MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-Thompson's second half lifts Cats past Cards 48-47

UK Freshman guard Janee Thompson scored all of her team high 13 points in the second half and her three with 8.4 seconds left in the game gave the Wildcats the come-back win over Louisville Sunday night before 15453 fans in the KFC YUM! Center. The Cards had not lost to UK on their home court since 1999.

Louisville led 37-24 with 14 minutes remaining but went on a cold streak, failing to score for almost five minutes as UK clawed their way back into the contest. It was 37-30 with 11:15 remaining and the Cats cut that to 41-38 with 5:35 left.

A buzzer-beating three by Sara Hammond gave Louisville a six point lead at the 4:38 mark, but the Cards wouldn't score a basket the rest of the way and 3-6 free throw shooting down the stretch had the Cards clinging to a 46-42 lead after a Sara Hammond free throw and 1:41 to go.

Shoni Schimmel fouled Thompson on a three-point attempt with 59 seconds to go and the freshman calmly sank all three to make it 46-45. Bria Smith drew a foul on a drive to the basket with .38 to go but converted only one of her two free throw attempts. That set up Thompson's three with 8.4 seconds left that gave the Cats their first lead since 9:15 remained in the first half. Smith drove the length of the court for Louisville and attempted the potential game winner driving down the lane with a second to go...but the shot was blocked by UK center Azia Bishop and Adia Mathies corralled the loose ball to secure the improbable UK victory.

Quite frankly, this one was ugly early. UK led 4-0 after the first four minutes...UofL turning the ball over five times and attempting just one shot. Smith finally got UofL on the board with a jumper...but UK went on another 4-0 run to lead 8-2 with twelve minutes left in the first half. The Cards chipped away at the advantage, though, and tied it at 8-8 after two Shoni Schimmel free throws at the 9:15 mark. Shoni's three 40 seconds later gave Louisville a lead that they eventually increased to five points at halftime...breaking a 18-18 tie in the final 1:40 of the half with a Hammond jumper and Shoni three with 38 seconds left. The Cards led at the half 23-18.

Schimmel had 13 points. She did not score in the second half. Nita Slaughter stepped up big with nine rebounds in the first half. She didn't grab another one the rest of the game and played only five minutes in the second half.

The Cards went on a 6-0 run to start the final twenty minutes and led 29-18 with 18:15 to go after a Smith jumper. A tip in from Megan Denies made it 35-21 Louisville with 15:08 to go and it looked like Louisville could do no wrong. They were aggressive, confident and getting the ball inside to Sara Hammond, who was converting.

Thompson entered the game with 16:47 to go for Kentucky and hit a three with 14:52 left. UK proceeded to go on a 11-6 run. With 8:42 left and the Cards leading 41-32, Adia Mathies fell to the floor clutching her leg after a turnover by Bria Smith and was replaced by Bria Goss. Two baskets by DeNesha Stallworth and a jumper by Stallworth cut it to a 41-38 Louisville lead and set up the frantic finish. Mathies did return with two minutes to go and finished the game.

Shoni led Louisville with 13 points. Sara Hammond had 12...10 of those in the second half. Bria Smith finished with seven, Monique Reid five (all in the second half), Shawnta Dyer four and Megan Deines, Jude Schimmel and Nita Slaughter two each. Shelby Harper played four minutes but did not score. Neither Sherrone Vails or Cortnee Walton got off the bench. 


Things We Liked

1. The Cards forced 23 UK turnovers in the game.
2. Louisville's defense held UK to 32.7% from the floor (18-55). 3-16 from three-point range.
3. The Cards had 11 steals.
4. Louisville hung in there in the rebounding also grabbing 34 compared to UK's 37.
5. The Cards got a great first half from Nita Slaughter. Why she played only five minutes in the second half is puzzling.

Things to work on

1. Turnovers. The Cards had 25. Shoni with 11 of them. Bria had six. That number needs to be cut in half.
2. Points off turnovers. Louisville had 10, UK 17. That's a hustle stat. UK won it.
3. 5-8 free throw shooting. The missed ones in crunch time were huge, in terms of being able to salt the game away.
4. Three-point shooting. The Cards were 4-15. Shoni had three of them (in ten attempts). The only other Cards to attempt them were Megan Deines (0-3), Nita Slaughter (0-1) and Hammond (1-1)

Final Summary

A heart-breaking loss in a game that Louisville controlled for most of the way. We understand why Coach Walz went to Smith and her quickness late in the game, clearing out and letting her create...but Louisville got off only four shots after Hammond's three at the 4:54 mark. Three misses and the block at the end of the game. Overly cautious basketball? Tough to say...but UK went on a 8-3 run from that point on and the Cards offense just seemed to evaporate. Give UK credit for their relentless defensive pressure but the Cards seemed slow in getting into the offensive sets at the end and could not score from the floor when they finally did take shots.

