Cards win over Vandy...await Xavier

MONDAY @ C.C.
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-Louisville 81 - Vandy 62 by the numbers
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-Watson reviews the game
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-Softball romps Buckeyes
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-Sonja spanks the competition
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-A Womens NCAA quiz for you.
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Tia Gibbs (pictured here) practicing to defend the amazon front line of Xavier?
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The Cards ready themselves for a rematch against the #2 seed in the Spokane Region. Louisville will face a team in Xavier that will be playing on their home court, is decidedly taller and already owns a win over the Cards this season. Does it matter? Heck, no. It's tournament time and the upsets do happen. Ask VCU over in the men's tournament if they were intimidated. Game on!
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Louisville used 60% shooting to down the Vanderbilt Commodore yesterday in the Cintas Center and a 35-19 rebounding edge. The shooting performance we fully expected and understand...when the Cards guards are hot and Monique Reid can penetrate and score on defenses, they're capable of high shooting % numbers. The rebounding a pleasant surprise, though. Normally the numbers are in favor of the Lady Cards opponents in the battle of the boards. Louisville had a 26-12 advantage on the defensive boards and limited Vandy to nine second chance points. Keisha Hines had nine grabs for the Cards and Tia Gibbs added eight.
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The shooting numbers were boosted by the Cards' red hot 15-21 in the final twenty minutes (71.4%). Take out Becky Burke's puzzling 0-5 performance and you've got only fifteen missed shots for the entire game. Reid and Schimmel went a combined 18-28 for the Cards and Schimmel and Gibbs 8-14 from beyond the 3 point arc. Vandy went a respectable 43.9% from the field for the game and did sink 7 of their 18 three-point attempts. It just wasn't good enough to top the marksmanship from the Lady Cards...
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Louisville was also excellent from the charity stripe, sinking 13-14 free throws. Keisha Hines sank all six of her attempts and Sherrone Vails was the only Cardinal to miss (1-2) from the line. Vandy did make 5 of 6 from the stripe. Louisville stayed out of foul trouble for once...committing only 11 fouls in 40 minutes. Hines picked up three but had 32 minutes on the court...high numbers for the senior. Vandy was whistled for 15 infractions...backup bruising freshman center Stephanie Holzer collecting four.
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The Cards gained 12 points in fast break opportunities. Several were wide open, unguarded attempts in the second half. Vandy with just 4 fast break points. The Vandy bench did contribute 27 points to the Vandy scoring, including a 19 point second half performance from freshmen guards Christine Foggie and Jasmine Lister. Louisville had only three bench points in the contest..at the foul stripe from Becky Burke's two tosses and Sherrone Vails hitting 1.
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The Cards freshmen tallied 20 of the 81 points...19 for Schimmel and 1 for Vails. All five played and Schimmel saw 37 minutes, Charmaine Tay 19, Vails 7, Antonita Slaughter 4 and Polly Harrington 1. The freshmen grabbed six rebounds and handed out 8 of Louisville 20 assists.
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Louisville blocked 2 shots and Vandy swatted three attemps away. The Cards had 10 steals (Hines and Gibbs three each) and the Commodores pilfered the orb 12 times, Elan Brown getting 5 of them. Vandy committed only 14 turnovers and Louisville was guilty of 20 miscues (Schimmel 5 and Reid 4).
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Vandy never led in the contest. The Cards led by 20 with 6:55 to go in the second half after a Gibbs score at 68-48. Vanderbilt coach Melanie Balcomb was effusive in her praise for Louisville's effort...stating that the Commodores 'actually lost the game in the first half...something I don't say very often'. She also remarked that Reid had 'improved a lot in physicality'. She had no comment on the performance of former Vandy player Tia Gibbs.
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All in all, a very good, workmanship type effort by the Cards to dispatch the Commodores. Louisville met the challenge of a 12-0 second half Vandy run with a 13-0 run of their own and were never seriously challenged in the final nine minutes of the second half.
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DAVID WATSON watched the fray from Section 104 and has this report on the Louisville win:
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I'll give you five reasons why Louisville defeated the Vanderbilt squad Sunday, and I'll provide them in alphabetical order.
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Tia Gibbs. Revenge is a dish best served at tournament time and the silky, smooth sophomore showed Melanie Balcomb, head Vanderbilt coach, that she might of made a mistake in letting her get away. Gibbs first half shooting clinic left me convinced that not only is she a dead on distance shooter but she can do the things needed to get in position to attempt the deadly three. I didn't check on the way out of the Cintas Center, but it wouldn't surprise me if Gibbs was still raining down threes out on the blacktop outdoor court near where we parked. Her back-to-back threes (nearly three in a row) late in the first half keyed a 8-0 closing run that effectively sank the Commodore boat. All hands on deck, attention! We have an long range artillery specialist on board. Her three with 33 seconds left in the game was the final nail in the Commodore coffin...a three that Vandy fans cried about being in poor sportsmanship. You play to the final buzzer, Commodore crybabies. Better luck next year.
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Keisha Hines. This senior must have watched a Sylvester Stalloine or Arnold Schwartzenegger movie before the game, because she came out and became the ultimate warrior. Scoring easily inside, containing the Vandy inside game and grabbing board and board. What used to be a 'close your eyes and pray' Hines at the foul stripe has turned into an automatic point producer. Last chance to dance for the senior and she has her ballet slippers on and has cued up the mirrored ball and Bee Gees. Not Saturday Night Fever, but Sunday Afternoon Smackdown.
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Monique Reid. No disapperance for the flashly junior Sunday. Two solid halves of basketball and the classic Reid inside punishment by use of the backboard and soft jumper. Her war whoop when she nailed an inside jumper at the 8:11 mark of the second half was probably heard back in Fern Creek without the aid of the television volume. Reid layup, Reid inside, Reid layup, Reid plus 1. It may be boring script, but it is effective, successful and useful as any self-help paperback. Paul tells me that when she saw her walking out for the second half, he gave her the 'thumbs up'. She just gave him a self-assured smile that mission would be accomplished and opponent stifled. When she's golden, she shines like the sun.

