Tay ruled ineligible for Fall semester

TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE:


SPECIAL CARDINAL COUPLE REPORT:

-Charmaine Tay ruled ineligible for Fall Semester.

-Getting to know...Cierra Warren

Tough news for Lady Cards fans...sophomore guard Charmaine Tay has been ruled academically ineligible for the fall semester at UofL. She failed to meet the academic requirements the NCAA holds for freshmen.

WE noticed that she did not dress for the Lindsey Wilson scrimmage on Sunday. A question posed to a University of Louisville spokesperson returned an answer that she "had some work to do" in the classroom.

Tay did not accompany the Cards this summer when they visited Oregon and Canada. She was on campus taking classes.

Jeff Walz comments on the situation:

"This is disappointing for all of us, including Charmaine. She has fallen short on her academic responsibilities and is aware of what needs to be done in order to improve her academic standing with the university and our basketball program. At the same time, we feel that this could be a positive learning experience for her." 

Tay was a reserve guard on the 2010-11 team who stepped into prominence late in the season. Her 11-point performance against Xavier in the 3rd round of the NCAA Tournament late in the game secured the win over the Musketeers. 

Louisville has a wealth of guard talent on the current team. Shelby Harper, Jude Schimmel, Shoni Schimmel, Bria Smith, Becky Burke and Tia Gibbs all looked good against Lindsey Wilson. 

(Parts of this article are re posted from the UofL Sports website and Cardinal Sports and Howie Lindsey.)

For the best daily coverage on men's sports at UofL check out http://www.cardinalsports.com/ today! To keep up on the Cards, check out http://www.uoflsports.com/

We also recommend Charlie Springer's daily observations over at UofL Card Game. http://www.uoflcardgame.com/ Charlie is kinda "daddy" to us...we cut our journalistic teeth over at Card Game and he still lets Paul write about football from time to time. Bold man, that Charlie...

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We love this collage of CI...created by Charlie
Springer, of UofL Card Game fame.

After Cierra Warren's assault on the Lindsey Wilson front line Sunday afternoon in the KFC YUM! Center, we've had several e-mails wondering where the sophomore center has been hiding the last year. The 6'4" Rancho Cucamongo, CA. native had to sit out the 2010-11 season due to NCAA transfer rules. That didn't stop her from punishing Cardinals Keisha Hines, Sherrone Vails and Asia Taylor in practices, though. Those of us who saw her play predicted great things for her in 2011-12. So far, so good.

The college odyssey began for Cierra two years ago when she decided to take North Carolina up on a scholarship offer and headed to Chapel Hill to play for Sylvia Hatchell.  She appeared in 31 games in the 2009-10 season, averaging 4.2 points per game and 2.6 rebounds in 9.6 minutes per contest. The paint was packed at UNC and Cierra was looking for more time on the court.

Jeff Walz knew of her, tried to recruit her when she was a senior at Los Osos High School, and showed interest when she was ready to transfer. Here's a few fun facts about the dominant paint prowler that you may have not known:

The talent I would most like to have:
Juggle

My goal for this season:
Play and win in Denver

I model my game after:
Kobe Bryant

My nickname:
CI

Something about you that would surprise people?
Both my parents are short.

WE'LL look forward to watching "42" work in the paint this season and help lead the Lady Cards to win after win. From what WE'VE seen so far, we'll say:

"Si, Si...CI, CI !"


nochoiceisachoice

Looking at the NCAA Tournaments ahead...

WEDNESDAY @ CARDINAL COUPLE:

-Who will win the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament?

-How will Pitino's Cards fare in the Men's Tournament?

-The Side Line Reporters Tournament down to eight.

Can't bear to watch as your bracket picks fall apart on opening day of the NCAA Tournaments? Fear not, the staff of CARDINAL COUPLE is here to help you pick winners and blow the competition away with your prowess, skill and foresight. Yeah, right...Anyway, we have some observations on both tournaments. Not your thing? Go do Sudoku or stand on your head in the hallway. Bye, bye...now. Take care, then. Close the door behind you...we're talking hoops here today.

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The standard observation from many when looking at the NCAA Women's Tournament is that it is basically a four team event with UConn holding a slight advantage. WE won't deny that Baylor, Stanford, UConn and Tennessee are the prohibitive favorites to roll out of their regional game unscathed and gather in Indy...but, just for the fun of it...WE'RE going to offer (4) teams that might spike the punch and break up the party.

-Notre Dame. The Irish are well balanced, disciplined and shoot well. They ended up in Tennessee's region...who we feel is the weakest of the four top seeds. Wouldn't surprise us if Muffett McGraw's Irish end up in Indy..they do face the possibility of facing always dangerous Oklahoma in the Sweet Sixteen, though.

-DePaul. The 3rd best team in the BIG EAST, which means they probably would have won just about any other conference title out there. Bruno's Demons can turn up the "d" and have skill and depth at guard...which is important this time of year. Tough luck ending up in UConn's region and they do have a probable tilt with Duke in the Sweet Sixteen. Don't dismiss DePaul.

-Xavier. They can rebound with anyone and score inside at will. Their path to the regional finals starts at home, too. A pesky Louisville team, who they beat earlier in the year might try to stumble them up on the way to Seattle, and Kentucky or Stanford might challenge them for a Final Four berth. We can see them marching a long way..if Louisville doesn't whip them.

-Kentucky. Yeah, the Wildcats. Some say that Victoria Dunlap is...pound for pound, inch for inch...the best player in women's college hoops. Whether she can gather a few 'Cats around her and make a run in the regionals is speculative...but if they get by Stanford in the Sweet Sixteen, look out Indy.

David Watson weighs in on the women:

If it is to be the #1 seeds advancing to Indy, then so be it. They've done a good job beating up on each other during the regular season. Stanford beats UConn, UConn beats Baylor, Tennessee wins over Stanford, Baylor beats Tennessee. I will concede that the road to Indy looks like these four schools. I will not rule out, though, that upsets could develop. Here's four potential games that could send one or more of the "fabulous four" home early and grumbling.

-West Virginia vs. Baylor. Mike Carey's Mountaineers are a solid, battling bunch. It's Liz Repella's senior year (finally). Madina Ali is a boards monster. This is one worth watching.

-Stanford vs. UNC. I'm picking the Tar Heels to send UK home and meet up with Tara Vanderveer's Cardinal. UNC plays in argueably the second best conference in WBB. Hmmm.

-Notre Dame vs. Tennessee. The Irish have about 30 weapons on their squad. They could get tripped up by Miami or Oklahoma on their march to the Great Eight. If not, beware Vols.

-Connecticut vs. DePaul. I know, the Huskies handled them in the regular season. DePaul has to find a way past Duke to see Geno again. Bruno vs. Geno. Make it so. UConn isn't that deep.

Whatever transpires on the road to Indy, the fate of Louisville should be determined in Cincinnati. If they can get past a dangerous Vanderbilt team (#10 seed is way too low for them) and find a way to beat Xavier on Xavier's court, then pencil the Cards in for a Great Eight date with Stanford. Even better, hope that Kentucky beats Stanford and it is Cats vs. Cards for a Final Four slot. You gotta believe. You gotta want it. I'll be at the Final Four waiting to see the Cardinal Bird and the Lady Cards. I might even sell Paul my other ticket.

Maybe he'll send Sonja instead. Ooh-rah!

(David Watson has absolutely NO chance of spending a weekend in Indy with my wife. I, however, would probably go if he promises to take me somewhere other than Wendy's to eat and works in a trip to Broad Ripple...)

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So, how far do you have Louisville going in the NCAA Men's Tournament? It's a popular debate around the taverns and office spaces as tournament time gets closer. We looked at the three CARDINAL COUPLE staff bracket selections we have so far...(Paul, Sonja and David) and came up with some interesting differences. Bill the Goat, Co-Co and Tommy Boy haven't made their picks public yet. We're pretty sure Bill has eaten his already, Co-Co stole my selections and is trying to sell them on E-bay and Tommy Boy probably won't have a bracket sheet. After all, tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day and he won't even be cognizant that basketball is being played...