In the end, two players who had never played against Louisville or in the KFC YUM! Center....Thompson and Stallworth...scored UK's final seven points (and 16 of their final 18) and the Cats won a exciting (but disappointing for Cards fans) Battle of the Bluegrass.

NELL ON WHEELS ROLLS INTO LOUISVILLE

About an hour before tip-off, Nell Fortner set up camp above the KFC YUM! main lobby with her latest "Nell on Wheels" stop. She was joined (while we were there) by LaChyna Robinson of ESPN and Fred Williams (head coach of the Atlanta Dream) and the three discussed key-points of the upcoming game.

Due to the heavy media presence at yesterday's game, the seating arrangements had Sonja and I split up for the first half of the game. I did get to spend the first half with Jared Stillman (J-Bone) who is now back in his hometown Nashville after graduation and working for ESPN Sports Radio 102.5 FM there. Always good to see the affable and personable J-Bone and he hasn't lost that rapier wit or knowledge of UofL hoops. Also had Lindsay McDonald (24/7 Sports) on my other side. Good writer, fun to talk to and very knowledgeable.

Sonja, on the other hand, was seated in Section 119 at a secondary press row and slated to sit next to Nell Fortner. After the first half, Nell hadn't arrived. We decided that we'd bring Sonja to the floor and take two vacant seats on press row (behind the basket) and sit together for the second half. I gave my seat to the Observer (Charlie Springer - UofL Card Game.) Sonja became no-show Danielle Donehew (Big East Poobah or something like that) for the second half.

We kept looking up in Sec. 119. Nell never showed. Guess those wheels were already in gear... or discovered the Troll Pub across the street.
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Battle in the Bluegrass

Sunday Cardinal Couple

-Are you ready? It's Cards vs. Cats Sunday at 6 p.m.

( We happily give the pre-game preview from our most excellent columnist Jenny O'Bryan. We are so pleased and impressed with her synopsis that we are foregoing inserting any pictures. The straight and un-diluted Jenny...coming right at you....Enjoy it. We'll have the game recap later today.)  

The Louisville Cardinals defend an 8-0 start today at The KFC YUM Center at 6:00 p.m. with a nationally televised game (ESPNU) pitting two top 10 ten teams against each other, and a inter-state rivalry like no other.  The Battle of the Bluegrass!  Louisville Cardinals vs. Kentucky Wildcats, #6 vs. #8, and both led by young coaches who are changing the landscape of women’s basketball in the state of Kentucky. 

Kentucky leads the overall series 30-17,and they won last years match up 74-54.  The home team has won each of the last 4 match ups (convincingly) and Louisville looks to keep the home team winning ways alive for another year. 

The Wildcats enter the matchup 5-1 with their only loss coming to Baylor.  They are led by Louisville native, senior All-American candidate A’dia Mathies who is averaging 14.5 ppg, who also leads the team in assists, steals and 3 point shots made.   Junior forward Samarie Walker leads on the boards averaging 8 boards per game and junior forward  DeNesha Stallworth leads the team with 11 blocks this season.  

The Wildcats are loaded with talent, across the board.  Look for them to pressure the ball early, and hard.  Coach Matthew Mitchell indicated in their loss to Louisville two years ago, at The YUM Center, the crowd really rattled his team.  Look for them to try to minimize that effect this year, by striking early and often.  Coach Mitchell likes a heavy guard line up and builds his system around pressuring the ball and creating turnovers.   He keeps fresh legs on the court substituting at times.Like last year... an entire line up at a time. 

A likely starting line up for the Wildcats will include the aforementioned Mathies at guard, sophomore guard Bria Goss, junior guard Maegan Conwright, and junior forward/centers Walker and Stallworth, mentioned above.  Walker ( UCONN) nor Stallworth (California) saw minutes against Louisville last year due to transfer rules.
 

Stallworth will be a force in the paint... leading the team with blocks this year, but adds an extra challenge for defenders because she can knock down the 3.  This season will be Walker’s first full season playing for the Wildcats, allowed to play late December and all of conference and post season play last season.   

As mentioned before, Coach Mitchell keeps fresh legs in the game.  Expect a lot of bench play in this game.  The lone freshman in the class, Janee Thompson is seeing lots of minutes as is Jennifer O’Neill, Azia Bishop and Kastine Evans.   Like Coach Walz, the Kentucky bench is seeing a lot of time on the court and the bench riders likely could be a starter on any given day. 

