Monday Cardinal Couple -- Cards defeat St. John

MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

(Game report...Louisville lost to Notre Dame 83-59 in the BIG EAST women's tournament semi-finals tonight. Shoni Schimmel had 20 in a losing effort for the Cards. Louisville trailed by six at the half, but Notre Dame blew out to a 31-point lead in the second half. Louisville did draw within 18 late against the Irish reserves. Jenny will have much more in the TUESDAY edition of CARDINAL COUPLE.)


-HAMMONDS 22 points, 11 boards lead Cards to semis

-Softball crushes Illinois State on final day of Classic

-DAY 3 Big East Tournament recap.

If you listened to the Saturday broadcast of CARDINAL COUPLE radio, we laid it out for you. Paulie predicted  that Sara Hammond would step up big for Louisville against St. John's.

www.crescenthillradio.com


Sara, if you were listening...thanks for making me look like a "stinkin' genius". The 6'2" sophomore from Mt. Vernon, KY had her highest point total of her career and recorded a double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds in Louisville seven-point win 62-55.

A win that should have been a double-digit win...why Bria Smith fouls on a three-point attempt with Louisville up by ten is subject to federal investigation...and a game that early on looked like Louisville was playing St. Matthews' Community Center, not St. John's.

The Cards, behind the efforts of "The Hammer" hit five of their first six shots and led early 15-2. Then, just as inexplicably portrayed against Syracuse last week, the ball went out of the air for Louisville and Shenneika Smith and the Red Storm went from a cold front to a tornado warning...outscoring Louisville 22-6 to lead at halftime 24-21.

Louisville missed a glaring 24 of 27 shots after the streaking start and a head-scratching 0-11 from beyond three point range.

The Cards kept it loose and light in the locker room at halftime, though...according to post-game comments by associate coach Stephanie Norman. Louisville regained the lead in the final twenty minutes when Shoni Schimmel (scoreless in the first half) drained a three to make it 32-30 Cards. Right after that Hammond converted on a hoop and free throw and Louisville was on its way to the win.

Bonita was not the ref for the game. Dennis DeMayo
did just as inadequate job, though.

St. John's didn't go away, staying within anywhere from 2-5 points and it was 54-50 after a pair of Nadirah McKenith free throws and 3:11 to go. Louisville got the next four points, though...and the Red Storm never threatened the rest of the way.

McKenith basically took herself out of the game with 54 seconds to go...slamming her head into Sara Hammond during a defensive double-team by the Cards. She remained on the court, in obvious pain and also probably caught up in the emotions of the loss to Louisville and had to be helped to the locker room. She had injured a leg the night before against Seton Hall and was noticeably hobbling at times in the Louisville game. Tough way for the sparkling St. John's senior to go out.

Whether St. John's (18-12) has done enough to earn an NCAA bid remains to be seen. They did win seven out of eight down the stretch and they are hosting NCAA First and Second round action like Louisville.

Big efforts by senior Monique Reid inside and Bria Smith defensively down the stretch as the Cards go to 24-7 and will face Notre Dame tonight.

We wish the Cards the best of luck in this very tough matchup. Hopefully, the Bulls gored the Irish enough to soften them up for Louisville.

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Cardinal Softball continues to hit everything in sight, romping Illinois State 9-3 Sunday to go 20-3 on the season.

Alicja Wolny opened the scoring for Louisville with her sixth round-tripper of the season...off that poor, battered scoreboard in left that's become a favorite punching bag for Louisville batters...and the Cards led 1-0 after an inning.

After a ISU score, Louisville made it 3-1 in the third when Katire Keller tripled and scored on a throwing error. Wolny drew a walk and reached home on a Maggie Ruckenbrod double.

ISU got a run in the fifth to make it 3-2 but Louisville countered in the bottom half of the inning when Wolny was walked again, Chrisanna Roberts came in to run for her and scored on another Ruckenbrod double. Ruck came to the place also when Hannah Kiyohara singled and it was 5-2 Cards.

UofL produced four more runs in the sixth. Keller led off with a walk, Jordan Trimble doubled and Wolny got another base on balls to load the bases. That set the stage for another Ruckenbrod double to clear the bags and make it 8-2. Kiyohara singled home Ruckenbrod and it was 9-2 Louisville.

Caralisa Connell got the win to go to 12-2 on the year...pitching four innings. Rachel LeCoq got her second save of the year with three innings of relief.

Louisville hosts WKU on Tuesday with a 5:30 start time.

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DAY 3 of the BIG EAST Tournament saw the top seeds advance to the semifinals.

-Notre Dame prevailed in a 75-66 win over USF. The Irish put four players in double figures in a closer than expected win of the never-say-die Bulls.

-Connecticut demolished DePaul 94-61 to advance to tonight's action. Breanna Stewart's 21 was one of five Huskies in double figures.

-Syracuse held off Villanova 61-56 to earn the right to face UConn. Kayla Alexander went off for 34 points for "Q" and company. Nova leading scorer Laura Sweeney did not play...concussion suffered against Georgetown kept her out.

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CARDINAL COUPLE Pick 'Em Contest still has...eight entries that are "perfect" or 11-0. CARDINAL COUPLE staffers consists of three of the eight in Jenny, Quentin Voigt and Sonja! Those left with a fighting chance below:

11-0  Quentin Voigt, Jenny O, Sonja, PDX Phil, Curtis F, Allen H, Nick B and Andrea S.

10-1 Perry S, K. Starks, Carol W, Sally K, Micha L, Andy L and Matthew Mitchell for Governor.