-Paul has a feeling about Pitino's bunch this year and has them winning then whole thing. Remember, this is Paul were talking about and he hasn't won a bracket contest (or finished in the top twenty) since Nixon was President. His final four is: North Carolina, Duke, Pittsburgh and Louisville. The Cards and Duke in the final. What was that old Aerosmith song? Dream On, Dream On...Still, you gotta admire the lad's spirit and loyalty. We like the fact that Rick starts out with More Head. (groan.)

-Sonja is a bit more logical. She takes Kansas to the championship. Her Cardinals are bowing out to the Rock, Chalk, Jayhawks after beating Morehead and Richmond. The Sonja Final Four is: Connecticut, Ohio State, Kansas and Pittsburgh. Kansas holding off UConn in the final game. She's busy packing as we speak to go to San Antonio...where she's sure the Cards will be on March 25th. Love that Riverwalk!!! (Hope she likes Greyhound, too. I'm not driving her there.)

-David is a BIG EAST fan...we all know that. His Final Four of Louisville, Pittsburgh, Connecticut and West Virginia, though, is simply ridiculous. He has the Cardinals falling to the Huskies in the championship. This one is suitable for bird cage liner...David also picked Belmont over Wisconsin, Akron over Notre Dame, St. Peter's over Purdue and Memphis over Arizona. Sometimes, we wonder about the boy...

We went to a site called the Blindfold Bracket and did a sheet. This is where you're not given the name of the team but a descripton of them, their strengths and weakness and such. It's a lot of fun and based on what we filled out there...we came up with a final four of Ohio St., San Diego State, Florida and Notre Dame. Notre Dame beating San Diego State in the final. You can try it at http://www.wsj.com/ It's the Wall Street Journal's web site and you have the scroll down a bit to find it...but click it and see how you do...A second try gave us Kansas, Texas, Ohio State and Wisconsin...with Kansas the Champ. HOO-BOY!

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Andrea Kramer blew past Rebecca Lobo in the final match of the first round in the Sideline Reporters Tournament. Lobo claimed foul and limped back to the UConn locker room. That means we're down to the GREAT EIGHT. Your matchups are: Erin Andrews vs. Heather Cox, Tony Siragusa vs. Allison Williams, Alex Flanagan vs. Pam Oliver and Eamon McAnaney vs. Andrea Kramer. We're going to give the contestants a few days off and continue the matches on Tuesday.

(Heather Cox, pictured here...will have her hands full with a tough Great Eight matchup against the Queen of Sideline Reporters Erin Andrews. We think 'Cox can post up inside, though and score.' (SMH). Action resumes Tuesday, March, 22nd. )

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Louisville advances to quarterfinals 69-47 over Villanova

Cards handle Wildcats to meet Notre Dame Sunday

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Monique Reid has 12 points and 13 rebounds as Louisville breezes past Villanova in second round play by 22 in the BIG EAST Women's Tournament in the XL Center in Hartford, CT.

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The Cards struggled early against the Wildcats and actually trailed five minutes into the game before Shoni Schimmel went on a eight point run to put Louisville ahead to stay 14-7 halfway thru the first half. Schimmel would finish with 13 points in 22 minutes for Jeff Walz's Lady Cards.

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Louisville had no trouble after that Schimmel outburst and took a 33-18 lead into the locker room at half-time. The Cards went on a 17-3 run to break a 9-7 contest out to a 26-10 lead over a five minute stretch. Schimmel had eight first half points and Reid seven.

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The Cards started the final half with a 10-o run to go up 43-18 when Tia Gibbs nailed a three with 18:10 remaining. Louisville would lead 55-26 at the 12:45 mark. Jeff Walz substituted freely after that...all 12 Cardinals saw action tonight and 11 scored.

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Louisville held a big advantage on the boards over the Wildcats 48-24 and made seven threes against the Wildcats. The Cards will face Notre Dame Sunday at 8 p.m.

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Cardinals 68 - DePaul 55. Quotes and Review

THURSDAY FROM CARDINAL COUPLE:

-Breaking down the victory

-Post game quotes

The Cards meet at half court following the huge win over DePaul Wednesday night in the KFC YUM Center. Louisville improves to 9-5 in BIG EAST play with the win and is now all but assured an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament with the upset of the #7 Blue Demons.

Louisville held Doug Bruno's squad to 34.5% shooting for the game (19-55) and only 25% from beyond the arc. (4-16). The Cards also out-rebounded the Blue Demons 38-30. Shoni Schimmel grabbed nine boards for 'the Ville', followed by Monique Reid with seven and Sherrone Vails adding six...all on the defensive end. DePaul and Louisville tied with 26 points in the paint but the Blue Demons did win the points off turnovers battle 22-14.

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The Cards forced Doug Bruno's squad into 20 turnovers (Sam Quigley with 4) and only committed 19 (Reid 6). Louisville dished out 14 assists (Schimmel 6) and DePaul ended up with 12 (Keisha Hampton 4). Louisville swiped 10 steals from the Blue Demons (Schimmel 3) while the visitors could only produce six from the Cards (Hampton and Katherine Harry 2 each). The Blue Demons did capture the 2nd chance points 12-4 but Louisville's defense held DePaul to zero fast break points and the Cards scored four on the runouts...

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Reid's 28 points were her second highest output of the season...29 against Pitt being her top point total. Schimmel added 11, Becky Burke 10 and Keisha Hines netted 8 before fouling out.

Tia Gibbs finished with 4, Antonita Slaughter sank a key three for her three points and both Asia Taylor and Shelby Harper had two points...all from the foul line. Vails gave the Cards 13 minutes of quality relief but did not score. The Cards went 6-16 from three point area...Schimmel 3-5, Burke 2-4 and Slaughter 1-1. Harper (0-2) and Gibbs (0-4) were the other Cards attempting trifectas.

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After a fairly 'whistle free' first half, Dennis DeMayo and his crew...especially Jennifer Rezac...got busy and callled 25 fouls in the second stanza for a game total of 40...21 on DePaul and 19 on the Ville. Both Hines and Gibbs went to the bench with five each, Reid collected three and Harper two. Taylor, Schimmel, Vails and Slaughter received one each. DePaul lost Felicia Chester with five, Hampton and Taylor Pikes collected four each.

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Nine Cardinals played in the contest...Schimmel on the court for 36 minutes. Reid logged 34 minutes, Gibbs 30, Hines 29, Burke 24 and Harper 22. Vails had 13 minutes off the bench and starter Taylor just eight. Slaughter saw four minutes on the floor. Rachel Story, Charmaine Tay and Polly Harrington dressed for the game but did not play. Point guard Sam Quigley for DePaul played 39 of the 40 minutes but Louisville held her to six points on 2-10 shooting, two assists. one steal and got her to cough it up four times.

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Obviously...defense got it done for Louisville last night but WE also look at the Cards excellent effort from the free throw line as another key factor in the win. The Cards shot 20-22 from the stripe. Reid went 8-8, Burke was 4-4 and Taylor and Schimmel 2-2. Hines ended 2-3 and so did Harper for the only Louisville misses. 90.9% is the Louisville high for the season from the line. DePaul shot 13-21 for a lower than average 61.9% for them.

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The Louisville freshmen produced 14 of the Cards 68 points...11 from Schimmel and 3 from Slaughter. 13 of the 38 rebounds and the three who played shot 4-13 from the field. No word on why Tay never saw action last night.

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FROM THE MEDIA INTERVIEW ROOM:

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Reid on containing DePaul point guard Sam Quigley:

"We just tried to stay in front of her and know where she was on the court. We knew she was their leader."

