Tuesday Cardinal Couple -- UT next UofL

GAME REPORT -- GAME REPORT -- GAME WON!

Guess who is headed to the FInal Four in New Orleans?

Your LADY CARDS! Louisville defeats Tennessee 86-78 in Oklahoma City tonight to gain a Sunday 6:30 p.m. berth against Cal. Shoni and Jude Schimmel spectacular at the end!

Jenny O'Bryan with much more later...but it's Lou Orleans again in 2013!

UofL...they never believed they couldn't. And, they did.

They've ruined the prom. They're the unvited party guest. And Coach Walz loves it.

Shoni with 25, Jude with 15 and Mo...god bless Mo...32 minutes and 13 points. Five in double figures as Louisville led by 15 at the half...20 in the second half and saw that lead drop to three with 4:28 left in the second half. A determined UT effort falling short due to the Schimmel(s) wizardry, Mo and Jude's free throws and grit, determination and refusing to lose. As Coach Walz says...it's all about the kids...but given enough time...I honestly believe he could devise a plan to end world hunger, erase the national debt and clear the streets of crime.

Kim Mulkey, how do you like us now?

-Paulie

"We ruined the entire party. We're the ugly ducklings that ruined the party. No one gave us a chance and we shocked everybody. It's a journe and we're going to continue."

-- Jeff Walz



TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-Talented Tennessee next for Walz's Wonderkids



So...how do you send the Volunteers home after putting the Bears into hibernation? Unlike Baylor, which had two definable targets in Griner and Sims, Tennessee has seven players who can potentially be game-changers and make an opponent pay.

Meghan Simmons (who Cardinal fans may remember from her breakout performance in the KFC YUM! Center the last time UT came to town) leads Tennessee in scoring with 17.0 points a game. The flashy, quick guard also is UT's leading three-point threat...with 65 out of 177 trifectas on the season.  Bashaara Graves is next in line, averaging 13.2 ppg and a team-leading 8.0 boards per game. Veteran Taber Spani provides the Vols with 10.8 points a night and is also a long-range threat with 47 of 124 threes in 34 games. Isabelle Harrison works the paint for 9.5 ppg a game and is second in missed shot collecting with 7.6 grabs.

It doesn't stop there. Cierra Burdick's numbers are 8.5 and 6.8 a night. Ariel Massengale adds 8.1 ppg and is 34 for 95 from the deep. Kamiko Williams rounds out the "magnificent seven" with 7.2 points a contest.

It is a team built by Pat Summit but one that has prospered under first year head coach, long time assistant Holly Warlick. UT is 27-7 on the year, a questionable loss to Chattanooga early in the season...a stumble to Missouri but somewhat understandable defeats from Kentucky, Stanford, Baylor, Notre Dame and Texas A&M. 

Louisville will need to have another superlative night from long range and play overall great defense against a Vols squad that can come at you in waves.

We know not what game plan Jeff Walz has come up with but you can rest assured it is one that will give Louisville a fighting chance. Tennessee is a team that can basically get their scoring from anywhere on the court and the speedy Simmons is a magician at making slow to react defenses pay.

It should be another thriller in Oklahoma City tonight. Will defeated Baylor fans hang around to throw their vocal support to the "Red" or the "Orange"? Can the Cards keep the wonderfully wild and world-stunning triumphs coming?

We'll be back tonight with post-game recaps and analysis.

They are Tennessee, but she is Shoni Schimmel...and has nine believing teammates ready to head to New Orleans. Confident and hopefully not suffering from an elation-hangover after shocking the women's college basketball world.

Let's just hope Holly doesn't have a wardrobe malfunction...

Link for Cards presser from Monday below:

Pre-Tennessee presser

-Paulie

--

Friday Cardinal Couple -- Who's afraid of the Big, Bad Bears?

FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-David Watson takes a look at Baylor WBB

-Softball doubleheader Friday.

(David Watson guides us into an exciting weekend of college basketball with his 'only David would write this' review of Baylor. Love him or hate him, he makes you think. Of what, we're not exactly sure...)