I expect this to be a very physical game, the potential for a lot of fouls, and a fun exciting game to watch.  Kentucky has ventured away from their friendly confines only once thus far, travelling to Waco, Texas to take on Baylor.   Road tested this season they are not, and I believe this will be a huge advantage for the Cardinals today.  

Keys to a Cardinal victory:
 

Contain A’dia Mathies- While there are many weapons on this team, and any of them can hurt you on a given day, make no doubt, this is Mathies’s team.  The Cardinals must contain her. 

Valued possessions- I am sure this has been a talking point all week with Coach Walz and this team.  The Cardinals must take care of the ball.  Kentucky will cause turnovers.  Expect it, but limit it.  Additionally, the Cardinals cannot take mental breaks and contribute to this number by contributing with unforced turnovers.   Take care of the ball!

Free throws- With a physical team, the potential exists to shoot from the line.  Cardinals must do better in this stat.  3 missed free throws could be the difference in this game, let alone 10.   The Cardinals must make fouling a liability and must control this stat. 

40 minutes of basketball- At times this season the Cards have looked brilliant, playing great basketball on both ends of the court.  3 minutes later they have gone foggy and get stuck there for minutes or sometimes for an entire half.  Great teams play the entire 40 minutes, whether you are ahead, or behind.  This team must play the entire 40 minutes of good basketball.  I do not even think it has to be great basketball for 40 minutes, but good solid ball.  40 minutes. 

Full squad affair- Like Kentucky, our Cardinals have a deep and talented bench.  Gone are the days of a dominant, one player team.   Louisville has depth, and will need that depth, as a whole, to have a good game.  While is great to be in the position of a different player every game stepping up, to carry the load, this game is different.  All the girls need to have a good game.  A good game, not great, from every player on the team that sees minutes will equal a win.   

In many ways, Louisville and Kentucky match up in a lot of ways.  Both like to pressure the ball and have deep and capable benches.  This has the potential to be an exciting, back and forth match.  If both teams play to their abilities, it should be a close match, to the end.   This is a winnable game for our Cards.  I look for an extension of the undefeated season for our Cards as well as the home team winning streak, but more importantly, bragging rights for the next year on the hardwood.   

If you were on the fence about attending this game today, I cannot impress upon you enough the need to have butts in the seats.  DVR the game to watch at a later date, but show up, stand up, and stand out for this team.  As the 6^th man on the court we are invaluable to our teams success.  I have been excited to be a part of game changing crowds at many events and expect nothing less from the Cardinal Faithful today. 

One added bonus to get there early is the game day arrival of Nell Fortner and her Nell On Wheels event.  Starting at 5:00 p.m. in the lobby of the YUM Center look for former Auburn Coach Fortner for her game day interviews and activities prior to tip. 

This is a big one folks.  No doubt about it.  Likely the biggest game we will see at home this season, less the first rounds of the tournament.  There is a lot to celebrate right now with Cardinal Athletics.  Get out, show your support and let’s help our team defend home court!  I’ll see you there.  

If you cannot go, the game is on ESPNU.

Postscript 10:30 a.m. Sunday.

Just spent about 30 minutes on the phone with former CARDINAL COUPLE columnist David Watson talking about today's game. The irrepressable Mr Watson also sent me this e-mail about the game.

" I see five key points today. First is Mo often and early. Second is controlling turnovers. Shoni and the Cards guards will be pressured the entire game. How well they respond to that is the deciding between a win and a loss. Next  is free throw conversion. The winner of the free throw attempts will win this one, in my opinion. Also, Louisville needs a huge game out of Sara Hammond. Scoring and on the boards. Finally, bench play is going to be crucial. This game will be played at a helter-skelter pace. If the Cards can get valuable minutes out of Jude, Shawnta and Nita, then they should be able to take the victory.

My prediction? It's going to be a thug-fest with both teams shooting 20+ free throws. Some late game heroics by Shoni and Mo pull the Cards from behind to win. 71-69. Cards."

(Editor comments: We cannot agree more with Jenny than stressing that CARDINAL fans need to be in the KFC YUM! Center early and make a lot of noise. Go talk to Nell Fortner or something if you aren't ready to sit. In the conversations we've had with the current Lady Cards...one thread rings true. The players respond and get fired up when they know that the arena is rocking early for them. Cardinal fans, you have your mission! Get there early, make it loud and wear your RED. It would please us in great deal to write about a UofL win in the MONDAY edition of Cardinal Couple. Help us make it happen!)


