Defense the key in Louisville win over Xavier

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CARDINAL COUPLE MONDAY EDITION:

-Burke, Warren provide the punches in Louisville win

-Women's soccer falls 2-0 to Fla. State

-It's not too late!

Before a packed house in the KFC YUM! Center Sunday afternoon, Louisville
delivered an early knockout blow to the visiting Xavier Muskies and defeated
the Atlantic 10 conference member 62-44.

Lt. Gov.Jerry Abramson greets
a constituent at the game

Xavier did jump out to a quick 4-0 lead on Louisville in the first 90 seconds of today's game, but the Lady Cards responded with a 11-0 run to lead 11-4 after a Bria Smith steal and layup with 13:10 remaining in the first half. It just got worse for Xavier after that...Louisville shutting the Lady Musketeers down offensively and doubling the score at 20-10 on two Cierra Warren free throws at the 5:06 mark. The Cards outscored Xavier the rest of the way 11-2...Shoni Schimmel scoring six of the Cards final first half points for an 31-12 halftime lead.

Cierra Warren and Becky Burke led the way in the first half with eight points each and Louisville held Xavier to just eight points in the final 13 minutes of the first half. Walz started Sara Hammond, Becky Burke, Bria Smith, Shoni Schimmel and Cierra Warren this afternoon and that lineup came out to begin second half play.

LadyBirds fire the crowd up during the game. 

And, play they did. Getting excellent inside play from Warren and Shawnta Dyer...the Cards increased the margin steadily as the half rolled on...up by 23 at the 14:34 mark and leading by 27 at 50-23 after a Sara Hammond layup with 9:42 to go. A rare Hammond three a minute later made it 55-23. Louisville led 59-24 before Walz emptied the bench and Shelby Harper, Jude Schimmel, Sherrone Vails, Asia Taylor and Antonita Slaughter carried the load the rest of the way...with limited substitutions...

Give the Muskies credit, they outscored the Louisville bench 20-3 over the final eight minutes...but with the game well in hand, Walz decided to keep the starters on the bench and see how the backups handled the Xavier first squad.

Becky Burke led all scorers with 13 points and Cierra Warren was the other double figure scorer with ten. The rest of the Cardinal scoring:

Cheerleaders perform a challenging routine

Shoni Schimmel 9
Sherrone Vails 8
Shawnta Dyer 7
Bria Smith 7
Sara Hammond 6
Shelby Harper 2

Asia Taylor, Jude Schimmel and Antonita Slaughter played but did not score for the Cards.

Reserve guard Ashley Wanninger led Xavier with ten points and Amber Gray added nine.

THEY SAID IT:

(Head Xavier coach Amy Baugh)

"It was a tough game for us, they (Louisville) came out from the tip and made it tough on us defensively. They mixed it up, they pressed us a little bit, they went to a zone and we couldn't make a shot. I honestly believe we took some great shots but we just couldn't make them.

(On Louisville)

"I think they've got a great basketball team and they're going to be very successful. They're a little banged up right now...but they have some young kids that are playing a lot of minutes early for them who will develop as the season goes on..they'll be great here at Louisville over the next four years.

(On her team)

Today was a great experience for us. WE play a lot of young kids, who haven't played before. We're going to be battle-tested..playing at this place and we've got Stanford next. It's a learning experience for us and a process that is going to take all season long...but we'll continue to work and improve as the season goes on."

(On the late second half run)

"It's definitely something to build on. My kids showed that we can fight, we're not going to quit and that's a positive we can take away from today."

(Louisville head coach Jeff Walz)

"I thought we did a good job on mixing it up today. A good job of being there on the catch. Tried to not give them open looks. We've got to do a better job rebounding, which was a concern of mine. For the most part, I thought we played pretty well for about 12 minutes in the first half and about 12 minutes in the second half. We've got to figure out a way to get those other 16 (minutes) squared away."

