener's Pep Band and Sean Moth crooning...


"Angelllllll MC Coughtry !!" 


This time, it's on the world's stage. Intensity, drive, desire. A spark, a dominant player. 


Yeah. That's our girl. 

Four more McCoughtry points in the second quarter gave her 11 at the half in just eight minutes of first half action. USA 41-26 at the half.


Give the Turks credit. They didn't roll over and play dead until the fourth quarter. Actually trimmed the USA lead to 50-45 with 2:40 remaining in the third quarter. A crowd buzzing with excitement and the anticipation of the underdog attempting to slay Goliath. 


It was Angel time again. A putback for two and a free throw. Missed three but a rebound and pass to Maya Moore for a gimme. A 13-2 run and the scoreboard reads USA 63-Turkey 47 at the end of the third. 


There will be no David today.

Two free throws at the 8:00 minute mark in the fourth quarter give Angel 18 for the game. 69-50 USA. Turkey, with tired legs and sagging spirits, submits to the beat-down. How do you like her now, Geno?


"From the minute she (Angel) stepped on the floor to when the game ended she was the dominant player. That's something that I think we have that very few, if any, teams in this tournament have...so I'm fortunate to have that option." Aureimma commented after the game. 


Yes you are. Just use the force, Luke. It may have been the most intelligent thing you've said since you landed in London. Yoda, you ain't...but even a programmed droid can figure this one out. 


The reserve role had feted Angel well. Not really a new concept for her. She didn't start her freshman year at UofL but Tom Collen was playing mind games with her that he'd eventually lose. This is the same guy who abandoned Louisville to "Whoo, Pig, Suey" in the bottom half of the SEC West Division at Arkansas. 


Sometimes career moves don't compute. 


Sometimes you just have to take the Maserati out of the garage and drive it.


Sometimes a door closes and a window opens. Collen's departure cleared the way for a young, hungry and driven coach named Jeff Walz.  

"Honestly, not starting has been the best thing for my career. I've gained discipline and I think before I didn't have the discipline. This took my game to another level." McCoughtry confessed after the rout.


Kind words? Backing up the boss? Maybe. Not starting the leading scorer in the WNBA is puzzling but when half your roster consists of ex-UConn players and the head coach is...well, you get the picture. 


McCoughtry knows her game will be there whether she's the first or last player to step on the court. She can also be a diplomat on the world stage. 

You just gotta wonder if these slow USA starts would disappear if it was Angel, Tamika, Candace, Lindsey Whalen and just one of the UConn twins out there shaking hands with the opponent before the opening tip-off. 


As long as the wins keep coming by 30 or so, I guess it's crying about small beer. This team has twelve excellent players (actually, 11 until "Big Syl" and her tendon feel better) and the Czech Republic and China aren't going to pull off the upset of the century in the next four days and beat USA.


A USA team that will go through pool play 5-0 and then see what Australia, Brazil, Canada and France have to offer. A USA team averaging almost 87 points a game for 40 minutes. 


The queens of the playground, standing at half-court, ball on hip...asking "who's next?" 

Team Angel returns to action Friday against the 1-2 Czech Republic, who beat Croatia earlier today. 


-Paul
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Tuesday CARDINAL COUPLE -- What say you, Geno?

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TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


-Geno Auriemma faces lawsuit over alleged advances.


We're used to reading about the Connecticut Huskies and Geno Auriemma when it comes to college women's basketball. They've been the most successful team in the BIG EAST since formation of the league. They're usually sitting atop the league standings when the BIG EAST Tournament rolls around. They've placed enough players in the WNBA to field a separate division fueled by just former Husky players. 

Auriemma in contemplation mode

A new headline grabber, though, is associated with the program. The UConn head coach and U.S. Women's Olympic Basketball skipper has been named in an employment discrimination suit filed by a security official for the Olympic team who claims she was removed from her assignment after she rebuffed Auriemma's advances after leaving an elevator.


Wonder if Aerosmith's "Love in an Elevator" was the background music? 


Kelley Hardwick claims that Geno followed her and another woman into an hotel elevator after leaving a hotel bar and talking to them in the lobby of the same hotel in Yekaterinburg, Russia during October 2009. 


He then, according to Hardwick, "came up behind her, took hold of her left arm, and...as she turned...he forcibly tried to kiss her on the mouth" after she left the elevator and as she was inserting her key into her hotel room door. 