11 a.m. Sunday

10 Things You Probably Didn't Know about the UofL vs. UK WBB series

1) Since 1975, UK has won 30 times. Louisville 17. Great. UK fans will start calling the UofL Womens' team "little sister".
2) In the 21st. century, Louisville has won eight times, Kentucky five.
3) The most lopsided game was one of the first ones. In 1975, UK beat Louisville 75-37.
4) Dana Nichols attempted 17 free throws against UK in 1987...most by any player in the series.
5) Jill Morton made 12 free throws against UK in 2000...most by any player in the series.
6) Troya Landrum grabbed 21 rebounds against UK in 1989...secondmost in Cardinal womens' basketball history.
7) Jackie Spencer blocked six UK shots in 1985. Yuliya Tokova blocked five UK shots in 2006.
8) The Cards grabbed only 25 rebounds last year against UK. It was their season low.
9) The largest crowd to ever see the WBB team play a home game came against UK on Dec. 5th, 2010 when 22,152 saw Louisville win 78-52.
10) Both squads had 26 turnovers last year in Memorial Coliseum.

12:15 p.m. Sunday

Syd the Kid

Shayna Harmon #22

It's raining in Louisville. I hope it stops before game time. Can't have any weather-related factors keeping attendance down. Jenny texted me a few moments back and to tell me about a tweet she saw that 2016 prospect Shayna Harmon will be in town to watch the game, this prospect is going to be a big-time guard before she graduates. We also heard from Sydney Brackemyer's mom and Syd the Kid will also be in attendance. Cards fans, we really want Syd in this house...if you see either at the game today...please welcome them and tell them that we want them. Both are from the Buckeye state Ohio. Do you know how many current players on the UofL squad are from Ohio? Pop quiz time:



A) Sherrone Vails and Megan Deines
B) Cortnee Walton and Shelby Harper
C) Shawnta Dyer and Asia Taylor
D) Lindsey Wilson and Rose Hulman



(The answer is C.)

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Women's golf off to impressive start

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THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-Louisville Women's golf team firing at the flag

-Really, Matthew?

-Next contest: A goalkeeper match

Emily Haas leading Cards in golf this season

Courtney Trimble

The Louisville women's golf team has participated in four events so far this season and fared well in each. With new head coach Courtney Trimble and assistant Mary Bryan on board, the Cards have finished no worse than 11th. in the four matches they have participated in and won the Cardinal Cup event in Simpsonville.

Mary Bryan

They started the season in Ft.Collins, CO in the Ram Classic and finished tied for fifth. After winning the Cardinal Cup, they travelled to Columbia, MO. and ended up 9th. in the Johnie Imes Invitational. In their most recent outing, the Tar Heel Invitational in Chapel Hill, NC., they came in 11th.

Leading the way for the Cards this season is sophomore Emily Haas. She's had two top-10 finishes in the four Cardinal matches this season and has a team best 74.0 strokes per round. Her lowest score for eighteen holes this year is 69.

Right behind her is Tara Lyons. Lyons has recorded one top-20 finish this year and averages 75.4 in her four starts. Her low round is a 71.

Katie Petrino has averaged 75.7 per round for the Cards and also has a top-20 finish this fall. Her lowest round is 71. The sophomore from Fayetteville, AR. is also
Bobby Petrino's youngest daughter...Bobby being an avid golfer as well.

( Just to show you how our fan base here sometimes works...we recently got an e-mail asking us that if Bobby Petrino accepted the UK head football coaching job, would Katie transfer?)

The Cards tee it up next in San Antonio, TX. for three days of swinging in The Alamo Invitational. First round action begins Oct. 28th.

Can't touch this? Don't want to...

Not sure what's in the water in Lexington, but we offer this clip of UK head women's basketball coach Matthew Mitchell at Big Blue Madness. The Michael Jackson one-glove approach should come in real handy when arguing calls with SEC refs... 

Keep dancing, Matty. Maybe you should be introduced before all the UK home games this way...

A battle of shot stoppers.

Next in our first round matches of Your Favorite Louisville Womens Athletes..we have a goalkeeper showdown.

Chloe Kiefer guards the net for the UofL women's soccer team and has done it quite efficiently over the past couple seasons. With seventeen career shutouts, getting the ball past Kiefer is as difficult as getting a can of beer in Pittsburgh's Heinz Stadium for college football. Not gonna happen.

Erin Conrad dons #90 to protect the net for the University of Louisville field hockey team. She's been there a couple of seasons as well. Against the #1 team in the country (Syracuse) she had five second-half saves. Trying to score on Conrad might be as hard as me duplicating Matthew Mitchell's dance. Not bloody likely...