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Schimmel on NCAA chances with the win:

"This game was a key for us because it allows us to keep in the mix and continue to just go out there and keep running and it help us. Whatever we do, we just want to keep winning because it just helps us get a better seed...in the BIG EAST and the NCAA Tournament."

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Schimmel on the timeout discussion with the score 57-50 and 3:50 to go:

"He (Walz) just told us to go out there and execute the plays he wanted us to execute. To get down and defend people and that's exactly what we did...defend people and our offense came back. He was telling us what plays to run and it helped us right then and there. We worked on the double screens all week and it helped us tonight."

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(Jeff Walz had a slightly different version of what he said during the timeout...telling Paul that he probably couldn't put into print what he said during the break. Walz, suffering from upper respiratory problems last night, did not let the illness keep him from being vocal, demonstrative and active...but you could tell in the post game pressure he was feeling bad and ready to go home and rest.)

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Reid on Walz's words of advice:

"He told us to play them at their own game. They knew the double team, so we ran it and then kicked it out to our shooters and we were driving. We had success all night with it. We were well prepared for this game."

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Reid on the practices before the game and what was stressed:

"Defense and rebounding. Definitely, definitely. We held them to 11 offensive rebounds which is a big step for us because we've struggled with rebounding. We did a really good job with it. Defensively, we've been picking it up. We had a little struggle at Syracuse but we have definitely improved in practice."

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Reid on knocking off five ranked teams this year and the Cards being one of the most dangerous teams in the country:

"Yeah, I think so. When we have a beauitful arena and a crowd like this as momentum...we can do a lot of big things. We have a lot of lethal weapons. Never know what to expect..a point guard that can deliver a behind the back pass, shoot it from half court. She (Schimmel) sits down and we still got a dribbler and playmaker to bring in. We got shooters and post players. I'd fear us..."

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Reid on Burke's spark in the second half:

"That was one of the things we worked on in practice. We knew it was going to happen. Inviting the double trap, coming off the screens and we knew our shooters were going to be open. We kicked to the weak side and knocked down some big shots. She (Burke) is a junior and she definitely stepped up. She knew what she had to do."

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Reid on another win on her "payback list" from last season:

"Yeah, we're just checking them off...(Laughter).

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Reid on the defensive effort...holding DePaul to a season low:

"The key was just staying in front of them and knwing where the shooters were. We worked on it all practice and like I said before...we were well-prepared for this game. We executed the game plan... we did exactly what he told us to and that is why we came out with the "W".

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Reid on a possible letdown after such a big win:

"One could say that...but we're playing in the BIG EAST..any given night any team can win. It doesn't matter who you are or what team is on your jersey, you gotta play hard every night. If we come out hard and do exactly what Coach tells us to do..execute the game plan...we'll win again. "

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Reid on the team going 20-22 from the free throw line:

(Laughter) "Yeah, it makes you feel pretty good. we have been struggling from there.

Schimmel: We are getting better. Shelby hardly misses from the free throw line but you can't make them all, I guess...but she made up for it on the defensive end."

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Reid on her several bad performances earlier in the season:

"It's basically been a battle within myself. My confidence was down for a little bit because it's no fun when you are hurt. You're limited. I rolled my ankle again in practice yesterday. Again.

But, I just have to know my game and play within myself. Lately, my confidence has been really up . I feel like if I keep continuing to go hard in practice...I'll be more productive in the game and that's exactly what I did. I had a really good practice this week and hurt ankle or hurt whatever or not I still got to come out and play hard. This team needs me and I need them."

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A video of Coach Walz's post game comments can be viewed over at http://www.uoflsports.com/

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With the win, the Cards have now held 13 straight opponents to less than 27 points in the first have in the KFC YUM Center. Tennessee is the only team to manage more than 30 in the first twenty minutes. DePaul's 20 was a season low for them in first half production and their 55 total points were a season low as well.

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Louisville's 20-22 free throw markmanship (.909) is the best total from the line for the Cards since going 6-6 vs. Vermont in 2004. It is also their highest line percentage when they've tried 10 or more free throws since a 10-11 effort against Wofford in 2001.

Louisville is 5-5 against ranked opponents this year and has forced all ten into at least 18 turnovers. The average of all ten is 21.7 per game.

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Shelby Harper picked up her first career block against DePaul....swatting away a Sam Quigley layup attempt in the first half. Antonita Slaughter drained her only three point attempt of the game and has now hit 12 of her last 20. She is 26-54 (.481) from the deep this year. Slaughter's turnover was her first since Dec. 20th. against Nebraska.

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Reid has now made 18 straight free throws with her 8-8 performance last night. She is currently in fifth place on career free throw attempts. Becky Burke has 17 in a row now after making her four attempts against the Blue Demons. Reid's 28 points marks the ninth time this year that she has reached the 20 point plateau.

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Shoni Schimmel has hit at least (1) three pointer in her last 24 games. Her streak is 4th longest in Cardinal history...one behind Sara Nord's 25 game streak in the 2003-04 season. Nord is in first place also with 36.

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BIG EAST rolls into Judgement Time

TUESDAY OBSERVATIONS @ C.C.

-High School District action begins

-The BIG EAST prospective

-Watson weighs in on DePaul

-Jackson was a sign of the times.

It's here...girls (and boys) high school district basketball time. The next several weeks will be a cornucopia of dribbling, rebounding and yelling coaches as high school basketball shifts into high gear and races to the Sweet Sixteen. Things in Jefferson County began last night with several district openers.

-Mercy had no trouble advancing to the next round...submarining Male 81-39.

-Manual took a step forward, eliminating Collegiate 60-18

Louisville signee Sara Hammond led her Rockcastle County squad to an opening night win over Pulaski County 57-24.

We'll keep an eye on these three squads..as well as Marion County...as they advance and hope ultimately to be one of the sixteen teams that will vie for the Kentucky Girls High School Basketball championship title. Manual and Mercy square off tonight...regardless of the outcome...both will advance to regional play.

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As the BIG EAST rolls into the final couple of weeks of regular season action, things are getting very tight for the battle for 4th place in conference standings. UConn, DePaul and Notre Dame have pretty much clinched the top three spots in the regular season and will get the first two days off at the BIG EAST Tournament in Hartford. Technically, if the Irish were to lose their final three games...they could slip into fourth...but we don't see them falling to Cincinnati. They may struggle against DePaul and West Virginia, but we're giving them the benefit of the doubt here. The fourth slot for double exemption remains quite a battle though. No less than seven teams are still in the hunt...Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette, Rutgers, Syracuse, West Virginia and St. John's control their fate and destiny to breath the rare and purified air of not having to play until the quarterfinals.

Of the contenders for 4th, we think Rutgers(8-5) has the best chance of sweeping the final three. They get USF and WVU in the RAC...and play Seton Hall on the road in their final. St. John's (7-6) closes out pretty easily also at Villanova and hosting Pittsburgh but at West Virginia to end the season won't be easy. There might be an argument that Louisville (8-5) could take two...Seton Hall and Providence should be Cardinal wins...but DePaul visits the KFC YUM Center Wednesday...a very tough test for the Cards. Marquette (8-5) could grab two wins also...at Providence and Cincinnati...but they have DePaul left to face also. Georgetown (8-5) is another candidate for two out of the final three..Pittsburgh and USF in the win column but hosting UConn won't go so well for them. Syracuse (7-6) is in position to notch a couple of victories against Cincinnati and Providence but ending the regular season at Connecticut looks like a loss. West Virginia (7-6) has the toughest task ahead...with Notre Dame, Rutgers and St. John's to end the year. A week of hoops to go before regular season end. Should be very interesting...

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Kayla Alexander was named BIG EAST Player of the Week and her performances against St. John's and Louisville were worthy of the honor. The Orange were 2-0 last week and Alexander averaged 19 points per game. Bria Hartley got freshman of the week honors as the Huskies keep rolling along. The BIG EAST Honor Roll names...Maya Moore, Taneisha Harrison (Pitt) Lindsay Kimmel (Nova) and Madina Ali (WVU).