Other Cardinal Couple staffers...not so good. Jeff McAdams and Paulie are 9-2, Sandy Walker, Timmy the Intern & Bill The Goat 8-3, David Watson 7-4, CoCo 2-9 and the Staff Chimps 1-10.

Three games left. Good luck!

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Speaking of tournaments, have you purchased your NCAA Round 1 and 2 tickets forLouisville's apperance at the KFC YUM! Center? If not, what are you waiting for? Go to www.gocards.com and get in on the action!

Louisville is also a game watch party for the Selection Show March 18th. Admission is free that Monday night at the KFC YUM! Center to join the Lady Cards as they find out who their opponents will be. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the show begins at 7 p.m.

BE there!

Paulie

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Tuesday Cardinal Couple -- Cards WBB falls at Syracuse 68-57

TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-Cards "siesta" proves deadly in 11 point loss

-BIG EAST Tournament Pairings

-CARDINAL COUPLE BIG EAST Tournament Pick 'Em

Louisville women's basketball team didn't play too badly for 32 minutes against Syracuse Monday night. It was the eight-minute nap that they took offensively that was the downfall in the 68-57 loss to the Orange in Syracuse, NY.

441 fans in attendance for a matchup between two top-25 teams. Disgraceful. They should send Syracuse to the Horizon Conference instead of the ACC in women's hoops...

A Jude Schimmel steal and layup had the Cards ahead 38-37 with 14:56 to go in the game. Louisville didn't score again until a Bria Smith steal made it 53-40 Syracuse with 6:33 to go.

A 16-0 Syracuse run..where the Orange got points from five different players...and set a lead that the Cards couldn't overcome.

Louisville did try to fight back. The Cards responded with a 18-7 run over a 5:30 stretch to climb back with four at 60-56 after a off-balance, falling down Shoni Schimmel three at the 1:07 mark. Syracuse made the best out of their free throws the rest of the way to end the game on a 8-1 run.

The Cards came out hot to start the game, going on a 8-0 run after Brittany Sykes gave the Cuse the early 3-0 lead. Nita Slaughter's second three of the game put UofL ahead 8-3 at the 15:48 mark. Louisville still lead 14-11 after a Sherrone Vails jumper at the 8:51 mark. Syracuse briefly grabbed a 24-23 lead with 2:39 left in the first half...but the Cards got two Shoni threes in the final 1:25 of the first half...the final one with three seconds remaining...to give Louisville a 29-27 lead at the half.

Shoni and Sara Hammond had eight points in the first twenty, Slaughter added six, Jude with five and Sherrone Vails two for the Cards in the first half. Syracuse out-rebounded Louisville 19-17 but had 12 turnovers.

Syracuse started the second half on a 7-2 run and led 34-31 on a Sykes layup...but Jude drilled a three to tie it with 17:25 left. Jude steal and layup gave Louisville their final lead at 38-37.

Then, the rim closed for the Cards.

Shoni led all scorers with 19 points, Jude added 12 and Slaughter and Hammond ended with eight each. Smith and Denies finished with four each and Vails two points. Shelby Harper and Cortnee Walton played but did not score. Monique Reid was available but Coach Walz chose not to use her...feeling the extra rest before the BIG EAST Tournament would do her good.

Louisville lost the rebounding battle 47-34 and Syracuse enjoyed a 18-8 advantage with points-in-the-paint. Freshman Brittany Sykes and senior Kayla Alexander had 16 points each for Quentin Hillsman's Orange.

Bonita Spence...Paulie's favorite referee in the whole wide world...actually didn't do a horrible job...she only missed about a dozen calls instead of her normal 20-25. Harper and Hammond getting creamed by 'thug-girl' Kayla Alexander in the final minute...and the resulting "no calls" were moronic by Spencer. Especially the swinging of the elbows by Alexander at Hammond's face. Control your dogs, Quentin. I hope Alexander dislocates those elbows the next time she tries to get "street" in a game already decided.

Uncalled for and very poor sportsmanship.

With the win, Syracuse gets the #3 seed in the BIG EAST Tournament. Louisville gets #4 and will play next at noon on Sunday against either Cincinnati, Seton Hall or St. John's in the quarterfinals.

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Norte Dame is the #1 seed in the BIG EAST Tournament defeating UConn in three overtimes last night 97-88.

First round match ups on Friday:

Cincy plays Seton Hall
Pitt plays Marquette
Providence plays Georgetown

Second round on Saturday

#5 seed St. John gets the Cincy/Seton Hall winner
Rutgers and DePaul play each other on Saturday
Villanova gets the winner of the Pitt/Marquette game
South Florida gets the Providence/Georgetown winner.

Sunday action

Louisville against Cincy, Seton Hall or St. John's
Notre Dame against Rutgers or DePaul
UConn faces Pitt, Marquette or Villanova
Syracuse draws Georgetown, Providence or South Florida.

The semi finals will be played Monday night and finals Tuesday night at the XL Center in Hartford.

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CARDINAL COUPLE once again proudly presents the BIG EAST Tournament Pick 'Em Contest. At stake, a $25 CHILI'S gift card to the winner! 14 games in all, pick the winner for each and take the prize.

Here's Bill the Goat's bracket as an example.

SETON HALL over Cincy. PITT over Marquette. GEORGETOWN over Providence in first day action.

SETON HALL over St. John's. RUTGERS over DePaul.
VILLANOVA over Pitt . SOUTH FLORIDA over Georgetown in the second day of games.

LOUISVILLE over Seton Hall. NORTE DAME over Rutgers.
CONNECTICUT over Villanova. SOUTH FLORIDA over Syracuse in the quarterfinals.