Chloe or Conrad? You can vote on the infamous left side of the site.
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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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Volleyball eliminated from NCAA Tournament...WBB: Cards vs. Cats today

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SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE:


LIVE FROM MEMORIAL

3:05 p.m. It is done. Cats 74 - Louisville 54. Much more later tonight...included quotes and perspectives. An old-fashioned, take you back to the barn whipping. Whew... 

3:01 p.m. Schimmel makes it 70-50 with a twisting, driving layup. 2:27 left.

2:53 p.m. Reid down after bumping her head on the floor. Up own her own. It's 64-46. Mercifully, only 4:01 to go.

2:42 p.m.  Media timeout. 7:58 left. Maybe premature...but...stick a fork in the Cards...they're done.  

2:40 p.m. Back to back Cat threes harmful here... it's 62-42 UK. 

2:33 p.m. 56-40 UK. Cards had it down to thirteen before another A'dia Mathies three. 11:20 to go..and if Louiville is going to get hot, now is the time. Sonja says...."Hustle, Cards!".


2:22 p.m. 50-32 UK. Cards briefly rallied to cut it to 14 but UK rallied right
back. First Schimmel/Schimmel court apperance at the 16:00 mark.


HALFTIME. 40-23 UK.

Louisville with 15 first half turnovers...Cards scored first and led 6-2 but it went south (or east, I guess...) after that. UK is...well..just whipping Louisville with quickness, accuracy and outside shooting.

Becky Burke with seven to lead Louisville. After her three that made it 10-9 UK, the Cats went on a 15-1 run to lead 25-10 with 7:25 left in the first half. Cards need to focus, rebound. Louisville getting out-rebounded 17-15.

Cards shooting 33.3% from the field and UK 51.7%. Cats six of nine from three-point range...Louisville 2-10. Adia Mathies 10 points for UK.

Ugh. Let's hope for better in the final twenty. The last 15 minutes of the first half were rough to watch.

1:48 p.m. It's now 35-23 after a Becky Burke 3. Cards still getting outrun and hustled by UK. A'dia Mathies on fire for UK.

1:37 p.m. Cats on a 12-1 run and lead 22-10. Cards shooting poorly and in a hurry. Walz not handing out any roses or cookies during the media timeout.


1:25 p.m. 17-9 Cats 11:36 to go. UK running and gunning better than Louisville.

1:14 p.m. 6-5 Cards. Amber Smith at the line after a particularly hard Hammond foul. Cards controlling the boards. Media timeout, Mo in the game for the first time with 15:56 left.

12:54 p.m. Pep band for UK blaring, no Cardinal pep band, LadyBirds or cheerleaders. Cats in locker room, Cards still on court...as is Walz's custom. Six minutes to go. We're guessing 700 UofL fans here...



12:42 p.m. At courtside under the basket near UofL bench. Place is about 3/4th full already....18 minutes to tip. Cats warming up in front of us. Cards bench right next to us.

Good contingent up in the rafters from UofL and loud when the Cards entered the court. UK pep band to our right. Howie Lindsey sitting next to me...Sonja to my right. As we predicted, Gary Gupton doing TV play-by-play. Bring it!



12:07 p.m.  We're in the media room at Memorial Coliseum. Pretty "blue" in here. Did talk briefly with Matt Andrews, UofL play-by-announcer. Sonja is at the food table, Howie Lindsey just walked in and it's 52 minues until tip-off. Like I said, a lot of Blue up in here.





-Volleyball falls 3-1 to Boilermakers

-Cards vs. Cats today in Lexington

-Men's soccer loses in double-overtime to UCLA

For awhile, it looked like the University of Louisville Volleyball team was going to give Purdue a run for their money in the second round of the NCAA Volleyball Championships.
After getting handled convincingly 25-14 in the first set, the Cards rallied and behind Brooke Mattingly and Tanya Lukyanenko and were up 23-20 in the second game. They had the Boliermakers at set point several times, then saw Purdue at set point before finally getting
two kills from Lola Arslanbekova and one from Lukyanenko to tie the match at 1-1...winning 28-26.

Then, the air went out of the ball for Anne Kordes' team.

The Boilermakers had Lola
bottled up Saturday

Purdue looked strong in smashing the Cards after the break...pulling away 12-3 in the third game and winning 25-11. More of the same in the fourth game...the Boilermakers scooting out to a 12-4 advantage and taking the set 25-16.

Shutting down Arslanbekova was the key and Purdue did it well, limiting her to 10 kills for the match. When they weren't stopping her, Lola was her own worst enemy...with numerous attempted kills that were too strong and too long.