(On the defense and stopping the three:)

"It was a key. Moss is a great three point shooter for them. WE wanted to close out tight on her and make her drive on us. Bria Smith has done a great job defensively for us and I'm really excited about that.

(On Monique Reid)

"She went through part of our shoot around this morning. She'll practice again some more tomorrow and I'm hoping to play her around 10-18 minutes on Tuesday. It's just a slow process to get her back and going again."

(On getting other players time on the court)

"It's good to get them playing time they might not get. Their roles are going to step up, there's more that's going to be expected of them and now it's just a matter of who is going to step up and accept that and run with those minutes."

THINGS WE LIKED TODAY:

-Louisville shut down Xavier for just 12 points in the first half today. That ties a Louisville record for least point in a half by an opponent.

-Walz didn't punish the Muskies late in the game after going up by 35 points. We like to see Shelby get whatever minutes she can and the reserve Lady Cards played hard against the Xavier starters.

-Cierra Warren inside. Just keeps getting better and better.

THINGS TO IMPROVE ON

-Rebounding. Give Xavier credit for battling the taller Cards tooth and nail, but Louisville needs to go to the boards with more aggression. Louisville only gained a 2 rebound edge on Xavier for the game (48-46). Shawnta Dyer has 10 of those.

-Putbacks. A lot of missed opportunities inside tonight for scores. Hammond seemingly can get a rebound and try for a putback any time she wants, but she needs to develop a softer, higher shot in the paint and use the backboard.

-Mop up time. Louisville was outscored big time when the reserves were in late. This squad needs to at least be able to stay even with the opponent. They're talented...they just need to work more together.

Louisville returns to action Tuesday with a noon game against Austin Peay.

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Louisville women's soccer took a 2-0 loss to #9 Florida State in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA women's soccer tournament in Memphis yesterday. The Seminoles split the scoring up...recording a goal in each half against the Cards.

Florida State first found the net 24 minutes into the game when Kassey Kallman took a throw-in pass and headed the ball into the net past Cardinal goalkeeper Chloe Kiefer. Louisville and the 'Noles battled defensively the rest of the half, but neither team could add to the scoreboard.

Jones had four good years
at UofL

FSU added to the lead late...Tiffany McCarty receiving a pass from Janice Cayman and driving to the goal to put one in the far right post for the 2-0 advantage.

The Cards were out-shot by FSU 12-11 and also on shots-on-goal 6-2.

"It's a bittersweet way to go out, but it's been the most success we've had over four years, so it's definitely been a lot of fun and a good ride. Bringing home the first BIG EAST National Division Championship for our school has been great and it's been a great experience with everyone." -senior midfielder Jennifer Jones

We'd be remiss here if we didn't congratulate the men's soccer team on their 3-2 double overtime victory over Bradley to advance in the NCAA tournament. Stayin' alive, stayin' alive...





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Want to go to see the Lady Cards play UK this year in basketball in Lexington? The game is on Sunday, Dec 4th at 1 p.m. in cozy Memorial Coliseum. Don't feel like driving? Let the FASTBREAK CLUB do the work for you!

Cards fall to Irish in Volleyball...Women's hoops today in KFC YUM Center...Football wins!...Pitino's guys defeat Xavier...

SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE COMIN' AT YA!!!

-Irish pull off the upset in Volleyball

-Xavier facing Lady Cards today in WBB

-Freaky play ends football game

-Pitino's guys win in Indy.

Louisville Volleyball ended their run in the BIG EAST Tournament yesterday by falling to Notre Dame 25-22, 22-25, 25-21, 25-19 yesterday in Milwaukee.

The Cards got a great performance from Lola Arslanbekova, who had 24 kills in the four game match...but she couldn't carry the weight by herself and Notre Dame moves on to the championship to face Cincinnati...who downed Marquette in five games.

The teams were evenly matched in game one until the Irish went on a 4-0 run to lead 14-10.  Louisville tied it at 15-15 and 17-17 and was down by two at 24-22 when a flip by the Irish found unguarded wood and they won by three.