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Six of the seven games on Saturday were won by visiting teams. Only UConn could hold home court safe. Also, six BIG EAST teams now have 20 wins or more on the season...Marquette joining the club by winning at Seton Hall Saturday. UConn, DePaul, Notre Dame, WVU, and Georgetown have reached the 20 win plateau also. Syracuse has 19 going into at Cincinnati tonight.

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We have no doubt that Syracuse is the best rebounding team in the BIG EAST but did you know they also lead the nation with a 15.2 rebounding margin over opponents? Advice to their remaining three opponents...don't miss many shots...

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We're going out on a limb here (what else is new?) and boldly predict that LOUISVILLE uses the incredible home court advantage that the KFC YUM Center provides and beats DePaul tomorrow night. Take no prisioners and play like champions, LADY CARDS!!

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DAVID WATSON chimes in from time to time with his unique perspectives on BIG EAST women's hoops. WE got this from him late last night...

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So who is ready for the Rumble in the YUM Wednesday Night? Jeff Walz probably hasn't had a lot of sleep over the last couple nights because the demolishing DePaul Blue Demons are headed to town and they're not stopping by just to visit the Ali Center.

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At 25-3, Doug Bruno's Windy City tornados have schooled the BIG EAST opposition with the ease of my youngest son straightening out my internet problems. Only UConn has blemished the DePaul BIG EAST slate with a 23 point pasting in Hartford. UConn does that to everyone, though, so we'll give Bruno's brawlers the benefit of the beat down.

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They do have an impressive 20 point win over Stanford this year. A Stanford team missing a key starter, mind you, but still a quality W. They attack you with a multitude of options. Cardinal fans will hear the names Quigley, Hampton, Naughton, Martin, Chester, Pikes and Harry out of Sean Moth's lips with frequency Wednesday night. I'm hoping they hear a lot of mention of Reid, Schimmel, Burke and Gibbs also.

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What does Louisville have to do to exorcise these Demons? We'll start with defense. The Cardinal effort has to be on par with the WVU effort a few days back. It cannot mirror the Syracuse nor the Georgetown blunders. They also must have a big inside game from Reid, some clutch shooting from Burke and Gibbs and, most importantly, a Shoni Schimmel who gets more points than turnovers.

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I won't be in the stands for this one. I hope I can somehow pick up the WAZOO broadcast. As much as I pay for digital, worldwide, more channels than I can name satellite coverage each month, I hope this one is floating out there in the stratosphere somewhere I can find it. I encourage you, the readers, to go. Get loud and rowdy. Clap your hands and stomp your feet. I hope you have plenty of reasons to do so.

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(David Watson can be contacted at mrwatsonipresume@insightbb.com . ) Do so at your own risk...he rambles on about stuff for hours and often loses his train of thought.

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Our sympathies go out to the family and friends of former Cardinal basketball player Troy Jackson..who died unexpectedly Sunday. Jackson, 35, may have been the biggest Cardinal to ever take the floor at Freedom Hall. He arrived on campus back in 1996 weighing in at over 500 lbs. He gave Denny Crum and Cardinal fans two years of solid and sometimes unexpected showmanship on the court in 1997 and 1998 before heading off to become a Harlem Globetrotter and play AND1 hoops. The called him 'Escalade', after the Cadillac pickup, and he had a heart as big and giving as the engine of the vehicle.

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He was the sign of the times of Louisville basketball back then...Denny Crum trying to find the spark and catalysts out there to return him to the glory days of the eighties. BJ Flynn and the famous flops. DeJuan Wheat, the unflappable guard. Alvin Sims and Beau Zach Smith...

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Jackson moved on the court with skill and precision belying his enormous size...but around young children seeking his autograph...he was a gentle and lovable family pet. Rest easy, T.J. You will be missed...

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Softball splits, Swimming and Diving wins BIG EAST

SUNDAY @ CARDINAL COUPLE:



-CARDS split in softball

-CARDS sweep BIG EAST SWIMMING Championships

-CARDS lead after 1st round of BIG EAST track CHAMPIONSHIPS

-Commentary and comments on LADY CARDS WBB win over USF.

Louisville softball split Saturday in Tuscaloosa, AL. in the 'Bama Bash...beating UT-San Antonio 2-1 and falling to Alabama 9-8.


In the first game, the Cards fell behind early to the Roadrunners when Tori Collins gave up a solo shot to Molly Fischer in the top of the second. Louisville countered with a run in the third when Jennifer Esteban reached on an error and scored on a Alicja Wolny single. The Cards scored the go ahead and final run in the fourth...getting a double from All-American Chelsea Bemis and pinch runner Tesha Payton greeting the umpire on a Maggie Ruckenbroad single.



Tori Collins turned in a solid performance on the mound for Louisville...fanning 12 and allowing only three hits in seven innings. Bemis had two hits to lead Louisville in batting.



Against Texas, Caralisa Connell got the start and Louisville gave her a 1-0 advantage in the bottom of the first when Esteban singled, moved to third on a fielding error and wild pitch and touched home on a Kristin Austin fielder's choice. The Cards pushed it out to 3-0 in the second. Jordan Trimble singled, Ruckenbrod sent her to third on a single and a Katie Keller ground out scored her. Pinch runner Katelyn Mann found the plate on a passed ball.



The Crimson Tide made it 3-1 in the top of the third but the Cards fired back with two runs in the bottom half of the inning...Chelsea Bemis drilling a right field fench clearer that scored her and Colby Wherry. Bama crawled back with a run in the top of the fourth to make it 5-2. The Tide added a run in the fifth when Jackie Traina smashed one over the center field fence off of Connell.



Louisville built a seemingly unreachable 8-3 lead in the bottom of the fifth. With two outs, Bemis walked and Trimble, Fowler and Ruckenbroad all singled to make it 7-3. Two straight bases on ball scored Fowler for a 8-3 Cardinal advantage.



Alabama came back, though, with four runs in the top of the sixth, getting a solo blast from Keima Davis and a three run shot from Cassie Reilly-Boccia to change the scoreboard 8-7 Cards. The Tide took the lead in the top of the seventh on a two run fence clearer by Davis and Louisville couldn't score in the bottom of the inning.



The Cards fall to 4-5. Collins got the loss in relief of Connell...allowing five runs and five hits in 2 pitched innings. Louisville plays UT-San Antonio Sunday @ noon for their final game in the Bash.



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Cardinal swim teams swept the BIG EAST Championships in the Ralph Wright Natatorium yesterday and head coach Arthur Alberio was named BIG EAST Coach of the Year. The ladies snapped a 14 year Notre Dame hold on the title, outpointing the Irish 820.5-655.



Therese Bergstrom finished first in the 200-breaststroke for the Cards. Aileen Cole finished a very close second in the 100-freestyle and Eszter Povazsay claimed second in the 200-backstroke. Raine Thompson swam to second in the 200-fly and the relay team of Cole, Breann McDowell, Krissie Brandenburg and Grite Apanaviciute narrowly missed in the 400-relay against the Irish by .34th of a second.



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Women's track and field has the lead after Day One in the BIG EAST Championship competition in Akron, Ohio. D'Ana McCarty won the weight throw..an event that the Cards swept the top three spots in and Charachesicia Lockhart leaped to a first place finish in the long jump.

Gabrielle Jackson is currently fourth in the pentathlon and Sarvia Richardson (2nd) and Margert Harris (4th) qualified for the 60 meter dash finals. Richardson also qualified for the 200 meter finals...finishing fifth in the qualifier. Ahlivia Spencer's 5th place put her in the 500 meter finals.
In addition to McCarty's win in the weight throw...Al-Amashi Kendall claimed second and Patrice Gates tossed for third. The UofL squad leads with 42 points...WVU follows in second with 30 and Syracuse is third at 22 points. Action continues Sunday.