Geno goes for Angel's left
arm. Note the look of surprise
on Ms. McCoughtry's face.

Hardwick claims she stopped the advances, shoving him away and saying:


"What are you doing? You better check yourself before you get hurt!" 


She then, reportedly 'grabbed his face and mushed him'.


We're not sure what mushing is, in terms of that incident. We do know that mushing is common up in the northern regions of our planet and huskies are often used on sleighs where mushing takes place. We can only assume that Hardwick tried to ride Geno down the hotel hallway, mushing his face as a means of getting him to mush? 


Somehow, that just doesn't make sense.   

The winters in Connecticut probably allow mushing
to take place. 

If there had been any BIG EAST women's basketball referees present (especially Bonita Spence or Dennis DeMayo) the whistle would have come out and Auriemma would have been called for a foul. We're guessing the scenario (if it actually happened) was that Geno was trying to prevent Hardwick from making a spin move and driving to his left. Grabbing the arm will get you a whistle every time. We briefly thought about contacting UofL Assistant SID Kim Pemberton and asking if we could talk to Shoni, Bria or any of the Lady Cards guards about avoiding grabs while playing defense. 

Shoni indicates that she may have been
grabbed on the right arm. They're always
fouling Shoni, aren't they? Call 'em, ref !!

We didn't make the call to Kim. Those girls are busy enough and so is Kim. We watched, instead, some highlights of the 2011-12 BIG EAST Tournament. Sure enough, you grab another player and you get the whistle. If the refs see it, of course. Sometimes, they don't.  


Concerning the alleged hallway incident...Auriemma denies Hardwick's claim:


"This claim is beyond false. I will defend myself to the fullest, and I'm confident that the truth will ultimately prevail. In the meantime, I remain focused on representing the United States this summer and getting our team ready to compete for the gold medal."

How you get 'beyond false' is also an area we're not clear about. It might be like the 'strenuously object' scene from the movie A Few Good Men..where Demi Moore stridently tries to block testimony. We're not sure if we want to drag her, Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson into this quite yet, though...so we'll let that go for the time being.  


So, it's a case of 'He Said, She Said' and there are no witnesses that saw the supposed hotel hallway hub-bub. 

Jimmy Cagney prefers to mush with grapefruits

We get the general 'drift' (also associated with mushing and huskies) here: 


1) Hardwick loses job. 2) Hardwick thinks Geno had something to do with it. 3) Hardwick spills the beans on a incident that may or may not have happened. 4) Geno denies. 5) Laywers get rich. 6) UConn, Geno and mushing get drug through the mud.
7) Mushing now has several definitions.


Of course, we're no strangers to coaches involved with ladies here in Louisville. Google 'Pitino and Sypher'. 

Kelley Hardwick...did she
mush or not?

If it happened, Geno needs to 'face up' ( no pun intended ) and admit it. If it didn't, Hardwick needs to recant and apologize for trying to slander one of the most successful basketball coaches of all-time. 


All of a sudden, the 2012 Summer Olympic basketball events have picked up an issue that the "talking heads" who will broadcast the events can chew on. 


We "mush on"...wondering if they have or will eventually check the hallway security cameras and see if the alleged event was recorded or not. If they have hallway security cameras in the Yekaterinburg hotel in question, of course.


They can, then, do a booth review. 


As they say in the NFL...indisputable evidence is what we're looking for here. And if the hand doesn't hit, you must acquit...


(A call to CARDINAL COUPLE legal counsel Miranda Wright got the terse reply..."Innocent until proven guilty and I'm billing you for legal advice." ) Great...


Link below for the New York Times report:


Geno
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SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE covers Softball, FINAL FOUR and FLORIDA DERBY

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SATURDAY WITH THE COUPLE


-Softball in Chicago for two today


-Angel McCoughtry named to 2012 U.S. Olympic Team


-Florida Derby could be a key to Kentucky Derby


-FINAL FOUR TONITE!  Are you ready?


The University of Louisville Softball team takes their 28-0 record to the Windy City this weekend to face the DePaul Blue Demons in two games today and one on Sunday. The #11 Cards travel north after going east and defeating UK Wednesday 1-0 in Lexington. 