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Shoni Schimmel. No first time, freshman nerves here. Beginning with a three that gave the Cards a 5-2 lead and ending with a three with five minutes remaining that made it 71-51, the Portland progeny controlled the game with a maestro's touch and was the only other Cardinal besides Gibbs to hit from beyond the arc. I'll give Charmaine Tay a prop here also, off the bench and very steady in the nearly twenty minutes she contributed. As for Schimmel, another 'Sho-Time' performance that gets her one step closer to playing in front of her fanatical followers on the West Coast. They should call her Judge Schimmel because of her court awareness.
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Jeff Walz. Coach coached the perfect game. Substitutions when needed, a persistant and wise dialouge with the officials which kept the Cards from getting too infractioned and letting the team solve their own couple of slumps during the contest. Walz knows quite well that you don't mess with good performances and gave four of the starters plenty of minutes to shine. He also saw that a three guard attack was the best way to calm the Commodores and Asia Taylor will have other days to compile points and boards. If he can figure out the mystery of the Becky Burke recent slump, we'll nominate him for Mayor of Louisville (no offense Greg Fischer). His next test is also how to contain the Xavier amazons Phillips and Harris. Don't bet against him.
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As we drove home after the contest, my daughter made a very valid and wise observation. She commented that Louisville never seemed to be flustered or panicked during the game. Even when Vandy cut the Cardinal advantage to five, the girls re-grouped and pushed the lead back to 18. Consider the situation. The Cards have been battling all season in the best conference in women's college basketball. All nine BIG EAST teams won their first round games. Think that a 10-6 SEC Vandy is going to strike fear and apprehension into the hearts and minds of Walz's bunch? Not bloody likely, sir. Past performances matter. This wasn't Louisville's first rodeo, time at bat or situation under pressure. No problems here. Onto the rematch, now. Tear down the tall timber, Cards.
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DAVID WATSON is a special contributor to CARDINAL COUPLE. He probably wouldn't make a great lumberjack or action figure hero...but we like his references and allegories. Here's hoping his 2 1/2 hour drive back from Cincy Tuesday night is one following a Cardinal win.
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Louisville softball closed out their participation in the San Diego Classic II with a 9-1 win over Ohio State on Sunday. The Cards finished the three day event with a 4-1 record and went to 18-9 overall. They took the tournament title and got the trophy thanks to the strong pitching of tori Collins against the Buckeyes. Collins allowed only two hits and fanned four in the five inning contest. She is 11-5 on the season.
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Louisville struck early against OSU, getting two runs in the bottom of the first. A Jennifer Esteban triple scored Katie Keller and Esteban touched home on a Colby Wherry sacrifice fly.
The Cards added another run in the second when Keller singled home Kristin Austin.