The Cards failed to
win the BIG EAST
volleyball championship
yesterday  

Louisville took control early in game two, up 7-2...but saw Notre Dame rally to take the lead by expand it to five at 22-17. After a timeout, though...the Cards ran off eight unanswered points to win the second game by three.

The Cards came out strong in game three, led 8-3, but could not keep up the defense and the Irish tied it at nine all. The teams were tied at 18 and 20 before ND ran off five of the final six points to win game three and take a 2-1 match lead.

Louisville never led in the fourth game, falling behind early 4-1. The Irish ran that up to 12-7 before the Cards rallied to draw close at 16-14. At 18-17, Louisville looked to still have a chance of forcing a fifth game...but a 7-2 closing run by ND ended game and match.

Despite the loss, the Cards should still make the NCAA Tournament, since they won the regular season BIG EAST title. They have one more regular season game...a match-up against OVC Champ Morehead State on Saturday. The NCAA pairings will be announced next Sunday.

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KFC YUM! Center is the place for the 2 p.m. tip off today...featuring the Lady Cards women's basketball team against Xavier. This is not the same Muskie team that Louisville defeated in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Gone are starters Special Jennings, Amber Harris, Ta'Shia Phillips and head coach Kevin McGuff.

Amy Waugh (left) leads the Musketeers now and the Tyeasha Moss is the scoring threat.

Xavier is 1-1 on the year...handling EKU 66-61 but falling on the road to Mississippi State 71-65. Moss, a senior, is averaging 18 a game and is joining in double figures by junior Jessica Pachko (12 ppg) and sophomore Lynette Holmes (11.5 ppg).

For Louisville, Cierra Warren has a 15 point per game average after three games and Bria Smith is knocking in 13 point a game. Shoni Schimmel (12.0) and Becky Burke (11.3) are also in double figures.

Louisville will need Asia and the "bigs"
to crash the boards today. Do it, #31!

Xavier will try to keep this one from becoming a track meet this afternoon...so the Cards will need to be able to work effectively out of the half court set and go to the boards strong. Louisville's love for the helter-skelter fast break transition offense can only happen if Warren, Asia Taylor, Sara Hammond and the rest of the bigs go to the boards well when the Muskies miss shots. Louisville's ability to block out and score inside could spell the difference today. The Cards must also try to get off to a faster start today than they have over the first three games of the year.

Xavier has gone extensively with a three guard set this year, so the Cards will need to make sure that they are on guard with good play from the Schimmels, Smith, Burke and Harper.

No word on Monique Reid and her availability for today's game yet...as coach Walz is fond of saying...'need to worry about the ones who can play and coach them up'. Mo will come back when she's ready and will be spectacular when she does.

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Congratulations to both football and men's hoops for wins yesterday. The Pitino guys went to historic Hinkle Fieldhouse on the Butler University campus and downed the Bulldogs 69-53...Kyle Kuric with 17 for Louisville....

Charlie Strong's football guys got their 6th win of the season at Connecticut...downing the Huskies 34-20. Craziness on the final play of the game. After Connecticut scored to make it 28-20 and then recovered an on-side kick to get the ball back, they come out on offense and run a play where they try to advance the ball with a series of backwards passes and laterals...going in the wrong direction until Louisville intercepts one of the attempts and returns it for a touchdown.

Reminded us of the Three Stooges on the field...

Louisville is now bowl eligible with the win and actually has a shot of winning the BIG EAST Conference and getting the BCS bid...but a lot of things would have to happen for that to occur...the main one being that the Cards would have to win in Tampa next Saturday against South Florida...a place where Louisville has never won. Of course, the Cards have never been there with Charlie Strong as head coach and he has shown over the last two years that you can "never

Not sure if Charlie went surfing
yesterday after defeating UConn

say never" with Strong coached teams..or how they'll handle success.  