This is the BIG EAST opener for DePaul. They are 16-10 on the season and just recently dropped out of the top 25. Last time out, the Blue Demons participated in the Alabama Challenge and went 1-3...losing twice to 'Bama and going 1-1 against Longwood. 

Dodd leads DPU in hitting

The noise-makers in the DePaul line up are Samantha Dodd and Kirsten Verdun. Dodd bats .408 and Verdun leads the Chicago school with six fence-clearers. Dodd...a junior outfielder...has fared well against Cardinal pitching in the past. Verdun alternates between pitching and first base. On the stripe, she is 9-5 this year and has 71 strike-outs in 81 innings pitched. 


Louisville is getting powerful pitching from the trio of Tori Collins, Caralisa Connell and Chelsea Leonard. They sport a collective ERA of 1.08 for the season, have had 13 shutouts and punched out 215 batters this season...which is almost eight per game. 

Austin's solo blast at UK proved to be
the game winner.

At the bat, Louisville has two players batting over .400 (Alicja Wolny and Kristin Austin) and Katie Keller, Taner Fowler, Jordan Trimble and recently returned Maggie Ruckenbrod lead a squad that has a combined batting average of .337. Louisville has out-scored the opposition 156-33 this season. 


Louisville did sweep the meeting last year with 2-1 and 13-2 wins at Ulmer Stadium. The schools have been playing each other since Louisville started softball in 2000 and DePaul holds the series lead 23-15. 


Good luck to Sandy Pearsall's gang this weekend in Chicago!


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What do you get when you combine Geno Auriemma and the 2012 U.S. Olympic Women's Basketball team? A Connecticut coach and a bunch of former Connecticut players.

One exception, though, is the selection of former CARDS great Angel McCoughtry to the squad. Geno has decided on 11 of the 12 players that'll compete for the Gold Medal. We're pretty sure he's saving a spot for Baylor swat and dunk specialist Brittany Griner...but CARDINAL COUPLE'S Sonja is waiting by the phone...just in case. (After all, she did hit double figures several times her senior year in high school.)


The roster, comprised of all current WNBA players, is below with college team affiliation as well:


Semoine Augustus - LSU                  Sylvia Fowles - LSU
Sue Bird - UConn                             Maya Moore - UConn
Swin Cash - UConn                          Angel McCoughtry - UL
Tamika Catchings - Tenn                Candace Parker - Tenn
Tina Charles - UConn                      Diana Taurasi - UConn
Lindsey Whalen - Minnesota


While we have CARDINALS on the brain, here's a great read on Becky Burke. Thanks to Commish Mark for the fins and link:


Becky Burke 


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Today's FLORIDA DERBY at Gulfstream Park will pit three solid Kentucky Derby contenders against each other at a mile and one-eighth distance. UNION RAGS, EL PADRINO and TAKE CHARGE INDY have all been top five choices by many race analysts and handicappers. 

We're going to toss a fourth horse into the mix and suggest that NEWS PENDING, trained by Dale Romans, has a shot to upset at a price today. He did lose to Union Rags by four lengths in the Fountain of Youth this winter in Florida, but the pace that day was brutal and jockey Rajiv Maragh has learned that keeping him just off the lead is a better tactic for this runner. If he can keep "Rags" and El Padrino in his sight as they turn for the stretch, he could surprise. 


Also keep an eye out for REVERON to contest the early speed and if he can get a clear lead with Elvis Trujillo on board, he might have something to say about the win, place and show payouts. You'll be rewarded well if this one can spring the upset...he'll go off around 20-1. 


This one goes to post at 5:40 p.m. today, so it'll be right before the UofL v UK tip-off. The NBC crew has the coverage, which means there will be plenty of sensationalism and innuendo over the airwaves... 


Paul's Picks                                             Sonja's Selections


1. News Pending                                     1. Union Rags
2. Union Rags                                         2. Take Charge Indy
3. El Padrino                                          3. El Padrino
4. Reveron                                             4. Neck N Neck


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Rick saves the specs for post-game. Thankfully...
(Photo by Charlie Springer-Card Game)

Finally, the CIVIL WAR, THE BATTLE OF THE BLUEGRASS...or whatever moniker you choose to put on it goes down today around 6 p.m. in the Superdome. Can the CARDS pull off the upset? Will it be a game that Cardinal fans might contemplate turning off at half-time? Who will get more camera shots...Ricky or Cal? 