So, who's afraid of the Big, Bad Baylor Bears? I was humming that nursery song about the three pigs (Calipari, Coach K. and Tom Crean) and the big, bad wolf (NCAA sanctions) but thinking about the Baylor women's basketball team. 74-1 over the last two years. A two-point loss to Standford early this season. Everyone else since that game has had to pay, and pay dearly, for the blemish on the prom queen's snozzzola. Afraid? I'm terrified of them. I think they could beat a lot of lower ranked men's DI teams. Maybe half the teams in the WNBA. Definitely the pick-up team I played on a few year's back at the YMCA.

It all begins with Griner. She's a flat-liner if you try and spend much time trying to figure out how to stop her. Because you can't. 6'8" and coordinated, which is a rarity in most of the 6'5" and overs that are in women's college basketball. I firmly believe you could put Cardinal Couple's Jenny, Sandy, Paulie and Jeff on a team with her and compete for the NCAA title. No, I'm not coming off the bench, either. She makes the players around her good, not saying that Odyssey Sims was horrible before she got to Baylor -- she wasn't -- but there is a strength, security and confidence level that permeates a player when they know they are on the court with the best in the business.

I give Kim Mulkey a lot of credit for the successes of the Big, Bad Bears, too. She knows the game, had a fantastic career when she played and knows how to use Griner. Knows how to compliment her with players that will reap and sow benefits from sharing court-time with the 6'8" powerhouse. You may ask yourself if coaches like Walz, Auriemma, McGraw, VanderVeer and Mitchell wouldn't have the same success? We'll never know -- but Griner went to Baylor and Waco for a reason. It probably wasn't for the barbecue and the view.

Jeff Walz has a daunting task ahead of him. Daunting but one with no pressure. You see, no one expects Louisville to beat the Bears. His task is to shock the world. At least the women's college basketball world. How does he do this? I have a few thoughts on that:

1) Keep Griner off the court. The easiest way to do that (short of a restraining order) is get her in foul trouble early. The Cards do have a few player who take a charge well and can fake it admirably. Griner on the bench is a good thing -- unless you're a Baylor fan.

2) Limit her touches. That means keeping her teammates from getting the ball to her. Which means hard-nose pressure on the guards who deliver the orange orb and blocking out on shots that are taken. A double-team on her has it's pluses and minuses. A deliberate offense when you have the ball can back-fire ( see Louisville vs. Kentucky). Aggressive defense is a good start. Sidearms and electric prods wouldn't hurt.

3) Prevent the runs. I know, there is a stomach bug going around and that isn't what I'm referring to -- it's a case of not letting Baylor rattle off eight or ten points in a row. Which means your offense needs to be "on". Hopefully Shoni, Nita, Bria, Mo, Sara and Jude will bring their "A" game offensively to Oklahoma City. 4-17 shooting won't cut it.

In any event, it's a great honor and accomplishment that the Cards have gotten this far. You know the maladies and setbacks UofL has had to endure this season. I'll watch, I'll cheer and I'll hope for the best. Hurry up, Sunday. The natives are restless. There are Bears in the distance.

-David Watson

( David has offered his services as a ref and/or scorekeeper for this game. Last we heard, the NCAA had not returned his e-mails. The TV timeouts would reach record numbers if he were to draw either assignment...)

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Louisville softball plunges into BIG EAST softball action today with a double-header against Syracuse that begins at 2 p.m. at Ulmer Stadium. #11 UofL is 26-5 on the season and comes off a split in two games against #1 Oklahoma.

Offensive leaders Taner Fowler, Katie Keller, Alicja Wolny and Maggie Ruckenbrod are probably overjoyed at the prospects of facing a Orange team that won't have Jenna Caira in the pitching circle for them. The 'Cuse has won the last six meetings between the teams but is off to a 11-14 start this season. Last time out the Orange swept Harvard in a double header. They do have a win over #4 California in their resume.

Here's hoping for a "Good Carl" performance or two on Friday and Saturday. The weather looks promising, get out to Ulmer and root on your Lady Cards!

Friday's first game is on TV...WHAS 11.2 and the accompanying Insight/Comcast channels will show it.

Brian U'Sellis (he of the world's most interesting man-type beard) and Patty Norton will provide the play-by-play and color analysis. They didn't ask me, Jeff or Jenny to don the headsets and grab the microphones. Probably for a good reason and a wise decision. Maybe we can do live lacrosse coverage.  