All this adds up to a very interesting scenario now in the BIG EAST where just about the entire league has two losses and they may have to bring in the Supreme Court justices to decide who gets the "big money" bowl.

Charlie even managed to stir up some fan controversy yesterday when he pulled starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater out of the game in the fourth quarter and inserted former starter Will Stein in the game. The Cards couldn't move the ball with Stein taking the snaps and Bridgewater didn't appear to be injured.

Charlie-Ball. Never boring (or predictable).
.
..
nochoiceisachoice

Lady Cards should reach new heights on front line......Xavier, Lindsey Wilson on schedule

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*Louisville women's basketball team returns height, experience in the post.

*Two more non-conference games for Lady Cards announced.

*Pictures of Paul and Sonja on the Johnson farm.

Hi, David Watson with you this morning to review the third component of the
University of Louisville women's basketball team for 2011-12. WE look at the front line today.

We'll combine the "4" and "5" spots in this review and we'll look at five young ladies who will compete for playing time at these spots. First, the returnees:

1931 Model A Ford that still runs on the Johnson farm in
North Dakota. They didn't let Paul drive this one...

Asia Taylor goes into her junior year as the Cardinal front liner with the most experience in the Walz system of basketball. Taylor is an aggressive, hard-working forward who crashes the boards with skill and has quick feet on defense. Foul prone at times, Taylor needs work on around the hoop putbacks. She's shown she can score when needed to but with development of a soft putback from under the basket, her game would reach the plateau most expected her to be at when she arrive on campus. To her credit, she's been slowed by injuries during her time her and we haven't seen the "real" Asia yet.

Sherrone Vails saw a lot of court time as a freshman, primarily spelling Keisha Hines in the post. Aggressiveness and shot selection seem to be the two areas where her game could improve. She's a shot-swatter, but there's a lot more to defense than just that and her tendency to "hand-guard" gets her in foul trouble quickly. Whether she'll earn the start in the post this year or back up remains to be seen. She does give the team 100% when she is out there, though and can run the court well.

Shawnta Dyer gets to the court after sitting out last year with a heel fracture. She was spectacular in the Cards pre-season and against Indiana Wesleyan and it gives us hope that she'll be a strong force in the paint for the Cards. Her size makes her a tough one to keep off the boards. If she's developed a mid-range jumper and can rebound effectively remains to be fully seen. If so, she could nail down a starting spot before long.

Cierra Robertson-Warren is available now after sitting out her transfer year. She should be an immediate and strong impact in the post based on

Paul and Sonja with a antique tractor. Rumors that they
are giving up CARDINAL COUPLE and becoming farmers
are NOT true.

a few games she had as a freshman at North Carolina. She follows missed shots well and works hard to get in a position to score. The question here is how well has the knee recovered from minor surgery this spring and will she be in shape to handle 20-25 minutes of post play? If so, she could dominate the BIG EAST.

Sara Hammond draws mention here also even though we discussed her a few days ago. She played in the paint exclusively in high school and has the quick inside game to be effectively if that is where Walz decides to use her. She has a great shooting range and goes to the boards well, in addition to her shot-blocking skills. Her game is all-over-the-court and we can see her being a strength inside if needed.

August is just a few days away and we'll get reports on the majority of the girls we've discussed over the last week and how they do in Canada soon.

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According to schedules released by the respective schools, Louisville women's basketball will play Lindsey Wilson and Xavier in the 2011-12 season. They'll face Lindsey Wilson on Sunday, October 30th. No location has been listed for the one yet but you'd have to assume it'll be in the KFC YUM! Center for this exhibition game.

They'll also host Xavier in the YUM on Sunday, November 20th.

Great sidebars on both games. Louisville defeated Xavier to reach the Sweet Sixteen in March and former Cardinal Ashley Rainey and future Card Monny Niamke play for Lindsey Wilson.