LOUISVILLE over Notre Dame. CONNECTICUT over South Florida in the semifinals.

LOUISVILLE defeats Connecticut in the finals.

Another way is:

Seton Hall, Pitt, Georgetown
Seton Hall, Rutgers, Villanova, South Florida
Louisville, Notre Dame, Connecticut, South Florida
Louisville, Connecticut
Louisville


14 games played, 14 winners picked. (No one said Bill knows anything about basketball...BTW.)

Send your picks to cardinalcouple@insightbb.com or you can leave them in the comments section of any of the articles this week.

-- Entries close at noon Friday. Be sure to give us a name and e-mail or phone # to contact you by...if you win.

We'll try to find a decent bracket set up and post it Tuesday or Wednesday. Good luck and may the best prognosticator win!

Download the BIG EAST Women's Tournament Bracket at:

www.bigeast.org/wbb

-Paulie





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Monday Cardinal Couple -- Softball fells LSU , Hoops ends regular season tonight

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MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

- LeCoq closes door on Tigers

- Syracuse vs. Louisville in WBB tonight


The start was shaky for the #15 Louisville softball team Sunday in the Citrus Classic but the end result successful as the Cards defeat #11 LSU 6-2.

Starter Caralisa Connell was having "one of those afternoons" ...loading the bags with three straight walks in the second inning. A wild pitch made it 2-0 LSU and a fourth base on balls loaded the bases again with two outs.

Exit Connell, enter Rachel LeCoq. End LSU threat with a strike out.

Louisville responded in the top of the third against LSU pitcher Rachelle Fico. Katie Keller singled and reached home on a Alicja Wolny double. Maggie Ruckenbrod's base hit plated Wolny and the Cards had tied the game.

UofL took the lead in the fifth inning, Keller scoring after receiving a base on balls and scoring on a Ruckenbrod fielders' choice.

The Cardinals increased the lead to 5-2 with a couple of runs in the sixth. Hannan Kiyohara singled and scored with two outs on a Jennifer Esteban hit. Esteban got greeted at home as well when Keller delivered a single.

Maggie Ruckenbrod delivered an insurance run in the final inning with a bomber over the left field fence to make it 6-2...her first home run of the season.

LeCoq (7-1) with the clutch relief performance...holding LSU to just three hits and no runs in 5.1 innings. The Cards produced 11 hits total.

"This was a great day for Louisville softball. I thought our team did a tremendous job and really came ready to play. A big key to our win was Rachel LeCoq shutting down LSU. I also thought we had great offense throughout the game." said Sandy Pearsall after the triumph.

Jordan Trimble has been sick and did not play. Jasmine Smithson-Willett has been battling a stress fracture but saw limited action. Hoping two of my favorite players on the team can get back to full time participation soon.

Louisville returns to Ulmer Stadium for the Red and Black Classic March 8-10. A good group of opponents coming in to play...Michigan, Miami (OH), Austin Peay and Illinois State.

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After a triple overtime loss Saturday to Villanova, no one could blame the Syracuse women's basketball team for looking for a little redemption tonight against Louisville. Although an NCAA bid appears to be a certain thing for the #22 Orange, who are 22-6 overall and 10-5 in the BIG EAST, the chance for a "double bye" in the upcoming BIG EAST Tournament hinges on a win over Louisville tonight.

Quentin Hillsman isn't a confident man.

" I worry about it every day. I'd be worried if we beat Villanova because we've been on both ends. We're not in that room with that little S-curve thing they talk about...Hopefully we come out Monday and have some legs left after this and win this Louisville game."

The Orange have an RPI of 46 and could fall no further than 6th with a loss to Louisville. The prevailing sentiment is that the NCAA will take eight BIG EAST teams...
(Connecticut, Notre Dame, Louisville, St. John's, Syracuse, South Florida, DePaul and Villanova.)...but a 'Cuse win would guarantee a nicer seeding...since SU has lost their last three games.

Louisville is guaranteed a top four finish and double bye in the BIG EAST Tournament regardless of how they do...they own the tie-breaker over St. John's if they end up at 11-5 in conference each.

The players that the Cards have to worry about? It begins in the paint with Kayla Alexander, the 6'5" do-it-all center. She and forward Carmen Tyson-Thomas had 22 points and 11 rebounds each against 'Nova Saturday.

Head Coach Quentin Hillsman will be active on the
sidelines tonight.

Guards Brittany Sykes and LaShay Taft are big-time ballers that will challenge the Cards. Elashier Hall a talented player who scores well in the 'Cuse offensive set. Rachel Coffey a great shooter who is also tough defensively.

Louisville has their work cut out for them. The Cards will need to go toe-to-toe with the aggressive, physical, chip-on-their-shoulder Orange and if Louisville can get the three-ball working (Laura Sweeney from Villanova blasted the 'Cuse from the deep Saturday) the Cards chances for success go up dramatically.

Game time 9 p.m. on the CBSSN network.

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Burke's big bombs blast Syracuse into submission in 89-62 Louisville win.

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GAME REPORT

-Burke's 28 points, eight 3-pointers spark Lady Cards to 27 point win over Orange.

Becky Burke's eyes light up and a big smile crosses her face when she hears the term "2-3 zone".

She responded Saturday afternoon in the KFC YUM! Center in front of 12374 rabid fans with eight three pointers and Louisville set a new school record with 18 total threes in the 89-62 Lady Cards win over Syracuse. Burke tied the individual player record of eight threes and Louisville surpassed the previous team record of 14...set against Xavier last year and Memphis in 2006. Four Cardinals reached double figures in the Louisville win and the Lady Cards shot a sizzling 50% from the field.