-Paulie

--

Cards face hot Boilermakers in NCAA WBB 2nd round

TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


-Boilermakers on a win streak as they face UofL

-Caralisa Connell named BIG EAST Softball pitcher of week.

Quentin Voigt with the preview of tonight's Louisville v Purdue NCAA Women's Tournament 2nd round game. GOOD SEATS IN THE END ZONES ARE AVAILABLE FOR JUST $5 FOR THIS GAME. COME TO THE YUM! and GET YOUR TICKETS AT THE BOX OFFICE. THIS IS THE NCAA, FOLKS!


The Purdue Boilermakers have won five in a row coming into tonight's game and six out of their last seven. They are purported to be a tough-nosed team. Purdue brings a 25-8 record into the contest. They were 10-6 in BIG TEN regular season games but came on strong to win the conference tournament.

Coach Sharon Versyp is in her seventh year as Boilermaker boss and her success has been note-worthy. She has had 17 All-BIG TEN performers, three players on the All-BIG TEN Freshman team, six BIG TEN All-Defensive team selections, 11 BIG TEN All-Tournament players (three of then MOP's) and three WNBA draft picks. Just as importantly, 32 of her players have been named Academic All-BIG TEN members, including Lauren Minton -- a Rhodes Scholar finalist.

The 2012-13 team is loaded with talent, including all five of their starters. Leading scorer is 5'6" guard Courtney Moore at 13.5 ppg. 6'2" paint specialist Drey Mingo averages 12.3 ppg and 5'6" guard K.M Houser adds 11.4 a game. 6'2" Sam Osterrella contributes 9.7 ppg and 6'2" Taylor Manual is good for 8.1 ppg. Osterella grabs 10 boards a game and Mingo adds 6 per contest.

Purdue averages 68 ppg, creates 16.1 assists and gets 8.1 steal a night. Losses of note -- UConn 91-57, Notre Dame 74-47, Iowa 62-46, Penn State 69-61, Michigan State 68-61. They also fell to lowly Indiana 62-61.

The Lady Cards chances are good...but they would certainly be boosted by a YUM! Center full of rowdy fans. Louisville needs to ride the momentum of the final 10 minutes against MTSU and play as a unit with the single-minded goal to win.

-Quentin Voigt

<><><><><><><><><><><><><>><><><><><><><>

The Purdue team I saw dismantle Liberty does a lot of things well. They crash the boards hard, block out well and Moore had a spectacular scoring performance against the over-matched Liberty Flames. With three 6'2" starters, it'll be interesting to see if Walz stays with his previous starting lineup of Shoni, Bria, Sara, Sherrone and Nita.

The three keys I see to a Cardinal win are another double-digit performance from the "Sho and Mo" show, Vails giving a solid 20 minutes and the Cards hitting 70% or better from the foul line. The Boilermakers should provide Louisville plenty of free throw chances. The Cards must capitalize.

Versyp will probably try to come up with a game plan to limit Shoni's effectiveness. If she does, it'll be up to Smith, Mo, Sara and Nita to step it up. If Nita can find that three-point efficiency she displayed prior to the BIG EAST Tournament...Purdue will have to drop the "stop Shoni" scenario.

I see the Cards advancing to the Sweet Sixteen with a hard-fought 69-63 win. Not that it matters, but a lot of Cards fans were surprised that Purdue got the #4 seed and Louisville the #5 in the region.

Time to start up the redemption train engine again.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>><><><><><><><><>

Congrats to Cardinal softball pitcher Caralisa Connell for being selected the BIG EAST Softball Pitcher of the week. She punished both Iowa and Oklahoma last week and held the batters she face to a meager .171 batting average.

Louisville entertains Syracuse this weekend at Ulmer. A Friday doubleheader that starts at 2 p.m. and single game Saturday at noon.

The Cards are #11 in the nation and 26-5 on the season.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>><><><><><><><>

We'll update the CARDINAL COUPLE Pick 'Em challenge in Wednesday's column...after all the second round games have been completed. Like I care. I'm so far behind the leaders...I think I'm in the lead.