Thanks to CARDINAL COUPLE reader Kenny S. for the find!!

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1951 Mercury on the Johnson Farm. Still runs great. Even
after Paul drove it.



Speaking of reports, I talked with THE CARDINAL COUPLE (Paul and Sonja) and they are enjoying their time in Fargo, ND and Minnesota. They'll be back with you in a few days. They'll probably be glad to be home I would guess. They've covered eight states so far in their summer road trip, logged over 1500 driving miles, seen friends and relatives in four different cities and (according to Paul) been great Cardinal ambassadors everywhere they've gone.

They sent me the pictures last night that I have included on today's entry.



 

Lady Cards win was sealed from the stripe

GREAT WEDNESDAY (WE SAY)...AT CARDINAL COUPLE

(The freshmen sensations...Ms. Schimmel and Tay)

-CARDS win...by the numbers

-Watson writes on Louisville victory

-Softball vs. UK today

-Sideline reporters challenge continues

Charmaine Tay sank seven out of eight free throws in the final 1:15 of the game and Louisville made twelve out of fourteen total in the final 1:23 to take a 10 point win back to Derby City in the 85-75 victory over #5 in the nation Xavier. During that 1:23 stretch, Xavier had three crucial turnovers, went 2-4 from the foul line and hit only 1 of 5 three point attempts...a meaningless three by Amber Gray with 3 seconds left in the game. The Cards had three steals in that fateful 1:23...two by Tia Gibbs and one from Tay.

Can't say enough about how well the fearless freshman from Bloomfield Tech in New Jersey played in the final eleven minutes of the second half. Her second half stats were very impressive...nine points, three rebounds, two steals and two assists...all in just twelve minutes of second half action. Louisville, meet your new Energizer bunny...

Schimmel, the Cards other freshman guard, was lights out in the final twenty minutes as well. 17 points, three steals, a block, two assists and three boards in the second half. Rounding out the Cards second half assault were Monique Reid (8 points, 1 steal and rebound) and Becky Burke (a three and free throw). Keisha Hines battled the Xavier twin towers with all her might for 19 of the twenty final minutes...scoring a basket and getting a block and steal. Louisville got 24 points off of turnovers in the final twenty minutes...an amazing stat...Xavier just 2...

The Cards went 28-53 from the field for the game (52.8%) while Xavier shot 50% (27-54). Louisville connected on nine of sixteen three point attempts (56.3%)while the Musketeers put up a season high 30 three balls, hitting 14 of them (46.7%). The Cards were deadly from the foul line...going 20-25 (80%) while Xavier sank seven of twelve (58.3%). Louisville actually tied the Muskies in rebounding with 28 grabs (Tay 6). The duo of Amber Phillips and Ta'Shia Phillips had 15 of the Xavier rebounds. The Cards had a very credible 20 steals while Xavier managed seven.

Louisville had a very low 12 turnovers in the contest, Xavier doubled that with 24. Despite the obvious height disadvantage...the Cards swatted 4 Xavier shots away and the Muskies had 8 blocks... Phillips with five and Harris with two. Louisville and Xavier both had 8 points off of fast breaks, the Cards with 12 second chance points compared to Xavier's 16 and both teams had 24 points in the paint. The telling stat...the Lady Cards put up 33 points off of turnovers, Xavier just 12.

Individually, Schimmel led all scorers with 33. Reid finished with 13, Gibbs added 12, Tay was good for 11 and Burke rounded out the double figure producers with 10. Hines was the only other Cardinal to score...with six. Harris led the Musketeers with 20, Tyeasha Moss finished with 17 (4 for 8 from three ball range) Katie Rutan added 15 (5 for 14 from deep) and Phillips rounded out the Xavier double figure scorers with 11. Special Jennings played a hard fought and gutsy game for Xavier at the point guard....playing 39 minutes and getting eight points, seven assists and four rebounds. Katie Rutan was the only player who fouled out on either team...Hines collected four for Louisville and Harris 4 for "X" .