Credit Caitlin Welch and Taylor Brauneis for some spectacular saves and digs...but you eventually reach a level of competition that is better than you...unless you win the title...and the Cards ran into that yesterday.

A capacity crowd, mostly Purdue students, made a racket of noise throughout the entire match. We're not big fans of game attendees being able to practically stand on the court and yell directly into the server's ear...but that is the configuration in Purdue's gymnasium. Not that it was the game-changer. The Cards missed enough kills and had enough unforced errors to do themselves in quite easily.

Anne Kordes (right) will do great things, we predict,
in the future as UofL Volleyball coach. Even if
she won't grant us an interview. CARDINAL COUPLE
mojo was there for her...maybe down the road.

Still,  a very good season for Anne Kordes' shorthanded roster. The Volley Cards lose just two seniors from the roster...Maci Wacthel and Gosa Lech...and neither played very much. We're unsure on Gwen Rucker's status for next season...she missed most of the year with a hamstring injury and it's not clear to us whether she'll get an additional season or not.
Anne Kordes has been recruiting well and is bring in at least three top players in the nation as freshmen next season.

So, at 24-9...the volleyball season ends at UofL. A lot to look forward to next year, though and a very good rookie season for Coach Kordes, who battled at times because of a short roster, and did great things. WE could harp upon the fact that she never did return e-mails about doing an interview with CARDINAL COUPLE, even after Paul gave her a card and contact information...but WE'RE sure she had a lot more important things to do than to talk to the fan voice for UofL women's sports. We'll give you a mulligan, Anne. Never underestimate the powerful mojo that you receive when you talk to CARDINAL COUPLE...though.  OK, let's move on...

Props to Al Greener, members of the UofL Pep Band and Cardinal Cheerleaders for making the trip to West Lafayette. You got air time on the BIG TEN Network. Greener plays a mean trombone.  

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As we write this, it is six hours away from the UofL vs. UK women's basketball game.  It's a sold out contest, around 9000 will pack into cozy Memorial Coliseum...and thousands more watching on Fox Sports South...or listening via http://www.uoflsports.com/  or 790 WKRD.  At stake - bragging rights in the state for a year.

We wonder if Matt still hates
everything about Louisville...

Louisville is 7-1. Kentucky is 7-0. The Cards are ranked 10th. and UK is at 12th. Both teams come into the game after lopsided wins from last week.

Will Jeff Walz be walking
on air after today's game?

For Louisville, Monique Reid leads the scoring efforts with 17 points and game. She's joined in double figures by Shoni Schimmel (13.2 ppg), Becky Burke (12.5) and Bria Smith (11.0). Cierra Warren is the leading rebounder at 6.3 grabs a game.

The Cards have faced two top 25 opponents this year, defeating Florida State in Tallahassee and losing to Texas A&M in College Station. 

UK is led by A'dia Mathies' 15.4 points a contest. Other double figure scorers for the Cats are Bria Goss (10.9), Keyla Snowden (10.7) and Kastine Evans (10.7). Sam Drake is the top missed shot grabber with 8.6 an event.

COACHES COMPARISON

Better dancer...Mitchell does a mean "Dougie". We've never seen Walz dance. UK

Better vertical....See Walz picture above. Mitchell looks like he could shed a few lbs. UofL

Head coaching experience...Mitchell seven years...Walz five. UK

Better haircut...Walz keeps his "high and tight". We're not sure what's going on with Mitchell's hair style. UofL

NCAA Tournament Success...Walz has a title game history and two other appearances. Mitchell with two visits to the BIG DANCE.  UofL 

Perspiration...Mitchell is usually soaked after a game. Walz doesn't appear to sweat. UofL

Coaching tree...Mitchell worked for Pat Summitt and Mickie DeMoss. Walz for Paul Sanderford and Brenda Frese. UK

Guy we'd rather hear sing...Mitchell doesn't stutter, Walz does...but he can joke about it. Maybe he'd do a good version of 'My Sharona' .UK

Offspring...Both coaches have two kids. Walz's are cuter.  UofL

Coach most likely to get a technical...Walz can go ballistic at times. Mitchell mostly whines. UofL

CARDINAL COUPLE will try to provide pre-game and live reports from Memorial Coliseum today. Not sure how the UK wireless network is...and we've had trouble before trying to update in the past at Eastern and Xavier...but we'll give it a shot. WE will provide a full report and summation tonight. Check in for updates and WE'LL try to be there for you...

May the best team win.