Where will you watch it? 


We're going to view it with a couple of UofL friends at their house instead of taking it to the bar scene. Too important a contest to get messed with by waitress drama, unruly UK fans and elbow-to-elbow insanity. 

Might be open to a little post-game troubadouring, though...if the result turns out positive. Shoot us an e-mail or leave a comment about your game-day viewing plans if you'd like to share or if you're looking for ideas. If UofL wins, we're guessing that the Belknap Campus could get crazy and it might be fun to drive down and watch the celebrators. 

In case you're looking for something to do
before the big game. (Photo courtesy of Charlie Springer- Card Game)

We looked back at the 1983 match-up the other night and recalled where we were for that afternoon show-down. Sonja and I watched it from the living room couch and she remembers that I was miserable with sinus problems that day and she couldn't tell if I was sneezing or cheering. David Watson writes that...


"I was clanging off my fraternity room walls at Notre Dame. Me and a few buddies that were UofL fans had started "celebrating" way too early before tip-off and the four of us gathered in my third floor frat room to view it on my large Zenith TV. By the second half, we had about 10 people in there. When Louisville ripped it wide open in the overtime, it started a chain of events that eventually culminated with me rambling around the campus screaming 'UofL !' at 1 a.m. Not many 'got it' -- especially campus security -- who not-so-gleefully escorted me back to the frat house and advised the graduate resident assistant to 'keep me indoors' for the rest of the early morning." 


GO YOU UofL CARDINALS!!! L1C4, baby
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Motivation: Part I

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THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-Motivation of colleges athlete by coaches to play hard & win and coaches who do this well.

We recently read an article from one of our favorite bloggers about motivation of college athletes by coaches. We liked the concept so much that we decided to do a similar article here at CARDINAL COUPLE. We expaned upon the idea of just asking coaches and sought out the opinions of coaches, fans and former college athletes. The questions were:

1) What do you think a coach should do to motivate their team to play hard and win?

2) Which coaches (women's college basketball) do you think are the best motivators?

We weren't sure how many responses we would get. After receiving ten responses (six readers/fans, two coaches and two former athletes..) we decided to do a "Part I" of this topic. We'll run "Part II" when we get more responses. The responses below are listed verbatim (edited and spell-checked where necessary) and have the respondants' first name and last name initial. Enjoy and reflect...and be advised today's column is a quite lengthy one...

--Mark S. (reader)

I guess motivation would depend on the team the coach has at the time. Each player is different. What motivates one player may not motivate another. Some players respond differently to the same tactics. That being said...here are ways to motivate:

1) Throw down a challenge. Could be done by setting a goal for an individual player or the team itself. Example: Hold a certain player below 10 points or have less than ten turnovers. If goals are reached, reward the player/team. Rewards could be praise, a day off, or team get-together (dinner, movie, etc.)
2) Make practices fun for the team
3) Be enthusiastic--that enthusiasm can carry over to the players.
4) Have the team do things together to build team unity.
5) Discipline is a key. Make sure it is consistent.
6) Communicate well with the team.

Best motivators: Jeff Walz, Brenda Frese, Geno Auriemma, Pat Summit, Matthew Mitchell, Harry Perretta, C.Vivian Stringer and Doug Bruno.

--Norman S. (reader)

If I were a coach, first it would be about the fans. Louisville's fans love these ladies, regardless of their athletic ability. These fans are there in large numbers to help them play well and win. The coaches should be doing their best for the Louisville fans. Second, it is just being the best of the best. They wouldn't be here if they did not want to compete at the highest level. The pro game, for the ladies, is not yet a motivating factor, in my opinion.

Coaches. Obviously Coach Walz was at his best during the second half of the UConn game (or maybe it was the fans). and in last year's tournament run. He is good. It is difficult for me to judge the others. The coaches at Stanford, UConn, Rutgers & Baylor must be good motivators. The job that last year's National Champs coach, Gary Blair, did was outstanding.

I want to throw this in, too. The coach of the Alabama men's team (Anthony Grant) has the best court side demeanor of any coach, men's or women's. I can't believe that screaming in a player's about his or her errors, mistakes or shortcomings is doing any good. I think Coach Walz is guilty of this too often. That's my opinion.