Reid and Schimmel logged 38 minutes for Jeff Walz, Tia Gibbs played 37 and Keisha Hines saw 33 minutes on the court. Tay had 22, Burke 17, Asia Taylor 7, Sherrone Vails (hampered by a strained calf) with 7 and Shelby Harper, Polly Harrington and Rachel Story got in for the final 19 seconds of the contest.

Louisville's freshmen accounted for 44 for Louisville 81 points...all from Schimmel and Tay. They shot 14-22 from the field, 6-11 from three point range and 10 for 14 from the free throw stripe. 10 rebounds and 6 steals...all from Tay and Schimmel.

In a game that looked to be evolving into Xavier's hands with five minutes left, the Cards...behind the magic of Schimmel and clutch charity tosses at the end...take the win and move on to Spokane. We probably haven't seen the end of Harris or Phillips's basketball careers, though. Any WNBA team that passes on the chance to grab one or both of these powerful post players hasn't done their homework. And, they'll probably both make some serious $$$ in Euroball, too. But, it was "youth be served" on Tuesday night in the Cintas Center in a game that Lady Cards fans will remember for a very long time.

.

Tia Gibbs had the best player quote in the post game presser, about Schimmel:

"Now you know why we call her the 'Show'. When the stakes are high and the lights come on..she's shows up."

.

Second best quote, by Monique Reid, about Schimmel's 33 points:

"Hey...don't forget who was her host when she came here to visit. She's here because of me. I take full credit for the recruiment and signing of Shoni and deserve half of those 33 points tonight...(Laughter)."

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DAVID WATSON sent in his game report at 3 a.m. Wednesday morning. Sounds like Watson...I presume...took his time driving back from Cincy and got a nap in afterwards...He writes:

Paul may have hit it on the head when he renamed Sho-Time Schimmel to Judge Schimmel. She did rule the court Tuesday night in the Cintas Center. Check the BIG EAST highlight film of the game over at bigeast.org. Three and three and steal after steal. Is there anything this freshman sensation can't do? Wouldn't surprise me if she didn't drive the team bus back to Louisville. If not, Charmaine Tay probably did. Freshmen sensations, indeed.

As I sat directly behind Paul (without his knowledge) during this epic battle, several rows up and surrounded by Cardinal crazies, I went through a myriad of emotions. Elation at the start of the game when Louisville rolled out to a 5-0 lead. Nervousness when X took a seven point lead late in the first half. Hope when the Cards knotted it up at 56-56. A sinking feeling of doom when Xavier promptly hit two 3 balls in a row to go up 62-56. Despair when the Musketeers led by six and five minutes remained. Giddiness after Schimmel put Louisville up to stay 73-70 with a three that had the entire Cardinal section in a frenzied state of celebration. I even saw the usually sideline stoic Paul give a vigorous fist pump when the Oregon Oscar winner nailed the bomb. And pride and joy, with another dash of nervousness tossed in, when the Cards sealed the deal from the line late. If a manic/depressive syndrome sets in with me come Wednesday, you'll know full why. And, that had to be the longest 1:23 in the history of

women's college basketball. I swear..I grew a "five o'clock shadow" in that final 83 seconds. What were the refs doing for so long over at the scorer's table? Watching the UConn game on ESPN2?

A team that had Jeff Walz going crazy for the vast majority of the season because they had no "killer instinct" just committed a major homicide in the Queen City. Let the murdring spree continue on the West Coast. Louisville's version of Bonnie and Clyde are Spokane bound.

I-70 is one lonely road at midnight. Thank God for classic oldies, a patronizing younger daughter and the recruiting techniques of a certain coach who may be the first coach in history to get a technical for stuttering. I can say one thing, he'd make an effective alarm clock. His theatrics provided a wake up call to a Cardinal team that was about to slip into a coma in the first half.