Cards come out to an amped-up
and appreciative UofL crowd.

Louisville led 51-40 at halftime, hitting 9 of 16 three attempts in the first twenty minutes.

A much needed today against a solid BIG EAST foe.

STARTERS:  Burke, Vails, Taylor, Smith and Shoni

Young cheerleaders fire up the UofL crowd.

This one actually got off to a weird but successful start for Louisville when Shoni Schimmel went to the foul line and hit two free throws before the opening tip. The reason? Syracuse did not turn in their starting lineup to the official scorer 10 minutes before tip-off. Failure to do so is what is called an administrative technical foul and the opposing team gets two free throws. 

Watching the young ones perform throughout the
game during timeouts was just as fun as watching the game.

When actual play started Syracuse actually scored first in regulation.

Louisville then went on a 12 -0 run over the next four minutes...getting a layup from Sherrone Vails, three from Shoni and three straight layups by Asia Taylor and a free throw. It was 14-2 Louisville with 14:46 left and Syracuse had four turnovers, three fouls and three missed shots before Rachel Coffey connected 30 seconds later.

The Cards raced out to a 20-6 lead after two consecutive threes by Burke (she had missed her first two attempts). Coffey rained down a three to get Syracuse within twelve at 23-11...but the Lady Cards took off on a 10-0 run after that...getting a three from Nita Slaughter, two free throws and another three from Burke and a Shawnta Dyer score from the paint.

The Lady Cards played well in the pink uniforms...despite
Walz's reluctance to have the girls in them again. Louisville
is 1-4 in them now...all time.

It was 33-13 with eight minutes to go in the first half and the Lady Cards fans were dancing in the YUM! Center aisles.

Syracuse mounted a mini-rally to trim the Cardinal advantage to 39-23 after a Kayla Alexander jumper with 5:42 left. Sara Hammond drilled a jumper to give Louisville a 48-32 lead with 2:45 left but Syracuse would outscore the Lady Cards eight to three the remainder of the half and get within 10 before a Shoni three with 42 seconds left made it 51-38. Alexander's layup completed the first half scoring...Louisville led 51-40.

Burke led all scorers with 14 points. Shoni had 11 and Taylor 7 for the Cards. Both Slaughter and Dyer contributed six points, Hammond added five and Vails two for the Cards 51 points. All ten Cardinals available for Jeff Walz played. Bria Smith, Shelby Harper and Jude Schimmel were held scoreless.

Louisville shot 16-28 for a red-hot 57.1% and was 9 of 16 from trifectaland. The Cards led 17-15 in the rebounding battle and committed just five turnovers.

Breast cancer
survivors walked
the court at
the half.

Syracuse got 11 points from guard Rachel Coffey and 10 from towering center Kayla Alexander. Iasia Hemingway, the 'Cuse's go-to player besides Alexander was held to 0 points in 12 minutes due to the outstanding defensive efforts of Asia Taylor.

Syracuse opened the second half getting a score by Elashier Hall to get the Orange within nine points. It was the closest they would get the rest of the day. Threes from Burke, Schimmel, Burke again and Bria Smith pushed the UofL lead to 64-46 with 15:18 left. The Lady Cards tied the team three point record when Shoni knocked down her fifth of the day to make it Louisville 69 - Syracuse 52.

This 93 yr. old Syracuse
grandmother was
cheering on her Orange

(Photo from Sandy Walker)

Sara Hammond hit the record-breaking three to give Louisville a 74-54 lead. Burke's eighth three of the day came with 3:03 left and pushed the Louisville lead to 84-60.
Shoni added another three and Taylor connected on a jumper to make it 89-62 Cards. Cards win ! Cards win !

Burke's 28 points came on 9-16 shooting and two free throws. Eight threes tied the record Helen Johnson and four other Cardinals shared. It is a Lady Card individual BIG EAST record and just two behind the 10-in-a-game record this season by WVU's Taylor Palmer and GU's Sugar Rodgers.

Shoni ended up with 20 points. Hammond and Taylor finished with 12 each. Slaughter and Dyer added six points each, Bria Smith good for three points and Vails two. No points for Harper or Jude.

The 18 three's came from Burke (8), Shoni (6), Nita (2) and one each from Smith and Hammond. Taylor popped a shot late that looked like it was behind the line but the official signalled two. Burke had a chance to get a ninth three but missed with 3:22 to go. Louisville did not attempt any more after that until Shoni's with 42 seconds left and a Shoni miss at the buzzer.

Syracuse got 20 points from Kayla Alexander and 11 each from Elashier Hall and Rachel Coffey. Iasia Hemingway finished with just two points on 0-4 shooting and 2-2 from the line in 29 minutes.

The Cards won the rebouning battle 34-33. Louisville committed just 11 turnovers...Syracuse 19.

Playing time for Louisville consisted of 38 minutes from Burke, 33 for Shoni, 29 for Asia, Nita saw 23..as did Vails.
Hammond logged 19 minutes, Bria 16, Dyer 10. Jude seven and Shelby two.

Louisville goes to 18-7, 7-5 with the victory. Syracuse is now 15-11, 4-8.

After the game Walz talked about the cohesion, tightness and freindship between the ten current Cardinals. He stressed that even though today was a big effort and he and the coaches were proud of the players..they'd go right back to work Sunday to get ready for the next game...a trip to Pittsburgh Tuesday.

The smile on Becky's face in the post game presser said it all. Cold shooting streak abated, at least for now. The self-assured look of confidence Asia Taylor exuded in the presser spoke volumes, too. Confident, producing and a key component. Shoni always has this little half-smile working for her unless the question posed to her is one that requires a ton of thought or is just plain silly. A smile that comes from the knowledge of just how good her game is now and how great it'll be by the time she's a senior here.