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JEFF WALZ'S POST GAME COMMENTS after the win over USF:

" Well, I told the girls that we definitely wanted to send you out Jim (Kelch) with a win on your last road trip. It was the pre-game speech..it was all about Jim Kelch...We wouldn't be where we are without you and we appreciate all you've done for the last four years..."

On the win:
"Without a doubt, I was really proud of the kids. It was a win we had to have, a road game that we had to come down here and get. We played well at times today...and at times we didn't. We really were taking care of the ball until the last four minutes and then we had some crazy turnovers that we have to address...but overall I was really, really pleased about the way we played today.

On the 18 turnovers and early low percentage passing by Louisville:
"I thought we took pretty good care of the ball...I know at one point in the game Shoni had nine assists and nine turnovers...but I thought she played a really good game for us.... she had some really nice passes into the post. She goes 6-16 from the field...not a great shooting percentage...but again, she's not taking bad shots. She gets a steal and misses a layup..there could have been some contact. I thought Mo(nique Reid) played as well tonight as she's played in awhile. It's tough...I guess..for people who don't get the chance to see us play on the road..but Mo actually wanted the ball tonight, compared to Wednesday night at Syracuse...where Mo actually kind of hid. It's hard for us to get her the ball when she doesn't want it. Tonight she wanted it and did some great things with it."

On scoring depth:
"We're still trying to find one more great scorer. Tia Gibbs hits a big three there for us in the second half when they started to make a little run at us. I've got to get Becky Burke to do a little bit more than just being a spot up three point shooter for us. I need her to be able to read screens. She came off a screen, a double stacker that we set for her...she was wide open to drive it through on the curl to the basket...but she's always looking to shoot the three. I know she has the game...I've seen her do it at times...but we need to get one more player besides Monique and Shoni to be a creator."

On Keisha Hines' performance:
"She did play well. I get on Keisha sometimes because we actually throw it to her and she passes up a lot of shots. She only took five tonight. I want her to score. We need her to be a scoring threat for us... every night she could get 10 to 12 points for us and if she could do that...Mo is going to get her 16-18, Shoni's going to get 16-18 and we got to get one more to get that 8-10 each night and then we'll have four out there that everyone has to worry about.

On Walz's pregame promise to the team that a win over USF would get them Sunday off:
" I told them that it (Sunday) is an off day. I did encourage the one that did not get to play much that...I personally would get in the gym and get some shots up. That's just me. Not mandatory...it is completely an off day if you want. Like I try to tell them all, though...are you somebody that wants to play basketball, or are you a basketball player?

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We love the "basketball player" comment above by Coach Walz! Looking at the basketball played yesterday by the Lady Cards...several things stick out to us. Monique Reid's 11-15 shooting shows that she can be deadly when the Cards run the offense and work to get her open inside. Secondly, five offensive rebounds for the entire game is pitiful. Even though the Cards shot 50%...USF had 22 defensive boards. Only three Cardinals managed to grab a rebound after a Louisville missed shot. 23 chances, five second chances. Gotta improve that.

The Louisville freshmen accounted for 16 points of the 66 Louisville total...all from Schimmel. Walz did not play Charmaine Tay and there was no mention of why she didn't hit the court. Sherrone Vails saw only nine minutes on the court and Antonita Slaughter just two. Sophomore Shelby Harper had her second straight extended amount of time on the court yesterday with 10 minutes after being barely visible for most of the season. WE think Walz had her out there to harass USF leading scorer Andrea Smith. Harper did hit two free throws and get a rebound, assist and turnover while on the court. Smith ended with 16 points, slightly below her season average.

A brief appearance yesterday for starter Asia Taylor. Only 12 minutes of court time after starting each half. One shot, no points, two rebounds and fouls for the sophomore. Different approaches for different opponents we're guessing...but could have more Taylor led to more Cardinal rebounds? Four cards accounted for all but two of the Cards 27 grabs...Hines getting seven, Gibbs six, Schimmel five and Reid four. We'd never question Coach Walz's decision making...mind you. Just an observation.

An announced crowd of 683 watched the event. Not surprising, given the Bulls record and a beautiful Saturday outside in Tampa. The Bulls students are known for their catcalls directed at opposing players and harassment of officials and we could hear plenty of that going on yesterday over the radio. We'll never forget a trip to the Sun Dome several years back when we were vacationing in Florida and happened to go to a UofL men's game down there. Wouldn't have wanted to be on the Cardinal bench that afternoon...the students sit directly behind the benches..in a small balcony type setting and the language and taunts coming out of the section directly behind the Cardinal bench would have made the late George Carlin blush.

A big time match up awaits the Cards Wednesday night when DePaul rolls into town. The Blue Demons grabbed sole control of second place when Notre Dame got spanked by UConn yesterday. With just one conference loss, Doug Bruno's team does face a tough test today against dangerous Georgetown...who comes in for a visit. The Cards play well in the YUM (usually) with a big fan base present and a huge turnout is needed Wednesday night for the DePaul game. Bring a buddy, tell a friend..load up the kids and that neighbor who tells you they'd like to catch a ladies game and get down there!!! Tip is at 7. Wazoo Sports is televising it locally if you can't attend...
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Louisville WBB @ Syracuse Tonight

WEDNESDAY (Oh, yeah!) as seen by CARDINAL COUPLE

-Cards go to the 'Cuse.

-Hillsman fights a battle of his own.

-Golf keeps swinging

-Honors for Grieshaber

-Another conflict..
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Kayla Alexander, shown above, leads the Syracuse Orange in scoring and rebounding. The Orange get a visit from the University of Louisville women's basketball team tonight. Game time is 7 p.m. in the Carrier Dome. Unfortunately, the University of Louisville's men team plays at the same time on ESPN ....so it's one of those listen to the ladies and watch the guys nights for those of you who like both...
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Syracuse (17-7, 5-6) is the best rebounding team in the Big East. Besides Alexander, the 'Cuse get plenty of paint proficiency from Iasia Hemingway, Elashier Hall and Erica Morrow...who also score in double figures. The Orange enter the game fresh off a 70-49 drubbing of Villanova, a win that stopped a three game losing streak. Syracuse rolled through the pre BIG EAST part of their schedule 12-1...losing only to Baylor. Since conference began, they've taken losses against Georgetown, WVU, Rutgers (twice), Notre Dame and DePaul. Notable wins have come against Clemson and Marquette.
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Louisville comes into tonight's game on a two game win streak and begins a two game road trip. Monique Reid is expected to play tonight...the junior sprained an ankle Sunday before the WVU game and sat out 32 minutes of the contest. Reid leads Louisville in scoring with 15.6 points per game. Shoni Schimmel follows with 15.6 a contest. Schimmel leads the BIG EAST in 3-point field goals made with 68 and freshman teammate Nita Slaughter is tops in conference with a 3-point % of .431 (25-58).
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The Cards success behind the 3-point stripe could play a significant role in tonight's contest. Louisville faces tough sledding around the rim tonight and a successful 3-point barrage would not only draw the 'Cuse away from the hoop defensively..it would also put a bunch of points on the board. Let's hope the Orange get 'Schimmeled'
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We'll have a recap of the game later tonight. No TV for this one...WKRD CARDS RADIO 790 AM and 101.7 FM will have the radio broadcast. Paul and Jim (no...not me and my older brother) will have the words and music.

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Quentin Hillsman (pictured left) is fighting another battle in addition to
the one he faces on the court as Syracuse head women's basketball coach. Former Syracuse women's basketball player Lynnae Lampkins has brought a Title IX sexual harassment complaint against Hillsman and the Syracuse women's basketball program.

Lampkins, a junior who no longer plays on the team, accuses Hillsman of inappropriate texting and touching. She did not rejoin the team this year because "I couldn't be around him. He would slap butts and chest bump. I was very uncomfortable with it."