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Tough loss last night in Cardinal Park, with the UofL men's soccer team going down in double-overtime to UCLA 1-0 in front of a large and rowdy crowd of almost 5,000. WE were able to watch a lot of it on CARDS TV...bouncing back and forth from Volleyball on the BIG TEN network to the soccer match. Cards gave it their best shot...and we like listening to Sean Moth call the game. More like a documentary than a play by play description...which we like. We're guessing we saw 20 Fed Ex semis roll down I-65 because of the camera angle.

Charlie Springer, over at UofL Card Game http://www.uoflcardgame.com/ has a couple of nice action pics of the fans and players and a recap.

Person who might enjoy a few days off: Louisville assistant S.I.D Kim Pemberton. After last night's soccer match, which is one of the sports she handles...she's got basketball today in Lexington. Wouldn't blame her at all for sleeping in on Monday. She gets a break...Lady Cards don't play again after today until Saturday.

Can't say enough about the job she does, especially at UofL women's basketball games...where we see her the most. Any question we have, she'll get the answer. Any request we bring, she does her best to fufill it. Salute!


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Knowing the foe...UK coach Matthew Mitchell and his team

THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE:


-Jenny previews the Lady Kats

-What we know...so far...on game viewing via Television

-Mitchell leads undefeated Wildcats with his "winning tools" philosophy

Dunlap was a star at UK

The Lady Cards (7-1) head into Sunday's competition against the Lady Cats (7-0) to face a team that lost its best player to graduation and the WNBA last season. Victoria Dunlap was the 11th. pick in the WNBA Draft in 2011.

Rest assured, though, the Cats have plenty of weapons to bring to the court.

The Cats play in Memorial Coliseum, which seats around 9000. So far, Kentucky has played one road game, and six in Memorial. Average attendance thus far is 4568. Sunday's game is a sell out. With twice the usual turnout for the UofL game...how many in the crowd will be rooting for Louisville? The Lady Cards are no stranger to playing in front of 9000+ fans, the question is how will Kentucky react to the sudden influx of people?

Samarie Walker will have an impact at UK.

The Cats have picked up two transfers. De Nesha Stallworth transferred from California and will sit out the 2011-12 season. Samarie Walker came in from UConn last year and will be eligible to play at the end of the semester. Both girl play in the post and UK will likely benefit greatly when Walker eventually gets onto the court.

Jennifer O'Neill is a sophomore guard who is currently recovering from a toe/foot injury. She's a sharp-shooting, All-American...whose presence on the court improves the Cats long range bombing threat. Currently practicing with the team, from what I've heard, she's a hopeful return for them in mid-December. Like Louisville, UK has had to deal with injuries and ineligibility's this year..

The Wildcats are very similar to the Lady Cards - they are a high pressure, defensive oriented squad. Lots of high energy and they like to apply the full court press. Capable of creating a high amount of opponent turnovers. They create an average of 35.7 turnovers a game...17.8 of those coming from steals. This is a high-pressure defense. Repeat...35.7 turnovers created a game...this is NOT a typo.

One would think with a turnover number so high...there would be a lot of fouls. Not so. Once once this year has a UK player fouled out. UK also finds their way to the line. They are averaging 26.7 free throws a contest and making 16.8..which is a less than spectacular 63%.

Offensively, the Lady Cats are distributing the ball very, very well. Amber Smith and A'dia Mathies are the leaders here. UK averages 17 assists per game. With a heavy guard lineup - sometimes starting four guards a game- they can move and shoot the ball rapidly. They've been scoring a lot of points and their smallest margin of victory has been 18. Their shooting can take a night off, though...failures to convert on layups and around the rim. 

Adia Mathies played her high school
ball at Iroquois High School.

To prepare for this game, Louisville head coach Jeff Walz will take Louisville, KY native and Iroquois High School guard A'dia Mathies heavily into account. The junior entered the season as the leading returning scorer with 16.3 ppg.  The Lady Cards will have to take A'dia out of the game offensively to take home a win.

Keyla Snowden is another talented UK guard. The senior comes off the bench and can put up big-time numbers when she's hot. Sophomore center Samantha Drake is also putting up some respectable numbers. Meagan Conwright, Kastine Evans and Bria Goss are also serious scoring threats. The firepower is there. Containing UK's guards will be Louisville's biggest challenge. Like Louisville, they're deep in that department, so stopping them will be no small feat.

Of the UK freshmen, Bria Goss is the most touted. From Indianapolis, she was Indiana's Miss Basketball in 2011 and was the Indiana Gatorade Player of the Year. Azia Bishop has tremendous ability and unbelievable potential. Bra'Shey Ali rounds out the freshman class and is a combo guard that head coach Matthew Mitchell states is the most aggressive ball defender on the team.