No worries or scared thoughts about being down to 10 players currently. It's a strong, hard-working, close-knit and inspired 10.

That'll be needed, along with some luck and good fortune...as Louisville races down the BIG EAST stretch with a trip to Pitt, hosting Notre Dame and DePaul and closing the season at Seton Hall.

(From Sonja...so very proud of you, Becky and all the girls today...Asia. Keep completing the job and helping to spin the wheel. You can do it! All of you can. Go take what's yours.) 

Q does the post
game radio show/

Finally, no major outbursts, fits, dramatic acting or threats of violence today from the "Q". His usual referee-instructing, non-stop chatter and constant movement for awhile...then he just sort of crouched down, took a knee and watched the onslaught.

We expect better next time. Still entertaining to watch and comical on the sidelines with those priceless facial expressions. Probably burdened with the weight of a team that can look fantastic one night and then throw a clunker the next.
That's life in the BIG EAST. Feburary rolls on...3/4th. done with the BIG EAST regular season schedule and "survive and advance or fail and fall" time for the teams.
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Lady Cards face "crossroads" against Syracuse Saturday

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FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-"Must win" scenario against the Orange for Louisville

Reeling from a three game losing streak, faced with the departure of the tallest player on the team and still suffering from the season-ending injuries of two of the best players...the University of Louisville women's basketball team finds themselves "up against" the wall as they host Syracuse on Saturday.

The last time the Lady Cards lost four or more in a row was during the injury-plagued 2009-10 season...when West Virginia, Cincinnati, Connecticut, St. John's and Pittsburgh put consecutive "L's" in the UofL win/loss column. The test against Syracuse Saturday won't be easy.

The Orange are 15-10 overall and 4-7 in BIG EAST play. Wins against Pitt, Seton Hall, Providence and USF. Losses to WVA, Rutgers, St. John's, Georgetown, Connecticut, Cincy and Notre Dame.

The main drivers of the Orange bus are Kayla Alexander and Iasia Hemingway. They've alternated as leading scorers for Quentin Hillsman's squad 17 times this season.

Iasia has been hot
lately

Hemingway was named BIG EAST Player of the Week last week for her performances against Providence (24 points on 9-13 shooting) and USF (24 points on 9-14 shooting). She also made 12 of 14 from the free throw line. Big, aggressive and a strong rebounder...she is part of a Syracuse team that leads the BIG EAST in rebounding margin. She averages 16.5 points per game. Syracuse is the top offensive rebounding team in the conference.

Alexander is a shot
blocking machine.

Alexander is another banger in the paint. She leads the Orange with 7.3 grabs a game and averages 15.0 point a contest. She's the leading shot blocker in the BIG EAST.

Others that will play...Shakeya Leary, Elashier Hall, Rachel Coffey, La'shay Taft and Carmen Tyson-Thomas...who is the third SU player averaging in double figures with 10.8 a game.

Syracuse isn't normally a three-point threat...but when they do attempt them, it's usually Coffey, Taft or Thomas. They're dead last in the BIG EAST is 3-Point FG pct. (.236) and 13th. in 3-pointers made.



The "Q" is an enertainer extrodinaire on the sidelines !

 The Orange are coached by Quentin Hillsman. He's Paul's favorite opponent sideline coach...because of the crazy, zany antics he pulls. He got so worked up two years ago in Freedom Hall that he passed out in front of the bench and the game was stopped. Two years before that, he got so enraged at the end of 78-57 Louisville win that security had to usher him off the court...fists shaking and screaming like a man who just lost his steak dinner to the family pooch. In his first visit to Louisville, it looked like he was ready to punch out little ol' Tom Collen at mid-court after the game when the Cards ripped the Orange 98-50 back in the 2006-07 season.

He is a show. We look forward to what the "Q review" has in store for us this year. He's starting his sixth season as the Orange skipper and is 133-75 there.

Louisville is 4-4 lifetime against SU, Walz 1-3. Last year saw the Orange win a slow paced, slug it out affair in the Carrier Dome 53-45. Tia Gibbs had 19 against them. Hemingway and Alexander combined for 21 and graduated guard Erica Morrow led Syracuse with 17.

Louisville needs this one. A loss drops them to 6-6 in the BIG EAST. With DePaul and Notre Dame still to be played...and probable losses for Louisville...gotta get wins in the KFC YUM! Center. Syracuse is very beatable, but the Lady Cards must shoot much better than they did against Geno and the Huskies.

Get ready to rumble !

Game time is 2 p.m. Looks like it'll be a knock down, slug it out affair. Bring your mouthpiece, gloves and trainer. Maybe we can get Michael Buffer to do the player introductions instead of Sean Moth.  "Mr T". and Rocky can be the halftime show. Bring a friend to fight with and they get in free. OK. Dress 'em out and tip it up. Touch gloves in the center of the ring and come out swinging. It's either going to be the Cards road back to redemption or another boulder on what's been a rocky path in Februrary.
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BIG EAST goes 0-2 in the Maggie Dixon Classic

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MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-St. John's and DePaul take losses in the Maggie Dixon Classic

-BIG EAST WBB results from Saturday.

New York, New York and Madison Square Garden were the hosts for the Maggie Dixon Women's Basketball Classic Sunday. The BIG EAST went 0 for 2 in the double-header...DePaul falling to the #7 Tennessee Vols and St John's on the short end of the score vs. #1 Baylor. 