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Louisville took it to 5-0 in the third inning when they got fence clearers from Wherry and Alicja Wolny. After Ohio State scored a run in the top of the fourth, the Cards countered with four in the fourth. Wherry and Taner Fowler smacked back to back singles with two out. Wolny singled to get Wherry home. Austin drew a walk to fill the bags. Maggie Ruckenbrod's single scored Fowler and Wolny touched the plate on a wild pitch to make it 8-1. Walks by Hannah Kiyohara and Keller brought Austin to the plate for the final 9-1 tally.

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Louisville returns to Ulmer for their next game, a matchup against the UK Wildcats on Wednesday. Game time is 6 p.m. and admission is $5.
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Sonja is spanking the competition in the women's NCAA Tournament bracket pick 'em. Her 27-5 first and second round performance leads by 4. Losses in a #8 vs #9 matchup (won by Purdue), and incorrect picks of Iowa State, Iowa, Arizona State and Middle Tennessee were the only blemishes on a brilliant bracket breakdown. Surprisingly, Bill the Goat is in second. As for Paul, once again...he sits in the cellar of the bracket basement. 19-13. Typical. BIG EAST teams went 9-0 in their opening games. The ACC fared 6-0. Give the SEC a 3-1 beginning. The Big 12 stumbled out 2-5 and the PAC 10 went 2-1. The Big 10 advanced 4 out of 5 in the "power conferences" results.
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A short NCAA Womens Tournament quiz for you:
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1) How many states are represented in this year's tournament? Include the District of Columbia.
a) 37
b) 29
c) 33
d) 40
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2) Which state has the most participants (6)?
a) Tennessee
b) Texas
c) Florida
d) Arizona
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3) Which state has NO participants?
a) Kansas
b) South Dakota
c) Mississippi
d) Montana
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4) Name the three North Carolina participants:
a) Duke, Wake Forest, North Carolina
b) North Carolina, East Carolina, Duke
c) Marist, Duke, North Carolina
d) Gardner-Webb. Duke, North Carolina
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5) Joanne P. McCauley coaches:
a) Marist
b) BYU
c) Duke
d) McNeese State.
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(answers below)
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Here in Kentucky, two teams are in the BIG DANCE (Louisville and Kentucky) and both advanced to the second round. Ohio has four universities involved and Ohio State and Xavier
were the only two to move on. The biggest upset in the first two days of action? Give it to #11 seed Gonzaga...who downed #6 seed Iowa. No #12 thru #16 seeds survived their first round games. Missing names from this year's Big Dance? Syracuse had a credible BIG EAST season but wasn't included despite going 22-9. LSU and South Carolina failed to get the call despite having .500 seasons in the SEC and winning records.
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Boo to Xavier for trying to rip off the Western Kentucky University mascot with their "Blue Blob". They're the Musketeers, but we saw no dashing swordsman mascot on the sidelines Sunday. Just a second rate imitation of WKU's Hilltopper. We cry foul!
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The Vanderbilt Commodore mascot looks like the late, great famed actor Leslie Nielsen after a few tough nights....we expected to see him stumble into the court action or create a typical Nielsen blunder or gaffe. I can hear Paul Sanderford's commentary now..."OMG! The Vandy mascot just took out Monique Reid on a fast break layup! And...no whistle? Amazing..."
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ANSWERS:
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1) c. 33 states have entries, including Georgetown, from D.C.
2) b. Texas has six schools in. Baylor, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Texas, Houston and Prairie View
3) c. Mississippi has no one. No Ole Miss, Miss St. Southern Miss or even a near miss.
4) d. Gardner Webb joins Duke and North Carolina from the TarHeel state.
5) c. Duke. Joanne has held the helm at Duke for four seasons.
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5 for 5...You know your womens hoops! Give yourself a Naismeth Award and apply at ESPN.
4 for 5...Not Bad. You've seen a few games this year.
3 for 5...Average. Questions one and four were tricky. You'll do better next time.
2 for 5...40% shooting. You need to watch a few more games than your hometown school's.
1 for 5...Gotta send you to the bench, with a NCAA facts book and water bottle.
0 for 5...We don't encourage UK fans to visit...but they still show up and embarrass themselves.
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Softball sweeps on West coast

SATURDAY with your friends at CARDINAL COUPLE:

-Softball takes two in San Diego

-Bergstrom in NCAA Swimming

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-Watson previews the Lady Cards v. Vandy

Louisville Softball won twice on the opening day of the San Diego Classic II, downing Cal-State Northridge 4-1 and blanking San Diego State 7-0.