She also testifies that Hillsman sent her a text over the summer that read "I love you, I miss you, I can't wait to see you." She wasn't aware of any other Syracuse players receiving such a text.
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Hillsman denies the accusations. He considers them untrue and hurtful to him, his family and the Syracuse women's basketball program but is trying to prevent it from distracting the program and the players. (Excuse me..but this is typical coach-speak out of 'Meeting the media' 101). After the allegations came out during last summer, Syracuse used outside council to do a investigation. The investigation team reported that they found no substance to the allegations and no basis for action to be taken. Syracuse's president, chancellor and athletic director have all come out with statements showing support for Hillman. Lampkins remains on campus, still on scholarship and is majoring in health and wellness. It's funny how outside council hired by an academic body to investigate the hiring entity almost never sides against who is signing the paycheck.
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Cover up, collusion and denial mode? Or just a player disgruntled with conditions and the daughter of a high school coach who has filed two previous incident claims over the last six years...a defamation suit and conflict of interest charge in Upper Marlboro, MD. Things getting crazy up in Boeheim-ville, yo! No other 'Cuse players are talking about it and it hasn't gotten the coverage of the Pitino/Sypher mess Louisville has had to endure for almost a year now.
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WE at Cardinal Couple still remember Hillsman storming off the court in 2009 at Freedom Hall after a heated discussion and finger pointing at Jeff Walz following a 78-57 Louisville win...and then making some unflattering gestures to Lady Card fans during his exit. Last year, Hillsman appeared to pass out near the end of Louisville's 64-58 loss to the Orange. The guy has a flair for the dramatics...for sure. Whatcha got in store for tonight, Q?
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Louisville's womens golf team completed day two in the Northrop Grumman Regional and moved up the ladder to 10th place. UCLA, USC and Pepperdine hold the top three spots. Anna-Karin Ljungstrom fired a 72 for the Cards and is tied for 29th. Sara-Maude Juneau carded a 73 and is tied for 27th. Maria Castellanos toured the Palos Verdes Golf Course with an 80. Laura Anderson finished at 84 and Candace Wiley shot an 84 also. Freshman Tara Lyons, playing as an individual, did 18 in 82.

The five-iron Cards finish up play this morning.
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A big congratulations to cross country's Kim Grieshaber for earning All-Academic honors from the U.S. Track and Field Cross Country Coaches Association. She led the Cards to a top 15 finish last fall in the NCAA Regionals and was the top finisher for Louisville in five out of their six races. Getting it done in the classroom and on the competition course...we salute you, Kim!
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WE don't know about you...but we're not overly happy that the men and women play tonight at the same time. WE know a lot of our readers cheer for and follow both squads and one would think that the BIG EAST scheduling folks could avoid such snafu situations. The guys are in Cincinnati tonight...on ESPN...
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WE'RE not big fans of trying to follow both teams at the same time. At least both are on the road, so WE don't have to decide whether to attend one and catch up on the other afterward. It's the seventh time this year that both teams have played on the same day.
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Paul had this brilliant idea last night (a first for him) that same day game conflicts could be avoided by designating a specific night or weekend day for the two sports. Let's say men's hoops on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. Women's hoops on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. Leave Friday alone and go out and support the high school teams in your area...because a lot of them play on Friday nights. The plan is a good one...but it would never fly past the guys holding the puppet strings over college hoops...ESPN and the other networks that televise college basketball.
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Reminds us of the old joke...'I control the destiny and fate of my actions and doings...as long as it's OK with you, dear..."

Post game UofL vs. WVU comments, observations

MONDAY MORNING at CARDINAL COUPLE:







-David Watson weighs in on UofL win.



-From the post game presser



-By the numbers...



-Softball falls to Texas in final



-Baseball Red and Gray Scrimmage



Our special correspondent David Watson, pictured right, weighs in on the Lady Cards win over WVU Sunday Night at the KFC YUM Center as only he can see it...







What causes a team to shoot barely 25% for a game? Defense from the opposing team. And, that is the story of last night's epic contest in the KFC YUM! Center. WVU's effort against Jeff Walz's crew when it came to putting the ball in the basket can be compared to someone

tying the bumper of a car to the Sears Tower in Chicago. You aren't going to move and the building isn't moving either. Trip after trip, time after time..the Mountaineers would get one, two and sometimes three straight and dead on looks at close-in gimmies and fail to bottom out the net. Hand in the face, body on the shooter and no easy path to payout...the Cards probably are nowhere the match for WVU physically but sometimes finesse beats strength.



This is a big win, in many ways, for this young Louisville team. WVU is deep, aggressive, experienced and well coached. They know exactly what they want to do when they take it court, accomplished a lot of it last night (except for putting the ball in the basket) and Louisville beat them at their own game. I'm pretty sure Coach Walz wouldn't want to play that style of hoops the rest of the way out this season. They'll probably have to against Syracuse later this week. Most likely the same is in store when DePaul comes calling on the 23rd. USF likes to bump you around as well. Let's hope Walz's kids are stocking up on the Aleve and Ben-Gay.



How incredible is Shoni Schimmel? I bet that if you gave her a bulldozer and put her on a shot clock that she could complete the I-69 Interstate from Indianapolis to Evansville seconds before the federal funding ran out. If there has ever been a freshman for the Lady Cards besides her perform at this level, please point her out to me. Also, hats off the an aggressive Sheronne Vails yesterday and Shelby Harper. Harper was in an unenviable spot yesterday by having to try and move the ball against and contain Liz Repella. Repella doesn't play nicely. Both fouled out. Wouldn't surprise me if they resumed the battle long after the crowd left under the streetlights on 2nd street beneath the Indiana bridge.



I did see Paul and Sonja several times covering the game from the end zone. Congrats, you're TV stars now! Paul, you've got to stop taking referee's calls so personally. I know they're bozos, you know they're bozos and why was one ref making well over 75% of the calls? Sonja, you looked beautiful, darling. Just keep "the big guy's" blood pressure from spiking.



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FROM THE POST GAME PRESSER:



We've got about 20 minutes of stuff we could put on here...fortunately Kim Pemberton and her S.I.D. staff has all the quotes over at http://www.uoflsports.com/ Here's a couple of our favorites from last night...



Shoni Schimmel on her three buzzer beaters:

"Nope. They definitely weren't called plays. I heard everyone call out the shot clock so I knew I had to get a shot off and that's exactly what I did" (We need to take her to the track with us for some "at the post" wagering.)



Tia Gibbs on when Monique Reid came into the game:

"That was just heart. We teach family. That's what we talk about and working for each other. I know she's in a lot of pain right now but she did it for us basically. She wanted to do whatever it took to help this team and that's what she did. That's what we needed."



Jeff Walz on the absence of Reid at the start:

"She sprained her ankle in shoot around and I wasn't sure if she'd ever walk again. (Pauses and smiles). But she made it thru it. She was with our doctors in the first half. Our trainer did a fantastic job. I told 'em not to bring her out during the game. I said just keep doing treatment. Hopefully she decides she might be able to play in the second half. They taped her up and just confirmed to her and made sure she knew nothing was broken, We did X-Rays, there's no real damage done. It's just a sprained ankle. She came out there. She told me she could go in the second half. I was just going to see how long I could go not playing here if I didn't have to. I thought she did a fantastic job the last eight minutes of the game for us. I was really proud of her."



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The numbers we're most impressed with from last night are as follows:

-Louisville 6-10 from three point range...WVU 1-12.

-Louisville 47.8% shooting in the final half from the field... and holding WVU to 29.2%

-Louisville 17-21 from thr free throw line...WVU 20-27

-Louisville out rebounded WVU 16-15 in the second half.

-27 points from the freshmen last night (Schimmel with 17, Vails eight and Tay two.)

-12 assists for the Cards, only nine for WVU.

-UofL holding starting guards Liz Repella to 1-11 , Sarah Miles to 2-10 and Vanessa House 1-4.