Baylor got off to a slow start against the Johnnies in the first game...actually trailing at halftime for the first time this season...to Kim Barnes Arico's St. John's squad. The second half proved to be a little better for Kim Mulkey and the top-ranked Baylor Bears..after surviving an early second half 4-0 run from the Red Storm...they went on a 18-3 spurt to take control of the contest and pulled away for a 73-59 victory.

All-American Brittany Griner helped lead the surge, with 17 points and 13 rebounds for the top ranked Bears and Brooklyn Pope impressed with 19 points and eight grabs. Griner was held to just three shots in the first twenty minutes but found her game and the Bears overcame 1-12 three point shooting to secure the victory. 

St. John's suffered a potentially serious setback when starting guard Nadirah McKenith went to the floor with a leg injury with six minutes remaining. 

"I thought the kids seemed a little too excited at the half. I wanted them to be excited but I knew we had twenty more minutes and I knew they (BAYLOR) were going to make a run. They just wore us down." -- St. John head coach Kim Barnes Arico. 

Eugenei McPherson had 23 points for the Red Storm in a losing effort.


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Game two of the classic featured Pat Summit's Lady Vols against Doug Bruno's DePaul Blue Demons. Tennessee withstood a second half DePaul run that cut it to four at 43-39 with a 13-4 run of their own to lead 56-43 with 11 minutes to go. The Vols rolled to a 84-61 victory...Shekinna Stricklen gathering 12 points and Alicia Manning with 12 points and 12 boards to guide Tennessee. Jasmine Perry's 16 points and Keisha Hampton's 14 paced the Blue Demons. 

The Vols travel to #11 Rutgers Tuesday night and then take off to the West Coast to tangle with UCLA and #4 Stanford. 

Tennessee's Pat Summitt was honored with the Maggie Dixon Courage award. 


"I think when you see the impact Pat's had and when you go out and see fans wearing 'We Back Pat' shirts..it was exciting to see Pat get this award. We all know what Maggie Dixon stood for. Pat has a tremendous following and always will. She's preached to our kids being a woman first an self-sufficient." --Lady Vols associate coach Holly Warrick.

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BIG EAST action from Saturday saw the conference go 7-1 in non-conference action.

--Notre Dame used their withering defense to subdue Purdue for their sixth straight win 66-38. Natalie Novosel poured in 17 for the Irish.

--Louisville ran past Gardner Webb 92-27. Nita Slaughter showing the way with 23 points and Louisville forced 36 Bulldog turnovers.

--Villanova (8-2) had a 52-46 win over the St. Joseph Red Hawks. Laura Sweeney with the hot hand...totaling 18 points in the win.

--Marquette (6-5) took care of Iona 93-44. Katherine Plouffe leading the Golden Eagles squad with 20 points.

--Pittsburgh (5-5) took care of Valpariso 65-56 and takes on the Indiana Hoosiers next. 

(Another chance to use one of our
favorite pics...of Syracuse head
coach Quentin Hillsman.)

--Syracuse (7-3) held off Coppin State 56-50 for Quentin Hillsman. Closer than expected

--West Virginia rolled over the North Florida Ospreys 86-30. Ho-hum. Pass the cupcakes.

--Cincinnati (6-2) took to the road and suffered the only Saturday BIG EAST loss...falling short at Marshall 55-47. The Bearcats host Louisville on Wednesday.

(In the only other BIG EAST women's basketball game Sunday, the Georgetown Hoyas overcame a shaky first half against George Washington University to win 59-50. The Hoyas were up by only two 22-20 after the first twenty minutes.)
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Cards fall at Syracuse 53-45

THURSDAY at C.C.

-Poor shooting, lack of rebounding sink Cards at Carrier Dome.

-From the locker room.

-Breakdown of the game and numbers.

-Golf finishes 13th in Palos Verdes

-Women's swimming leading in BIG EAST Championships after Day 1.

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The Lady Cards overcame a seven point deficit late in the second half to tie the contest 45-45 at the 3:25 media timeout in the second half...but Syracuse free throw shooting was clutch down the final stretch for the Orange. Tia Gibbs had 16 for the Cards in the losing effort.
Shelby Harper, pictured here, gave the Cards some good minutes off the bench for the second game in a row,

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Louisville gained the early lead against Syracuse and led 9-7 after a Monique Reid jumper with 11;54 to go in the first half. The Orange then ran off a 12-0 run the next six minutes to go up 19-9 before Becky Burke hit a shot inside to stop the bleeding with 5:53 left. Five different Syracuse players scored in the run and Louisville could not score against the aggressive Syracuse 2-3 zone.

The Cards would rally, though, over the final 3:17 of the half...erasing a 23-11 Orange lead to make it 23-19 at halftime...getting two 3 -pointers from Tia Gibbs in a 8-0 run to cut the margin to four at the break.

Louisville went 8-33 in the first half for an embarrassing 22.4% and 3-15 from 3-point range. Shoni Schimmel was 1-12 from the field and 1-8 from beyond the arc. Gibbs led the Cards with eight after twenty minutes.

The Cards fell behind 28-21 early in the second half before going on a 10-5 run that cut it to 33-31 Syracuse with 13:02 to go. Asia Taylor had six of the Cards points in the rally. A few minutes later a Burke 3 made it 35-34. Louisville stayed within one until a 6-0 'Cuse run made it 43-36 after a Morrow three. Once again, though...the Cards responded...a 7-0 run keyed by two Gibbs baskets tied the game with 5:08 on the clock and a Burke jumper in the lane made it 45-45 right before the media timeout and 3:25 left.

The Cards failed to score after that...Syracuse getting six of their final eight points from the line as Louisville fouled trying to regain ball possession.