The Cards (16-8) got off to a great start against CS-Northridge by tallying two runs in the first inning. Katie Keller doubled to start the game, Jennifer Esteban singled to put runners on the corners and Chelsea Bemis delivered a base clearing, two RBI double.

The Matadors got a run back in the third and the teams remained scoreless until Louisville tacked on a couple scores in the top of the seventh. Bemis walked, sprinter Tesha Payton came in to run for her and scored when Alicja Wolny smashed a double. Colby Wherry followed with another double to make it 4-1 and complete the game's scoring.

Carlisa Connell (6-2) got the start and the win for Louisville. The freshman gave up one run, two hits and KO'ed four in five innings. Tori Collins had two strong innings of relief to secure the winning...allowing no hits and fanning three batters.

In the San Diego State contest, Louisville continued the hot hitting with a run in the top of the second. Maggie Ruckenbrod and Taner Fowler provided singles and Kristin Austin reached on a fielders choice to load the bags. Hannah Kiyohara grounded out, scoring Ruckenbrod...but the Cards could not produce any additional runs in the inning.

They made up for it in the top of the third. Bemis and Wherry singled and Fowler belted a three run homer to deep left to make it 4-0. Louisville added three in the sixth. Austin drew a walk and scored on a Kiyohara double. Bemis beat out a ground and she and Kiyohara scored on a long double by Wolny....making it 7-0.

Collins went the distance for Louisville, allowing only three hits and fanning seven. It was her fifth shutout of the season. The Cards have three more games to play over Saturday and Sunday.

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Therese Bergstrom finished 13th. in the 100 meter breaststroke in the NCAA Championships at the University of Texas yesterday. Bergstrom, the BIG EAST 100-Breaststroke champion, posted a time of 1:00:70 against the nation's best. She competes in the 200 meter breaststroke on Saturday.

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David Watson, special correspondent to CARDINAL COUPLE, will be in the stands for the LADY CARDS basketball game against Vanderbilt on Sunday. WE'LL wave to him from media row. Here are some Watson thoughts on the game, and hoops in general:

It's not often that I get to spend the greater part of four days watching college basketball. My wife is glad that this is not a monthly occurrence. She's been a trooper, though, as we have reached the halfway point of this dribble, drive, shoot and score marathon. Dutifully bringing snacks and suggestions to the basement "man cave" where me, the kids, my father-in-law and assorted friends and friends of friends file in and out to participate in this roundball holiday. We've got the pizza guy on speed dial and the cans and bottles are routinely hauled out to the recycling bin by my son. It's the most wonderful time of the year.

The Watson Invitational, where we fill out the brackets and clutch our rosary beads hasn't gone as well for me. I'm tied for second to last out of the 17 participants. The madness will continue for one more day here at Hoops Central under my direction, then it's off to Cincinnati to watch the University of Louisville women's basketball team. My father-in-law Gussie, assisted by my son, will assume the duties of making sure all four TV's are working correctly and that no one overflows the basement toilet. Me and my oldest daughter will make the trek to Xavier. Wouldn't be surprised if my wife and youngest daughter escape to the malls after Sunday Mass and run up the Visa card. It's give and take this time of year. The family pooch, Wilson, has had constant indigestion the last two days from a variety of sources. All well meaning, but offering a vast array of delights and treats that differ greatly from his regimented Alpo diet. I may need to send him to a fat farm for the month of April. I may tag along.

How will these Cardinals do? I expect a hard fought victory out of Jeff Walz and his troops. Walz has had a ton of time to diagnose, review and scout the Commodores. He's usually pretty awesome when given 5 or so days to prepare for an opponent. We'll look for Louisville to use their quickness and the inside scoring punch of Monique Reid to take the fight to a well balanced Vandy squad. If Louisville can manage to grab a few boards, stay out of serious foul trouble and hit a few threes, all the better. People speak of Louisville's youth and inexperience but there are no freshmen this late in the season. Plus, you have Keisha Hines, Monique Reid and Becky Burke on board. They road the rails to the Final Four two years ago. Their leadership and experience will be counted on.