Samantha Drake played at Nelson County

What appears to be the greatest weakness for the Lady Cats, presently, is the inside game. They are young in this area and currently do not have a great deal of depth. Drake usually gets the nod at center...but admittedly needs to work on her strength and finishing around the rim. Drake is 6'3" and averages 8.6 grabs per game. She is the only true center currently on the roster. Mitchell speaks very highly of freshman Azia Bishop and the potential there. She could be a very good paint player as she adjusts to the college game and logs more minutes. The Cats will greatly benefit when Walker joins the team for the SEC schedule. Exploiting the current lack of depth in the paint will be a key to victories over the Cats by Louisville and other opponents. 

Jenny put a lot of time and research
into her breakdown of UK. Good job!

Kentucky has had decisive victories every game this season. They have been putting up big offensive numbers and the margin of victory large. They force an incredible amount of turnovers. Their effort this year, so far, has been very good and deserves respect. That being said, they haven't played a top ranked team yet. Louisville will be the first top-10 opponent UK has faced this year. Additionally, they have not faced the rigors or stress of playing back-to-back away games. Their only away game was at Morehead, about an hour from the UK Campus. A soft schedule, good results and they'll face numerous challenges from the road-tested, multi-talented Lady Cards.

I will share my thoughts on how Louisville wins this top-ten matchup and Battle for the Bluegrass tomorrow. Stay tuned!

-Jenny O' Bryan, CARDINAL COUPLE correspondent.

(Thanks for the informative and detailed information of "our next non-conference opponent", Jenny!  After reading Jenny's comprehensive report, I feel like I could go suit up and shut down the UK offensive attack. Okay, maybe a bad idea...)

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In case you are unable to attend Sunday, here's the TV info we have. FOX SPORTS SOUTH will have the broadcast. Here's the channel information we have here in the Louisville area.

Insight: Channel 70 or 35-8 for those without a box

DirecTV: Channel 646

Dish: Channel 420

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The year was 2007. Mickie DeMoss had resigned as UK head women's basketball coach and Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart needed to move quickly to quiet the buzz surrounding UK women's basketball and speculation about the successor. Turns out his answer and hire were about an hour away on I-64 East...Morehead State head coach Matthew Mitchell.

The UK WBB squad now plays their home games
(for the most part) in 9,000 seat Memorial Coliseum.
Unless it's Duke...who UK may even hate more
than the Cards. Christian Laettner, anyone?

Mitchell was no stranger to the program. He had been an assistant under DeMoss at UK before accepting the Eagles' job. The job was his if he wanted it, and he did.

In his first year as Lady Wildcats skipper, he coached the team to a 17-16 record. They finished fourth in the SEC with a 8-6 performance. He drew 10,000 into Rupp Arena to watch his team play Angel McCoughtry and the Lady Cards...Louisville winning their fourth straight in the series...a Cardinal team coached by a young, first year coach named Jeff Walz. Later in the season, he got the Lady Kats to the semifinals of the SEC Tournament and won two games in the WNIT before bowing out to eventual champ Marquette.

2008-09 was about the same. A 16-16 mark, another loss to Louisville, this time in Freedom Hall...another trip to the WNIT and a second round loss. He was building the program his way, though...utilizing his "winning tools" philosophy - honesty, hard work and discipline. 

Mitchell is in his 5th year
as UK WBB head coach.

In 2009-10, the philosophy and the rebuilding paid off. Mitchell was named SEC Coach of the Year and his Lady Kats posted a 28-8 record and 2nd place finish in the SEC. A powerful but undersized center named Victoria Dunlap and lightning-quick guard out of Louisville named A'dia Mathies had the Kats rolling and they made it to the NCAA Tournament. They blew out a hobbled Jeff Walz Lady Cards team in Memorial Coliseum by 34 points.

Last year, the Lady Kats returned to the "Big Dance" and complied a 25-9 mark and second place finish in the SEC. They were the #4 seed in their NCAA Region and advanced to the second round. They were handled by a fired up Louisville team in a sold-out, 22,152 attending KFC YUM! Arena crowd by 26 points during the regular season...an all-time high attendance figure for Lady Cards basketball.  

Mitchell is 7-0 this year and he's fourth on the all-time list of winning-ist UK women's basketball head coaches with a record of 92-49. His team is fast and talented, they score early and often and the game Sunday will be a fun chess match to watch between two brilliant strategists. Even though the Lady Kats have been "filling up on creme puffs" so far this year...they'll be pumped up to sit down for a full-course meal with the Cards.
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mickidemosswastheheadcoachatukforfouryearsandtookthecatstothencaatournamentonceduringhertimetheresheisnowanassistantattennesseresumingthejobshelefttocometouk