Paulie

Cards WBB advances to Tuesday night with 74-49 win.

MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-All's well that ends well in CARDS Four Act Play

-Lacrosse tumbles to Hoyas 14-11

-Pick 'Em Results

You could almost call the UofL women's basketball 25-point win over MTSU Sunday afternoon a play of sorts Just call me Paulie the Playwright and listen to my tale of gladness and woe... we'll call this little tale..

On to 32.

Act I :  The Rise of the Empire

Louisville absolutely roared out of the castle and bounced out to a 20-3 lead in the the first 6:37 of the first half. Beginning with Vails and Hammond pounding the backboard for points inside and ending with Reid, Shoni and Smith hitting a varying array of jumpers and layups, the Cards looked like they were playing Middle School Tennessee instead of MTSU and Reid layup capped a 16-0 run with 13:23 left in the first half.

All cylinders were clicking and the Blue Raiders looked blue and absolutely raided. It was a delight to watch.

Act II : Sailing Along while the Enemy Forces plot Revenge.

The Cards maintained the lead in varying numbers for the rest of the first half...anywhere from seven to sixteen points as the scoring effort remained balanced and Louisville had their way inside when MTSU played defense MTSU did rally to climb within eight with 4:49 on the clock -- a Kortni Jones jumper dong the trick to make it 26-18-- but Louisville looked to be headed into the locker room up by double digits before a Reid shot met rejection from Ebony Rowe and Kortni Jones drilled a three off the rebound to make it 34-27 at the half.

The Cards were still in command..but the countryside was rumbling with a bit of trepidation, worry and wonder. The Empire was showing a few cracks in the armor and the Blue Raiders were narrowing the gap

Act III : The Empires Stumbles 


MTSU came out on fire in the second half and drilled two threes in the first 3:12 to cut the once-safe UofL lead to one at 34-33. Over the next five minutes that narrow UofL advantage would fluctuate from one to five points...a three from reserve Laken Leonard cut the Cardinal lead to 42-40 with 10:23 remaining. It looked like the Cards had been driven into the ropes and pummeled but were refusing to go to the canvas.

MTSU had momentum, a loud and rowdy fan base in the southwest corner of the KFC YUM! Center was roaring and Louisville needed some answers fast.

Act IV : Riding the Redemption Train to Tuesday

The UofL resurgance began quietly enough. Shoni hits a contested jumper at the 10 minute mark and sinks the accompanying free throw as well. A missed MTSU attempt leads to a Smith jumper that tickles the nets and both the Schimmel sisters take the stage after that. Shoni's steal and layup increases the lead to nine and Jude's three-bomb makes it 52-40 in just a 90 second span.

There was fire and determination again in the Lady Cards' eyes and the MTSU fans in sections 101-103 could have avoided additional agony by accessing the exits after Vails' jumper made it 56-42 with 7:01 to go.

The Blue Raiders were vanquished invaders. Reid inside made it 64-44 with 4:30 left and when Rowe finally hit a layup with 3:55 on the clock...the Cards were on a 24-6 run and the only question left was how big would the win margin be.

Rowe added another inside score for the Raiders final tally to cut the Louisville lead to 21 at 70-49 with 2:24 in the game. Free throws from Vails, Shelby Harper and a Jude Schimmel lay-in off a steal with 1:15 left provided the final score of 74-49.

WIth the win, Louisville gets Purdue Tuesday night in the KFC YUM! Center at appox. 7 p.m.

Mo goes for two. Photo by Charlie Springer. See his site
at www.uoflcardgame.com

Shoni had 20 on 9-15 shooting in 36 minutes. Monique Reid added 15 on 7 of 11 attempts. Jude Schimmel (11 points) and Bria Smith (10 points) also finished in double figures.

Hats off to Sherrone Vails also for a strong 21 minutes and nine points. She and Sara Hammond seemed to be favorite whistle stops for Dee Kanter's crew...each seeing bench time with three fouls.

Coach Walz couldn't find too much to complain about in the post game presser. Happy for the win and pleased to be playing Tuesday, he wished free throw shooting and missed layup opportunities would have been better.  For a man on the eve of destruction and tournament elimination, he engineered a remarkable rally and...as he has said before...any win is a good one.