Will the Cards conquer on Tuesday night against (most likely) Xavier? An early season loss to the giant Muskies should give Walz a road map on what to do to beat them. Don't be surprised if this one is closer than expected and Louisville is in a position to win at the end. Let's not put the cart before the horse, though. Beat Vandy first. Survive and advance. It's the call of duty this time of year. Now, where did I put that bottle of Febreeze and who's been sticking chicken wing bones under the slip covers?

DAVID WATSON refuses to reveal how he got four TV's hooked up in his basement to cable. We're thinking he's got an "in" with an installer in Central Indiana somewhere. Sometimes, it's just best not to know...

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CARDINAL COUPLE will have reports from the Cintas Center on Sunday. GO CARDS!

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LADY CARDS HEADED TO CINCY VS. VANDY 1ST ROUND

-CARDINAL COUPLE WILL BE AT NCAA WOMEN'S TOURNAMENT 1st ROUND WITH FULL COVERAGE OF THE SUNDAY GAMES.
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LOUISVILLE TO FACE COMMODORES
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WATSON HAS A TAKE ON 1st ROUND GAME.
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THE SIDELINE ANNOUNCERS SWEET 16.
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CARDINAL COUPLE has received word from the NCAA Tournament poobahs that WE have been approved for and will be granted media access and coverage of the games in Cincinnati on Sunday. WE'LL be there to cover the action, post game presser and all the fun and excitement surrounding the Cards vs. 'Dores. Sonja and I look forward to a 'Natti' weekend and bringing our readers the event. (Now, if they'll let us bring Bill the Goat and the intern Chimps along...WE'LL really have some fun. Strangely, they haven't been approved yet...)
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The NCAA Women's Basketball Championships have been announced and the University of Louisville has received a #7 seed in the Spokane Region and will face #10 seed Vanderbilt in Cincinnati at noon on Sunday, March 2oth.

If the Cards are successful, they would most likely face #2 seed Xavier in the next round...in a rematch of an earlier season meeting between the two teams. Xavier takes on #15 seed South Dakota State in the 2:30 p.m. game. The games will be played in the Cintas Center...on the Xavier campus.
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The game is also scheduled to be broadcast on ESPN2.





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The Vanderbilt game has an interesting sidebar...Cardinal guard Tia Gibbs transferred from Vanderbilt two years ago to come back home at play for Louisville.
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As of 8:25 p.m. Monday...Ticketmaster still had lower level seats available for the game. Cardinal fans can also call the UofL Ticket Office at 852-5151 or 852-5863 and get tickets beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday morning. Lower level seats are $20, according to Ticketmaster's website.
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The Commodores (20-11) bowed out in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament to Kentucky 69-56...the third time the Wildcats defeated Vanderbilt this season. Kentucky is the 4th seed in the same region, but plays their first and second round games in Albuquerque, New Mexico. If the Cards handle Vandy and Xavier...they would travel to Spokane to play in the Sweet Sixteen.
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This will be the 12th straight season that Vanderbilt has been selected for the NCAA Championships and their 24th appearance overall. The Commodores are 37-23 in all-time NCAA Tournament appearances and have advanced to the Sweet Sixteen six out of the last ten years.


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Louisville and Vanderbilt met in the first round of the 2006 NCAA Tournament in Nashville at Memorial Gym, on the Vanderbilt campus. The Commodores took a 76-64 victory from the Cards on March, 18th. and were ranked #25th in the nation at the time. Louisville is 3-8 all-time against Vanderbilt and the last meeting was the 2006 NCAA contest.
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Tom Collen was the Cardinal coach at the time. He had originally applied for the Vanderbilt job before coming to Louisville..but a mistake in his resume and transcript disqualified him from receiving the job. Instead, it went to Melanie Balcomb...who is still there and in her ninth season as the Commodores head coach. Coincidentally, she previously coached at Xavier before taking the Vanderbilt job and led the Musketeers to three NCAA Tournaments while there, including a Elite Eight appearance in 2001.