-- Mary B. (former player)

Paul, what motivated me wasn't so much the coaches but the success of the team back when I played. I didn't always start or play a lot at times but when I was out there - doing the best I could for the team was my motivation factor. We wanted to win. If I played well it would help our chances to win. I played with players that weren't motivated and no amount of coaching could get them there. It was all about their numbers and the heck with the team. I guess their success was their motivation.

I had coaches that would try to motivate by positives and negatives. Coaches I didn't like because of their motivational attempts and tactics. But, I always found that motivation had to come from within. Maybe I'm different.

Coaches I think that are good at attempting motivation for women's college basketball are McGraw at Notre Dame, Elliott at UC, Bruno at DePaul and Mulkey at Baylor. I think Walz at Louisville is an OK motivator but he seems to lose his team at times and that just might be the players, not him, but it can be distressing at times. 

Thanks for asking me to participate! Say Hi to Ms. Sonja for me. I still miss our practices and games in high school. She was a pretty motivated player and it didn't come from coaching either, Lord knows! We had the worst coach in the history of high school basketball. Ha. Ha. 

Shirley B. (reader)

I believe motivation must first come from within the athlete before they can respond in a positive way to a coach. They must feel that the team is #1 prior to their own glory. Once an athlete has this feeling, most of them will look for ways to have this be demonstrated. This will come from a coach pulling together the unique qualities from each of his players. This can only be achieved through a consistent and calm approach. This does not mean that excitement should be deleted from coaching. A positive critique to all segments of the game should be interwoven among the criticism. Each player and each coach will bring something to the game and the team. 

A great coach will identify the individual offerings and assist the player to be aware of what they can offer. There must be a willingness to be a team player and be willing to accept your role. This must always come before any individual, coach or team can truly be called a "Winner." Motivation is very important but the individual must first want to receive it.

Michelle K. (coach)

- I have three very simple rules about motivating players.

1) They must be able to handle motivation of different types. Sometimes it may be positive, sometimes it isn't.

2) They must understand that desire and motivation are not the same thing. A girl may desire to score 20 points a game but if she isn't motivated to go out and do the work and practice to be that kind of player, it's no good.

3) Motivation is a continuous process. Today's players have way too many "entitlement" issues. That doesn't get it. No one is entitled and I will motivate you out of that mind-set, if you have it, continuously until you lose it or you won't play for me. I will keep you motivated if you will give me your best or slack off, don't worry!

My favorite motivational women's college basketball coaches are Pat, Geno, C. Viv and Nikki Caldwell. 

David W. (reader) 

A coaches greatest motivational tool is the very aspect of his or her players being able to have the chance to do something that very few high school athletes get to do. Play in college. Take a Louisville, Notre Dame or even a Ball State. Players get a free education. Free housing. Free meals. Expert training. A safe environment for four years. There should be no other motivation  factor bigger than that -- unless the team is a national or conference title contender. Then, acheiving the championship can be a strong motivator as well. I read a lot of things. I see a lot of players list their goals to get to Denver, where they're playing the NCAA Women's Championship this year. That's fine and well, if they have a legit shot. Otherwise, it's daydreaming and self-centered.

Coaches I think that do a very good job of motivating their teams are Geno Auriemma, Muffet McGraw, Brenda Frese, Tara Vanderveer and Kim Mulkey. That would be my top five.

Quentin V. (reader)

Have detailed benchmarks established for a player's performance. Share them with the player and provide feedback regarding the player's degree of achievement and provide tools, that if used, will make achievement possible. If a player is not willing to work to achieve goals established, let that player go.

Best coaches: Pat Summit, Geno Auriemma, Jeff Walz.

D.G.  (ex-player)

I will be straight up with you on motivation the way I looked at it when I played. I hated to lose and I hated to play bad. Coaches motivation only made that better or worse depending on how it was going. Yelling at me, finger pointing, none of that deal worked because -  I knew when I messed up or didn't play good - and didn't need a reminder. OK? I saw my teammates and me as one unit working together and when one part was not working right you either fixed it or replaced it. Just like your car or furnace. I knew I would never play in the NBA or past college but I was motivated by wins and great games. Some coaches, I swear, I don't know how they keep their jobs and have the wrong mind set when it breaks down to motivation. You want to pull me because I missed a wide open shot and then fouled a guy on the play after? Fine. Pull me. But did you forget about the three rebounds, the steal and the two assists I had before that? GIve me a chance to play through it.  