Louisville (16-10) ended 16-58 from the field (27.8%). What is amazing about this is that Schimmel went 1-17, Reid 3-12 and Burke 3-10. Syracuse out-rebounded Louisville 51-33 and Erica Morrow led them with 17 points.

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WALZ on the loss...

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"It's effort. We gave up 19 offensive boards to West Virginia also. Unfortunately, that's my fault. I've got to try to get our mentality changed...but, we won. We beat West Virginia. So the players are like...'What's the big deal? It doesn't matter, Coach...it's all right.' I told them that Syracuse had not beat a team if a team holds them to under 14 offensive rebounds. Under 14. So, I told them that under 14 rebounds and you're going to win this game. There's no pride. No pride. It's a tie score and we get beat on a free throw line box out. Then, we're going to make up an excuse that my line partner didn't pinch. You've got to have some toughness...it's just unfortunately an embarrassing effort for us when it mattered. Four minutes left in the game and you've got to come up with some plays. We don't come up with them."

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On 4 of 29 shooting by Reid and Schimmel:

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"I talked to Shoni at halftime. In the first half she's 1-12 and she took that one shot, a fade away on the baseline that was not a good shot. The rest of the shots she took were within the offense, ball got reversed, she had her feet set...you know, it's a difficult place to come in here and shoot sometimes. We tried to get in here and get as much shooting as we could...with all the distance there is behind the baskets and you're shooting in the dome. In the second half, I didn't think she took bad shots either....I don't worry about those shots...it's the hook shots we're trying to shoot in the paint. We've been telling them for two weeks..don't shoot that. It's a bad shot and it doesn't go in...but we're not willing to learn from it. They keep doing it and then they look over like what's wrong with that shot. It's frustrating."

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On Tia Gibbs spark at the end of the first half:

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"We came out of the media timeout...with 3:17 left and I told them that we just need to make a little run and we're going to be OK....and I told them...if you'll do what I ask you to do, we'll win this game. One of the things I asked them to do in the locker room is rebound. We had held them to seven offensive rebounds in the first half. Give up twelve in the second that leads to 21 second chance points. It's impossible to win a basketball game if you're not dedicated and physical enough to box out. Unfortunately, we're not right now. But...Tia drills two 3's and those were clutch shots. I was proud of her for that."

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On Gibbs leaving late in the game...limping:

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"She justed twisted her ankle. She's fine. We'll get back home, get treatment in the morning before class for her, get to class and get back and practice because we've got to go on the road to South Florida next. "

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Louisville had their worst shooting night of the season with the 27.6% effort. You can't win games with 5-26 3-point efforts or 16-58 from the field. Was it a case of intimidation from the aggressive 2-3 Syracuse zone...or poor shooting sightlines present in the cavernous Carrier Dome? We like the fact that the cards did go 8-10 from the foul line...but Syracuse cashed in on their much more plentiful attempts at the line (14-24) late. No bias here...the Cards had to foul late to retain possession...and Kayla Alexander did Louisville a favor by missing five straight late in the game.

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The Louisville starters combined for 36 of the Cards anemic 45 points...Gibbs with 16, Reid 7, Taylor 6, Hines 4 and Schimmel 3. Burke came off the bench for 7 and Vails produced 2 in 14 minutes. Harper, Tay and Slaughter all played but failed to score. The four Louisville freshmen that played were good for only five points last night.

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We hate the stat that Reid, Schimmel and Burke were a combined 7 for 39 for the game...but Louisville was still in this thing with 3:17 to go. They simply disappeared on offense at the end and Syracuse hit their free throws. Louisville had Hines foul out, Taylor gathered four and Schimmel and Gibbs ended with three each.

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Louisville got pounded on the boards...51-33. Hines had seven for Louisville and Reid 6. Walz mentioned it in the post game and Liz Sherwood, who filled in for Paul Sanderford on the broadcast last night, kept saying throughout the game that Louisville was not blocking out. It's a basic feature of the game that players are taught ion the grade school level. Keep the opponent away from the basket. Unlike Walz, we think Louisville has the talent and strength to accomplish it...it's a matter of desire and going back to the fundamentals...then following through when the lights come on and the crowd files in.

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1343 announced in the Dome last night for the game...a little higher than we expected. The radio feed was next to the Louisville bench and you could hear Walz most of the game shouting out instructions and talking to the referees. Anyone who questions Walz ability as a coach needs to reconsider. No one works harder than him on the sidelines...calling out plays, situations, sets and mixing in personal comments to the players...all while carrying on a sometimes comical and slightly "R" rated dialogue with the officials. Quentin Hillsman, head Syracuse coach, was rather tame in comparison to some of the antics he's pulled in the past in this series. One bull rush to mid-court to contest a call...but no fainting, fighting or fall-de-rah. Maybe "Q" has mellowed...

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Liz Sherwood does a passable job as color commentator...still needs to get rid of the "yeah's" and "you knows" that plague our society in public speaking...but for a graduate assistant...we give her a passing grade. She understands the game, knows what Louisville is trying to do out there, is able to explain what goes right and wrong and why and offers solutions and observations. We'll see who is next to Kelch on the broadcast in Tampa. Early money is going on Paul Sanderford...

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The UofL womens' golf team ended their final round in the Northrop Grumann Challenge with a 313...good enough to land them in 12th. place for the three day event. Sara-Maude Juneau fired a closing day round of 71 and finished with a 222 total...placing her 11th overall. Anna-Karin Ljungstrom carded a 78 yesterday...230 total and a 34th place finish. Laura Anderson's 77 totaled her out at 243 and 57th. overall. Maria Castellanos toured the final round with a 87 and her 249 total was good for 65th. Candice Wiley took 71st. with a third day score of 90 and total of 262. Tara Lyons had a 86 and finished 65th and 249, competing as an individual.