In the "what will he do this time?" category:
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The last time Louisville and Vandy played, CARDINAL / LOUISVILLE SPORTS REPORT guru Howie Lindsey was so upset over the officiating...he decided to leave the arena and go in for an emergency appendectomy. All kidding aside, the 'Howster" started feeling bad during the game and went to a Nashville hospital emergency room, where it was discovered that his appendix had burst. Some say he hasn't been the same since...WE'RE guessing Howie will be a no-show in Cincy...men's hoops and all going on this weekend. WE'LL alert EMS, just in case he attends...
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Vanderbilt comes into the contest with a 4th place finish in the SEC. At 10-6, their losses were to Tennessee and Kenticky twice, Mississippi and Florida. They made it to the semifinals of the SEC Tournament before losing to UK. Other losses on the season were to Fla. State, Bowling Green, Denver, and Virgina Tech. The Commodores have lost three of their last five games and are 6-4 over the last ten. They are 2-1 on neutral courts. The drew well at home, with an average attendance of 4589. Common opponents are UT-Martin, who they beat 72-40, Kentucky and Tennessee. All three schools received NCAA Tournament bids.
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The Commodores feature a balanced attack...with five players in double figures. Lence Rhoads leads the Commodores in scoring (11.9). Jasmine Lister, Hannah Tuomi, Stephanie Holzer and Christina Foggie also score over 10 points a game. Tuomi and Holzer are the leading rebounders...6.2 and 6.1 a game. The three point threats are Lister (62-171), Foggie (41-114) and Angela Puleo (40-104). Rhoads and Lister see the most court time...about 35 minutes a game each. They shoot 70% from the free throw line...Tuomi, Foggie and Holzer the ones you want to keep off the stripe. Holzer has blocked 39 shots this year, Rhoads has 30 steals and she is the assist leader, too...with 4.8 per game. Tiffany Clarke came on strong beginning in Feburary for Coach Mel's squad, leading the 'Dores in scoring in the Florida and Miss. State games in conference play and in the Miss. State and Kentucky games in the SEC Tournament. She also led Vandy in rebounding six out of the last ten games and in both SEC Tournament games. Clarke was a late bloomer for Vanderbilt, starting only 16 of the 31 games for Vandy. She saw early schedule starts and then was banished to the bench until late in the season
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Vandy averages 71.6 points a game and allows opponents 63.6. They out-rebound foes 39.8 to 36.5. In three pointers, they're 173-498 (34%) and teams shoot 30% against them from beyond the arc.
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SONJA SAYS:
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Vanderbilt plays the smart, paitent basketball that has been a Melanie Balcomb trademark since she arrived there 11 years ago. With a little less than 17 turnovers per game, they tend not to beat themselves with unforced errors. Against Kentucky in the SEC Tournament, they got off to a very slow start...hampered by Kentucky's all-out full court defensive pressure. Walz would be wise to employ the same strategies against the Commodores. A rapid-fire transition game could work to Louisville's advanage...because Vandy would rather take you down to the half court game and make you beat them from outside. Louisville can rebound against them...but blocking out and positioning will be a key...since they swarm to the ball and there really isn't one player...it's a team effort...who is the dominant force for them in the paint. Strength against them has been successful...UK's Victoria Dunlap and Tennessee's powerful front line prospered on the boards.
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Louisville wil win this game if they have a decent shooting afternoon and can get the powerful Monique Reid into her inside game. The ball-hawking Tia Gibbs and Shoni Schimmel have to be ready to roll and take the transition game right at the Commodores. Hines needs to avoid the foul trouble which usually plagues her in big games and a strong Asia Taylor effort in the paint could be a key factor to Louisville advancing to the second round. Cards by 5 in a nail-biter, in my personal opinion.
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DAVID WATSON looks at the Lady Cards opening
game as only he could possibly see it:
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Yeah, yeah,. The Commodores again. At least it's on a neutral court. I was at the last match, down in the barn where Vanderbilt plays their home games. A weird little venue...benches under the baskets and an elevated floor. It's like somone saw Memorial Coliseum in Lexington and said...'Hey, what if we add this and subtract that?' Whoever designed the Tennessee version should have his architect license revoked but they've probaby gone on to their great reward years ago. This matchup could be called The Gibbs Grudge Match..since Tia Gibbs started at Vandy and ended up at Louisville. Also could pass for being called the Tom Collen Spurned Suitor Event. The 'Dores dumped him and he dumped the Cards.