Not so great:

-Louisville out rebounded 39-29 for the game.

-Harper committing five turnovers and five fouls in 14 minutes with no points.

-Louisville's 27.3% shooting in the first twenty minutes.

-Losing the steals battle to WVU 9-7

-Madina Ali (WVU) getting to the line for 8-9 in the second half after no 1st half attempts.



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Louisville softball got bombarded yesterday in the finals of the Texas Invitational by host team Texas 14-4. The Longhorns did all their damage in the first two innings...five in the first and nine in the second. Louisville did manage to keep it close for the first inning..responding with a Taner Fowler three run homer but three responding Texas 4 baggers in the bottom of the second against Louisville pitching put this one out of reach. The Cards did add an additional run in the top of the fourth when Maggie Ruckenbrod came home with the bases loaded when Chelsea Bemis was hit by a pitch...but the Cards could do no further damage.



The Cards take off this weekend to head to 'sweet home Alabama' for the 'Bama classic...beginning Feb. 18th.



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Had a great time earlier yesterday at the Louisville baseball Red vs. Gray inter squad scrimmage at Jim Patterson Stadium. Made it thru 6 1/2 innings before it was time to go to the YUM.



Windy but not too chilly conditions for the guys...the Red team jumped out early with three runs in the bottom of the first when a Kyle Grieshaber triple scored Adam Engel, Greishaber scored on the sacrifice fly and Cade Stallings parked one way over the left center fence on Gray starting pitcher Dace Kime.



Red added two more in the third on a Ryan Wright homer and Stewart Ijames touching home plate after a Zak Wasserman single. Two nice innings of no-hit pitching by Red starter Mike "Nasty" Nastold. Gray got on the board in the top of the sixth when Drew Haynes scored on a Ryan Seis ground out. Red got the run back in the bottom of the sixth when Wright's sacrifice fly brought home Alex Chittenden. Haynes made it 6-2 in the top of the seventh...scoring on a Seis single. Final was 8-2 Red. Very nice crowd, probably over 500, for a preseason scrimmage against each other.



Special thanks to CARDINAL DOMINANCE managing editor Shannon Ruffra for coming out despite not feeling well and showing me the ropes around Patterson. Got to meet baseball, women's track and rowing assistant S.I.D. Garret Wall and spend some time yucking it up with

organist and pep band director Al Greener, too...at the game before sitting in front of him and the band at the ladies game. People may start to talk...

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Lady Cards on road vs.Villanova today

SUNDAY SUPER @ CARDINAL COUPLE:
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-David Watson: Cards chase elusive road win.

-Women's track & field at Virginia Tech Elite Meet.


-Tennis falls to Akron

-OUR SUPER BOWL picks

(CARDINAL COUPLE Special Correspondent David Watson looks at the Lady Cards tilt this afternoon at Villanova. Pass the chicken wings and when do the halftime commercials begin?)


The University of Louisville has safely arrived in Rocky's home town to enter the ring against the Villanova Wildcats. They'll do battle on Super Bowl Sunday in front of maybe 400-500 fans against a woeful..but still dangerous Wildcat team. 'Nova is 8-13 on the year and 0-8 in the BIG EAST. So...why are they dangerous? Because it is a road game for Louisville. The Cards haven't exactly been Mel Gibson road warriors in the 2010-11 season. A more suitable description would be Steve Martin and John Candy in 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles.'.

The Cards are 5-4 in BIG EAST action. They're 1-3 on the road. They won against a Cincinnati team that would have a hard time beating the 'over 40 'bunch of guys I occasionally play hoops with. Even full court..which we avoid like the plague...we win. Granted, the road losses have come against three top 25 teams (Connecticut, Notre Dame and Marquette) but Louisville's trips out of town are as dicey as Lindsay Lohan's chances of redemption.

Look at Louisville's propensity for going on runs. The Cards have 18 runs this season of 12-0 or better. None have been on the road and only two against anyone of importance (17-0 against Rutgers and 12-0 versus Kentucky). Don't look for 'a case of the runs' today against Villanova. Do look for Villanova to play a patient, ball control offense. They'll try to pound the ball inside against the Cards and won't hesitate to fire the three pointers if Louisville packs it into the paint..

If I seem overly concerned about this '0 for BIG EAST' opponent, it is because this is a game LOUISVILLE simply has to win if they want to participate in the NCAA Tournament this year. A loss to a cellar dweller, even if it is in the BIG EAST, won't set well with the NCAA Selection Committee when it comes time to knocking schools off the bubble. It would also strike a major blow to the Cardinals' confidence to drop this one.

Most of the nation will be fixated on the Super Bowl today. The LADY CARDS, though, are faced with a super battle of their own today. Let's hope they can produce a knockout punch in the city of brotherly love this afternoon...

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Khadija Abdullah took shot put honors and Ahlvia Spencer dusted the competition in the 400 meters yesterday in the Virginia Tech Elite Meet in Blacksburg, Va. For Abdullah, it was her fourth straight win of the season. Also faring well in the shot were D'Ana McCarty (4th) and Cinwe Okoro (5th). Spencer, a freshman, posted a season best of 56.13 in the 400.


Louisville returns to action next week in the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, AR.

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Julie Fellerhoff took wins in singles and doubles competition against Akron, but the Cards fell 4-3 to the Zips at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center. Mandy Brown teamed with Fellerhoff in the doubles win. Becca Shine and Sarah Miller also won in doubles competition. Sarah Miller took her singles match in three sets. The Cards lost the match, though, when Shine fell to Akron's Angelina Jogasuria 5-7, 7-6, 7-6 in the final game of the day. Louisville is 5-1 on the season.


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The CARDINAL COUPLE staff has crunched the numbers, stats and Doritos and offers our SUPER BOWL selections. (We don't recommend that you use them has a wagering guide).



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PAUL likes the Steelers 27-24. He still feels remorse over booing William Gay while he was a Cardinal and wants to hear Gay make another crazy celebration scream like he did the last time the Steelers took the trophy. He still hasn't forgiven him for jumping offsides against Rutgers.
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SONJA thinks Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers is cuter than Big Ben Rothliesberger...so she's going with the "Pack" 17-14. She also likes ex-Card Jason Spitz better than Gay. She's watching for just the commercials... .



TOMMY BOY refuses to believe that the Bears lost to the Packers in the playoffs and thinks Big Ben will lead the Steelers to a Super romp....33-13. He also thinks the Detroit Tigers still have Al Kaline on the roster and that the world is flat.



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We put two sheets of paper on the ground in front of BILL THE GOAT and he ate the one that had Pittsburgh written on it first. He also head butted Tom seven times, so we're guessing he thinks Pitt wins by seven. We think he may have also head butted William Gay a few years ago.
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The CARDINAL CHIMPS played a simulation game out in the Parrish House parking lot a few days ago and the Chimps dressed in the Steelers jerseys were leading 24-14 before CoCo stole the football and tossed it on the roof. Works for us...anyone got a ladder?
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DAVID WATSON doesn't care who wins and probably won't watch the game because Indianapolis isn't playing. WE pressed him for a pick, though...and he muttered "Here we go Steelers, here we go." Hooisers, go figure...
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CARDINAL DOMINANCE managing editor SHANNON RUFFRA failed to respond with a pick. WE believe he's still at Mulligan's celebrating the UofL men's basketball win last night and UK's loss to Florida. WE can't blame him....
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LADY CARDS host GEORGTOWN tonight

TUESDAY at CARDINAL COUPLE:



-Cards face Hoyas in YUM.

-Last year's game..

-Exeter added to Canadian squad..

-Baseball gets national attention..

-Football signing party
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The University of Louisville womens basketball team rolls back into action Tuesday night against a tough Georgetown Hoya squad in the KFC YUM Center. Game time is 7 p.m. The game
has been designated "Ladies Night" and Breast Cancer Survivor Night. Fans are encouraged to
wear pink and breast cancer survivors are offered free admission to the contest.