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The Cards head to Weston, FL. beginning Feb.27th. to compete in the Sir Pizza Cards Challenge next.

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A great start in the BIG EAST Championships for the Louisville womens' swimming team in Ralph Wright Natatorium last night. Louisville is in first place with 145 points...leading Notre Dame by by 13. The Cards won both the 800-free relay and 200 medley relays. In the 800, Lindsay LaPorte(pictured right), Breann McDowell, Esther Povaszay and Sarah Andrews turned in a time of 7:11.10 to down West Virginia, who finished at 7:11.32.

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The 200 saw Kristina Brandenburg, Therese Bergstrom, Raine Thompson and Aileen Cole touched the wall first at 1:38.97. Notre Dame finished second..

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"Setting the school record in the 200 medley was really nice for this team but we have to remember that this is a seven session meet. Our women need to keep thier heads on straight and take this one swim at a time." commented head swimming coach Arthur Albiero. "From this point on, nothing is going to hinge on anything we did tonight. It will hinge on how we approach each and every swim from here on out."

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A full day of events starts this morning at 10 a.m. Thinking of popping in for a view? Better have a ticket, today is sold out. The finals are scheduled for 6 p.m.

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Big East meetings: Whistling in the dark?

NOTE TO OUR DEAR READERS AND ALL YOU INTERNET BOTS. CARDINAL COUPLE WILL BE GOING DARK FOR A FEW DAYS. THE HAMSTERS THAT POWER OUR HARD DRIVE ARE HEADED TO THE ANNUAL RODENT AND PREDATOR CONVENTION/GAMES IN TRUCKEE, CA. WE HOPE THEY RETURN...

WE'LL BE BACK (WE PROMISE) BIGGER, STRONGER, STEROID AND CAVITY FREE. IN THE MEANTIME, PLEASE AMUSE YOURSELF BY CHECKING OUT THE SITES WE RECOMMEND OVER ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE SITE. OR, ORGANIZE YOUR SOCK DRAW. SEE YOU REAL SOON AND DON'T STOP BELIEVING. SOME ONE OUT THERE JUST MIGHT MAKE IT HAPPEN FOR YOU.

PAUL, SONJA, SCOOTER, RODNEY and MAX AND BERTIE..THE WONDER HAMSTERS.

Big East commisioner John Marinatto just might be feeling like General George Custer these days. The Indians are coming...masked as the Big 10...and they've got plenty of arrows (dollars).

Big East athletic directors and coaches headed to Jacksonville early this week to converge and confab on the league and the future. If the circumstances felt eerily similar to the meeting seven years ago when the league was raided by the ACC and Miami, Va.Tech, and Boston College left...consider the future.

The Big East will likely be raided by another war party in the future. This tribe is called the Big 10 and they are considering the scalps of Pittsburgh, Rutgers, UConn, Syracuse and Notre Dame. Although a snatch and grab of all these schools is unlikely, defection by two or more could have the grim reaper walking down the Big East sidewalk.

And, as it is so often anymore...it's all about the Benjamins. The green stuff. The coffer fillers. Member schools in the Big 10 fare much better financially than their Big East associates. The ESPN package is worth a bilion dollars. The Big East...well, not nearly as much.

We deal with women's sports here at CARDINAL COUPLE. A Big East defection will rock the men's basketball and football programs the most. But, consider Big East women's basketball without say...a UConn or Rutgers. Big East softball missing a Notre Dame or the league's tournament champion Syracuse? Track and field and swimming without the strong prescence of the Irish and the Orange? (As far as Pitt goes...don't let the door hit you in the backside on the way out. When's the last time Pitt won anything of consequence except for the Dave Wannstadt lottery?)High on the hill...staring down on what is definitely a pro sports town...Pittsburgh is the only away football tailgate trip I've ever been to where the NFL leather jackets and team jersey logos outnumbered the college team's.

When the battle begins, the Big East will return the favor and go shopping for replacements. It's hard to buy a Camry when you've been driving a Lexus but there are schools that are probably on the addition list.

Depending on the extent of pilfering, these schools would seem to rank as the (3) logical contenders to change affilitations and conference logos.

1) Memphis. The scorned lover back when the Big East expanded last time...the folks down on Beale Street still have an upside this time around. Strong TV market. Successful men's basketball program. A football stadium that can hold 70,000 fans. And Graceland. Ribs and Mud Island. Casinos nearby.

2) East Carolina. They love their football in Greenville and if football is the transmission to the Big East vehicle...you could do a lot worse by adding the Pirates to the drive train. Basketball...well, mediocre basketball teams in the Big East are a dime a dozen (see Rutgers, Seton Hall, South Florida. OK, you get the picture.) Adding another is a moot point at this juncture.

3) Central Florida. Media, media and location. Successes in football and a desire to grow. They are considered by some sources the "Louisville of the late ninties" a university on the verge of exploding into national prominence and growth. Whether they have a Tom Jurich type at the controls flying the athletic department plane is uncertain...but AD's are susceptible to career changes. Ask Wood Selig.

You may differ with these prognosticated picks. The Big 10 may decide schools like Missouri or Bellarmine are more lucrative. Aliens could land tomorrow and return Barack Obama to the mothership. But, something's going to happen down the road and, as usual...he who displays the most marbles usually wins the game. We'll see who the Big 10 adds to their pillage sack.

C. Viv Stringer and Geno Auriemma playing Northwestern and Illinois instead of Louisville and DePaul? It just could happen...