Don't know a lot about the women's coaches. I can tell you that I like the fire Walz brings to the sidelines. Don't know how good a motivator he is but he really gets into getting his team to perform well. The guy is always coaching on the sidelines. His Louisville teams been pretty good since he has been there. Mitchell at UK seems to get a lot out his girls. Also, I liked the guy who was women's coach at MTSU when I played there. Rick Insell. He was great to talk to and had those girls big time motivated. If I was a girl, I think I would have enjoyed playing for him.  

Rex E. (coach)

Paul:

1) I try to get them to realise it is THEIR team and I just happen to be the coach. So if they want to have a memorable experience and achievement THEY share a big part of the responsibility. I want them to make the season what they dream it to be.

2) A deep sense of responsibility to themselves and others. It is our responsibility to represent the university, athletic dept., families, alumni and fans in a first class way. 


Coach E.

Bill and Barbara H. (fans)

#1 - Bill- Be encouraging.
        Barb - Accentuate the positives.

#2 - Bill - Doug Bruno
        Barb - Pat Summit.

OK. I know this is a long column today and I hope you made it through it and enjoyed it. Some very great, revealing and informative responses here.

If you have a "take" on this subject, feel free to e-mail us at cardinalcouple@insightbb.com  If you want to comment on any of these responses, feel free to e-mail or leave your opinion in the comments section. Thanks for reading!
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Lady Cards face Pitt tonight...Louisville chosen for 2013 NCAA WBB 1st and second round sites...Angel one of 21 being considered for Olympic Team

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TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-Lady Cards head to Pitt for Tuesday night clash with Panthers

-Louisville chosen for 2013 NCAA WBB 1st. and 2nd. round

-Angel one of 21 being considered for Olympic Team.

-Tori Collins named BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week


The University of Louisville women's basketball team travels to Pittsburgh for a Tuesday night game with the Lady Panthers. Pitt hasn't exactly been setting the BIG EAST on fire this year...0-11 in conference games and 8-16 overall. Louisville (18-7, 7-5) looks to add a BIG EAST win to their record and stay within sight of a possible top four finish in the BIG EAST.

Rebound well against
the Panthers, Asia!
(Photo from Charlie
Springer- Card game)

The Panthers are led in scoring by freshman Brianna Kiesel. She produces 12.8 p.p.g. for Agnus Berenato. Redshirt sophomore Ashlee Anderson is also in double figures for the Panthers...with 10.8 a contest. Freshman Chyna Golden has been playing well off the bench lately for UofP. A youth movement going on in the Petersen and those can take awhile sometimes...

The Panthers have lost 10 in a row...getting their last win back on Dec. 31st. against Lafayette 74-69 in overtime. Last two out for the Panthers have produced losses at Marquette (72-48) and at Cincinnati (62-57). 

Hard to find a lot of positives in their play...but they are ninth in the BIG EAST in offensive rebounding and tenth in blocked shots. They play their home games in the Petersen Event Center and average about 2000 a home game, one of only seven BIG EAST teams that average close to or over 2000 fans in attendance for home games. At least the fans are staying behind this team despite the dismal season...

Pitt is coached by Agnus Berenato. She's in her ninth season as the Panther skipper and has complied a 161-137 record there. Overall, she's in her 28th. season of coaching and is 444-401 lifetime. Agnus is a class act. A shame she's having such a rough year. We hope she can turn it around in the final four games this year after they play Louisville...they go to USF, host Connecticut and Seton and finish at West Virginia.

We'll have a full recap of the action for you later tonight. Only TV we know of is on Comcast Pittsburgh. Matty and A.J. have the radio call for Louisville on 790 WKRD.  It's a 7 p.m. tip-off.

Reppin' the ladies !

How about those Lady Card fans? With over 12,000 in attendance for the last two home games...they lead the BIG EAST in home game attendance and are #2 in the nation with a 10,473 average. With DePaul and Notre Dame remaining on the home schedule...that number will go up. We salute you!

Besides Louisville vs. Pitt, there are three other games on this Valentine's Day. Providence goes to Notre Dame, Marquette hosts USF and Georgetown travels to Villanova. All are 7 p.m. starts.

Only one game involving a BIG EAST WBB team for Monday night...UConn pulled away late to beat homestanding Oklahoma 73-55.