Georgetown (17-5, 5-3) is led by sophomore sensation Sugar Rodgers. The quick as lightning guard averages 18.3 points a game and recently netted 30 points, including the game winner against WVU. Monica McNutt controls the paint action for the Hoyas and is good for 11.3 points a game. The Hoyas prefer the up-tempo, create out of the press and defensive pressure transition style of basketball...as do the Lady Cards...so there is a distinct possibility the scoreboard operator could be kept pretty busy tonight.

Louisville (14-8, 5-3) enters the contest after an 11 point win over Rutgers in the YUM on Saturday night. Monique Reid leads the Cards with 16.3 points a game and Shoni Schimmel...who was named BIG EAST FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK for her efforts against Marquette and Rutgers...is at a 16 point per game scoring clip.

Louisville will need a defensive effort that mirrors the one produced against Rutgers if they hope to gain their 6th BIG EAST win. They'll also need a better outing from 3 point range than they assembled against Rutgers. Given the probable breakneck, up and down the court game on tap for the Cards...we figure Louisville head coach may need to dip into the bench a little heavier than normal and productive efforts from freshmen Antonita Slaughter, Charmaine Tay and Sherrone Vails...plus quality minutes out of Asia Taylor...could be the difference in this one.

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Last year, Louisville travelled to D.C. and lost to the Hoyas 60-56. It wasn't the game that made the news wires and sports shows, though. About an hour before tipoff, the Cards entered the arena, ran a customary lap around the court and encountered jeering from the Georgetown team. Then, Keisha Hines was tripped by a Georgetown player and a melee ensued. Since the referees had not taken the court yet, no technicals or game suspensions were declared at that point. The teams were eventually separated with no further incidents. A camera crew on hand to televise the game caught the scuffle, though...and the tape was sent to the conference commissioner at BIG EAST headquarters. Two Louisville players and three Hoyas received one game suspensions for the fight. Georgetown head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy described the incident:

"It's a BIG EAST game. Emotions are high. It got to a situation it shouldn't have gotten to. I don't know exactly what happened. I was doing a TV interview. I turned my head and saw it happening...both teams going at each other."

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As for the game, Louisville and Georgetown both played pretty badly. The Cards had 33 turnovers and three players foul out. Still, they had a chance to tie it with four seconds remaining and an out of bounds possession under their basket. The inbounds pass skipped out of bounds, though...Georgetown regained possession and was fouled on their inbounds play. They sank two free throws for the final 60-56 margin. Let's hope tonight's game is a better effort and no fights break out...

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Louisville women's soccer star Christine Exeter has been playing with the Canadian National Team in the Yongchuan Cup events in China. The BIG EAST rookie of the year was part of a team that finished second in the four nation tournament. The United States won the event, China finished third and Sweden fourth. .

Exeter led the Cards with seven goals last year and is a native of Pickering, Ontario.

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Dan McDonnell's Cardinal baseball squad has been ranked 22nd in a preseason poll by the Collegiate Baseball Writers. They also were placed 20th. by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and #21 by USA Today/ESPN's preseason poll. Louisville will open their 2011 schedule at the BIG EAST/BIG TEN challenge in St.Petersburg, Florida on Feb. 18th. The Cards home opener is scheduled for Feb. 25th. with a three game series against Toledo at Jim Patterson Stadium.

CARDINAL COUPLE will have an exclusive Q&A interview with Louisville head womens softball coach Sandy Pearsall in our Thursday edition. For all the details on the Softball Cards 2011 campaign...be sure to check back in Thursday. Sandy's squad has been voted to finish 3rd in the BIG EAST by the BIG EAST coaches. WE think they'll do better than that.

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Finally, football activities for those missing the discussions about cornerbacks and offensive attacks. Not a game, mind you...but a Football Signing Day Party Wednesday, Feb. 2nd. at the Parrish House. Louisville Sports Report is throwing the bash and doors open at 5:30 p.m. Admission is $1 and beverages will be available for purchase. Join Howie Lindsey, Jack Coffee and a bunch of football fanatics for all the signing news and the fun. If you're lucky, you'll also get to meet CARDINAL COUPLE'S Paul, too...who will be tending bar at the event.

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Cards "Mo" prevails...Louisville 56 - Rutgers 45

REID HAS 17 in 11 point
LOUISVILLE win.

In a game that could have been pre-billed as the 'battle of Mo'...Louisville's Monique Reid scored 12 second half points and Louisville went on an improbable but exciting ten minute 17-0 run late in the second half to defeat Rutgers in the KFC YUM Center Saturday night before 15061 fans.

Monique Oliver, talented post for C.Vivian Stringer's Rutgers squad, was held to eight points...two in the final twenty minutes of play. Stringer is pictured here, dejectedly leaving after the loss.

Louisville trailed 42-39 with 11:21 to go in the game, following an April Sykes 3 pointer. The Scarlet Knights would not score again until 1:33 remained in the contest...another Sykes three that pulled Rutgers to the final margin of 56-45. The ball simply wouldn't go through the net for Rutgers...as they missed seven shots in the almost ten minute span...six of them 3 point attempts. They also committed five turnovers in that stretch.

It was the 3 ball that had Rutgers rolling and in the lead prior to that. Using a three from Erica Wheeler to take an early lead...the Scarlet Knights went a torrid 11-17 from the field in the first twenty minutes (64.7%) and led by as many as seven during the first half before a 11-4 Louisville run gave the Cards a 19-18 lead with 6:20 in the first half. The half found the Cards down by two...Shoni Schimmel missing two three point attempts in the final five seconds when she probably could have gone to the hoop for a layup. April Sykes torched the Cardinal defense for 12 first half points...and Louisville produced an anemic 26.9% (7-26) shooting...lucky to be down by only two at the intermission. Tia Gibbs led the Cards with eight first half points.

At halftime, Jeff Walz preached defensive intensity and promised his squad that if they turned up the pressure...56 points would be enough to win the game. He ought to play the lottery tonight...the Cards finished with 56 exactly and Louisville forced Rutgers into 13 second half turnovers and out rebounded the Scarlet Knights by three.

The 17-0 run was a deceptive thing of beauty. Following Sykes's three, Antonita Slaughter returned the favor to tie the score at 42 all. Reid put the Cards ahead to stay on a layup with a Shoni Schimmel assist. Becky Burke canned a three on the next Cards possession and a Rutgers turnover provided Monique Reid a layup that made it 47-42. Another Rutgers turnover gave Reid another layup and a deep Scmimmel three had the Lady Cards up 52-42 with six minutes to go. That stretch may well have been the loudest the KFC YUM Center has been for a womens' game this year. Louisville got a layup from Keshia Hines and a Burke jumper over the next four minutes to hold a 14 point lead before Sykes's three broke the spell.

Things got a little ugly with 33 seconds to go when Sykes shoved Reid to the floor following a missed Rutgers 3 point attempt. Cardinal teammates restrained Reid from retaliating and the game ended with a half court Schimmel three falling short at the buzzer.

Reid was comical about the incident after the game.

"Yeah, she (Sykes) shoved me down for no reason and I was cool about it...but I had to go after her to show her I'm not a punk...but Shoni and Nita were stopping me...laughing...reminding me we were up by eleven."

Reid led the Cards with 17 points and a hard fought six rebounds in 36 minutes of play. Schimmel added 12 with five boards and Tia Gibbs finished with eight points and seven rebounds during 38 minutes on the court. Sykes led all scorers with 20 points...Erica Wheeler drilled three 3 balls for her nine points.

The win pushes Louisville to 14-8 and 5-3 in the BIG EAST. Rutgers takes their second straight BIG EAST loss and falls to 12-8, 5-2. Louisville returns to action Tuesday Night when Georgetown comes to the YUM for a 7 p.m. tip off.