This was a good one. Not great. Frittering away a 13 point lead ito one over a six minute period spanning two halves has to be a bit of cause for concern. This time of year, though...what doesn't kill you means you're alive to fight another day.

Purdue awaits. They shackled Liberty earlier Sunday on Denny Crum's Court. The battle should be a good one.

How's the competition stack up? Sandy Walker (yes, she's still out there, folks) sends this link on Team Performance Index.

UPS Team Performance Index

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>><><

While the WBB Cards were heating up the KFC YUM! Center, Louisville lacrosse was in the cold battling BIG EAST opponent Georgetown in Washington, D.C. The results weren't as good for the Cross Gals...losing 14-11 to the # 8 in the nation Hoyas.

Kaylin Morissete had a career high five goals in the loss for Louisville.

Down 3-0 early, UofL battled back to 3-2 with two unassisted scores by Morissette. Georgetown fired back, though, and went up 6-3 before Monica Negron found paydirt to get Louisville to within two with 14:15 remaining in the first half.

Nikki Boltja and Coleen O'Malley followed suit, benefitting from assists from Katie Oliverio over the next two minutes and Louisville tied the match with 12:12 to go.

Georgetown went on a 3-0 run to regain the three goal advantage but the Cards weren't done...Oliverio netted her first score of the game and Morissette went back-to-back with scores...her fourth of the game coming with three seconds on the clock to tie the contest 9-9 for the halftime break.

The Hoyas took their turn at scoring to start the second half. Three GU scores in the first ten minutes had them ahead 12-9. Morissette responded with 15:53 left with a net-finder and Nikki Boltja got her second tally with 12 minutes remaining to draw the Cards within one at 12-11.

Unforutnately, that was the end of the Cardinal scoring and G'Town added two insurance goals to take the 14-11 win.

The long road trip finally ends. Louisville returns home for a pair of BIG EAST matchup. Notre Dame visits after spring break for a Friday, April 5th. match at 5 p.m. The Cards will also host Marquette Sunday April 7th., at noon.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>><><><><><><>

Whoo, boy! We got us a contest going on over here at the COUPLE in our Bracket Pick 'Em Contest! With 32 games played, we got nine players that are 28-4 OR BETTER!

Here's the honor roll:

30-2 Nell J.

29-3 Jeff McAdams, Jenny O. ( both Cardinal Couple columnists! ) Keith B. and Andy K.

28-4 Curtis F. Matthew M., Steve O. and Kenny S.

Jenny and Jeff in a four-way tie for second

There are also at 27-5 and 26-6...so the game is far from over.

Meanwhile, in 'Loserville' (bracket-wise)...Paul sits at 23-9, Sonja at 24-8 and David Watson is keeping her company there. Worst entry? Once again the Cardinal Staff Chimps have come up with a bracket that is at 4-28. They did get the #1 seeds right in the first round. After that, nada. They've also got three of the #1 seeds going out in the second round. Darn chimps!

Paulie

--

Saturday Cardinal Couple -- Lacrosse falls at Loyola

SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-Lacrosse loses at Loyola

-Rowing ranked #18

-Worrell, Kylliainen with top 10 finishes in NCAA

-Softball heads to Oklahoma

-CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

cardinalcouple@insightbb.com

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

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

NO REASON TO DELAY! Get that entry in pronto!

Paulie


--

Wednesday Cardinal Couple -- Tournament and Softball

WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

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

-Softball Cards defeat Iowa 6-4

A picture of a bracket

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

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

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

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

OKLAHOMA CITY REGION

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

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

SPOKANE REGION

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

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

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

NORFOLK REGION

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

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

BRIDGEPORT REGION

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

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

FINAL FOUR

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

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

cardinalcouple@insightbb.com

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

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



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

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

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

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

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

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

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

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

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

Paulie

--

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

TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

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

Fans waiting for Lady Cards autographs!

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

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

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

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

Shelby Harper signs for the fans

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

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

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

Bouncies for the kids!

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

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

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

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

Allie ready to celebrate after face-painting

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

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

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

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

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

 

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> 

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

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

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

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> 

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

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

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

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> 

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

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

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

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

--