Finally, if anyone watched the men's game on TV last night and saw the #L1-C4 banners in front of the scorers table, that stands for:

Louisville first. Cards forever.

Whatever...we guess it will grow on us. We've been told we'll see a lot more of it, so get ready.


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Louisville has been chosen as a first and second round site for the 2013 NCAA Women's College Basketball Tournament. Games will be played at the KFC YUM! Center. First round games will be either March 23rd. or 24th. and second round games on the 25th. or 26th. 

Besides Louisville, other first round sites are:

Baton Rouge, LA                 Boulder, CO            College Park, MD
College Station, TX              Columbus, OH         Durham, NC
Iowa City, IA                       Knoxville, TN          Lubbock, TX
Delaware, DE.                      Queens, NY             Spokane, WA
Stanford, CA                        Storrs, CT                 Waco, TX

Regional sites are Norfolk, Oklahoma City, Spokane and Trenton

Once again, the NCAA showing a lot of love to Gonzaga...they could stay home again until the final four if they can keep winning. I know, two seperate arenas for the First and Second Round and the Regional. Doesn't matter. They're like five minutes apart and Gonzaga play in both during the season.

The KFC YUM! Center

Gotta love the selection of Louisville! This 2012-13 Louisville team should be one of the strongest and most talented in Lady Cards history and it would be fun to watch them play the first two rounds here. 

Last time the city of Louisville hosted the first two rounds was in 2010. Kentucky came into Freedom Hall and defeated Liberty and Michigan State to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. We went to those games...wanted to see how Victoria Dunlap did against the tall Alyssa DeHaun of MSU and the huge Liberty front line.

She did just fine. And, no...we weren't cheering. Official media representatives for the two contests...



Adia wasn't so happy after getting TKO'ed in the
second half last night at UT. That had to hurt...

 Speaking of Kentucky WBB...they got absolutely handled by the Lady Vols last night in Knoxville. Two losses in a row for Matthew Mitchell's girls. Hope Adia Mathies is OK. She took a strong forearm shiver from one of Pat's front liners in the second half. Cats still lead the SEC by a game...but trending downward. Any talk of UK WBB getting a #1 seed for the Big Dance can now officially "pipe down". Mattie Mitchell with the perfect post-game comment:

"It only counts as one loss. It probably should count for more than that...but one's all we're getting in the loss column."

91-54. Awkward. Another round of "Rocky Top" please, pep band.


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Congratulations to Angel McCoughtry, one of 2 finalists chosen to compete for 12 spots on the 2012 USA Olympic Team. The list of 21 is impressive...looks like an WNBA All-Star game roster...with Brittany Griner the only college player listed.

Geno probably won't get this agitated in the Olympics.

Geno Auriemma is the head coach of the team. He always raved about Angel when she played for Louisville, so we're pretty confident she'll make the cut. The team will be competing right in the heart of the WNBA schedule, though...so tryouts and competition are going to be next to impossible. You can probably expect Geno to load it up with UConn ex-players...so get ready for  Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Maya Moore, Tina Charles and Renee Montgomery to be issued jerseys.  I probably missed a few ex-Huskies here...no big deal...as long as USA wins the gold we don't care if he takes the current UConn team over there (with Angel, of course.)

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Torrid Tori Collins sends them back to the
dugout muttering...

Senior Louisville softball pitcher Tori Collins was named BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week for her outstanding performances in the FIU Combat Classic last weekend in Miami. Here's how she did in three starts and one relief apperance:

-Record:        3-0
-Strikeouts     30
-Innings pitched  20.1
-Hits allowed 15
-ERA             1.72
-Opp. team batting avg.   .195

Very impressive for Sandy Pearsall's circle dweller! Louisville's Taner Fowler was named to the BIG EAST Softball Honor Roll for her play in Miami also. She had five great games, batting .500 (8-16), scoring three times and getting five RBI's.

How they left Maggie Ruckenbrod off the honor roll is a mystery...she was tearing it up at the plate in the Combat Classic.
She played in four games...sitting out the UMass game...and had seven RBI's, five runs scored and five hits at 12 apperances at the plate. That's a batting average of .416.

Louisville is 5-0 and heads to Greenville, NC for tournament action at East Carolina this weekend. OOH-RAH, Lady Cards !
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