Would anyone get upset if I referred to it as the L&N Collision...since the schools are located in Louisville and Nashville? How about the Derby City vs. Music City Showdown? What I really want to see happen, though, is the Cards advance to play Xavier on Tuesday night. Louisville has become a much better team since the Muskies put a 15 point beatdown on Louisville back in November. I'll be in the seats somewhere. Ticketmaster, here I come.

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Eamon McAnaney downed Sam Ryan in the Sideline Announcers contest by just one vote. Guys are now 2-0 against gals in the tournament. On the left, Rebecca Lobo (or "B") as they refer to her at the four letter network takes on veteran sideline troll Andrea Kramer (right) in the final match of the Sweet Sixteen round. Lobo is best known (away from her stellar hoops career) as following the UConn Huskies women's team from the sidelines whenever they're on TV...but she does occasionally do other basketball games. Kramer (right) is a football side liner mostly, but we've seen her on other sports sidelines as well. WE think she bears a striking resemblance to Edie Falco (Carmela Soprano on The Sopranos). Separated at birth? Vote in the comments section here or by e-mail to cardinalcouple@insightbb.com.

Carm checks out the wide screen to see if her twin sister Andrea Kramer is on the sidelines for the Giants vs. Eagles game. Tony Soprano refutes any rumors that he had an affair with Kramer on his boat...and denies that Paulie wanted to marry Kramer after meeting her while she was slugging back Cosmos at the Bada-Bing. Also unconfirmed is the alleged "hit" that Erin Andrews ordered several years back on Andrea and Carm. Seems Andrews thought the two were part of the conspiracy when some guy secretly taped Andrews in a hotel room undressing and practicing the alphabet. Turns out Andrea hired the guy to video her in Andrea's hotel room...doing a Sopranos screen test as Carm's long lost sister April... but the doofus showed up at the wrong location. Allegedly.

Fagettaboutit...

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For Tia Gibbs...the wait is over

She was the 2008 Miss Kentucky Basketball. She helped lead the Louisville Butler Bearettes to the State Championship that year. She may have been the most talented girls high school basketball player to come out of Butler since Adrienne Johnson. She accepted the offer to play her college ball under Melanie Balcomb at prestigious Vanderbilt University. Some Cardinal fans wondered at the time how she got away from Jeff Walz and the Lady Cards.

The wondering and waiting is over. Gibbs is back at UofL and eager and ready to take the court and compete at guard for Louisville.

Transferring back home after an up and down season in Nashville and waiting out the mandatory transfer year, she'll have three years of elgibility after sitting out the 2009-10 season. At Vandy, she was one of two freshmen that joined a Commodore team full of experienced guards. Playing time was not easy to find for Gibbs...but she still managed to produce double figure scoring five times...including 12 points against Auburn in the SEC Championships. She produced 12 points against Pat Summitt's Lady Vols. If you've seen Vandy...you know of Coach Balcomb's preference for Louisville hoopsters (Meredith Marsh, Amber Norton and Jenni Benningfield). At 5'9"...Gibbs had talent but it wasn't being used properly.

So...there were the times mired deep on the bench for the Commodores. Gibbs came back to the Ville...and watched helplessly as an inexperienced and overmatched Louisville backcourt got schooled and picked upon by talented and deep BIG EAST opponents. Watched the Kentucky team as they swamped Louisville with defensive intensity and steals galore. Her time watching from the sidelines served her well, though...as she learned just exactly what was needed (and what was missing) from the Lady Cards guards.

She'll compete against 7-8 other hopefuls to try and win a starting role for the 2010-11 season. Much more importantly, though...she'll add depth and experience to a back court that had very little last season. Gibbs has proven she is the kind of hoopster that can contribue as a role player off the bench, but has to be considered as one of the early leading contenders to start in the backcourt.

While in high school, Gibbs was one of the top three players in the Jefferson County area...along with fellow Cardinal Monique Reid (Fern Creek) and Ceira Ricketts (Fairdale/Arkansas). She played varisty hoops for five years at Butler....scoring 2790 points....#1 in Bearette history. She was seleced 6th Region Player of the Year in 2007 and 2008...Gibbs also played for the AAU's Louisville Sting.

The long overdue wait for Gibbs to be a Cardinal is almost over. Sometimes, the shortest path isn't taken, the road chosen can be long and winding and setbacks happen. For Tia Gibbs, though...the travel has ended..she's reached base camp and the sun is shining once again.