It's 3 a.m. It's time for bed. Louisville put Xavier to bed 5 hours ago. Just call me 'Mr. Night Owl'.

DAVID WATSON is a special correspondent for CARDINAL COUPLE and is treating anyone who wants to go to an all-expenses paid trip to Spokane this weekend. Just kidding, but the enthusiasm and pride he has for the Lady Cards program will be there in spirit with them.

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Cardinal Softball today at the Ulmer and it's a big one...UK comes to town. Kats come in at 19-6 and ranked #24 in the nation. Chandra Bell the big arm on the mound for UK. Game is at 6 p.m. Come out and have a ballpark dinner and catch this one. Admission is $5. Expect the outfield "grassy knoll" to be rocking...Most likely, the torrid Tori Collins will draw the assignment for Sandy Pearsall's squad. Let's hope the predicted isolated rain chances tonight are isolated somewhere else besides the UofL campus.

The Cards are getting strong at bats from Chelsea Bemis (.394 and four homers), Alicja Wolny (.394 and 27 RBI's) and Colby Wherry (.382 and eleven runs scored). Louisville (18-9) has lost to top 15 ranked teams six times this year. In UK, they'll face a team that just won 2 out of three on the road at LSU.

CARDINAL COUPLE will be there...and providing a full and live report on the battle.

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.

In the battle of Sideline announcers, Erin Andrews sent Heather Cox to the showers (can we watch?) convincingly and moves on to the FINAL FOUR. Today's match up is surprising Tony Siragusa vs. upstart Allison Williams. Let us know if you need to know which picture here is who. We'll get right back to you. Paul is backing Allison, or at least hoping to back in to her. Sonja in the Williams camp, too. Watson will weigh in later, we suppose and Bill the Goat is in full support of "the Goose".. It's an animal thing, we're guessing. Comments section can record votes or e-mail it in @ cardinalcouple@insightbb.com

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Lady Cards advance to Sweet Sixteen

Louisville advances to the Spokane Regional 3rd round action with a late, come from behind win over #2 seed Xavier Tuesday night at the Cintas Center. Shoni Schimmel throws in 33 points as the Cards go ballistic in the final 1:40 of the game, taking the lead on a Shoni Schimmel 3 and pulling away from the Musketeers.

Louisville used a 20-1 run in the last 5:16 of the contest....going from a 70-64 deficit into a 84-71 lead with 21 seconds. Louisville placed five players in double figures.
.
Things weren't so easy for Louisville to start in this one. After taking an early 8-6 lead after a Schimmel three with 17:35 to go...the Cards found themselves in a battle with jumpers, the three point shooting and inside game of the Musketeers. The Cards managed to hold on to the lead until an Amber Harris tip in at 10:44 put Xavier up 24-23. The Musketeers would build that lead to six when Ta'Shia Phillips hit a layup to make it 32-26 with 7:00 left in the first half. Louisville trailed 39-32 with 2:58 remaining in the first half and went into the locker room down 40-37 after Tia Gibbs hit a jumper at the buzzer.
.
Louisville went 15-28 in the first twenty minutes but could not stop a torrid Xavier 15-31 shooting effort. The teams combined for 12 first half threes.
.
The second half saw Louisville draw within one or two several times early and finally caught the Musketeers at 56-56 on a Monique Reid layup with 12:09 left. Then, Xavier threw a big scare into the Cards with two straight threes and a 62-56 lead with 11:28 left. They would keep Louisville a bay with the efforts of Phillips and Harris and led 70-64 with 5:16 remaining.

That's when Schimmel and her teammates went to work. Schimmel's three with 5:00 left and a free throw at 3:07 cut the Musketeer lead to 70-68. Schimmel then tied it at 70 with a jumper and 2:22 left. A Schimmel three made it 73-70 at the 1:50 mark. Louisville would go on to score twelve of the final seventeen points of the game from there on out...all from the free throw stripe.
.
Louisville gets Gonzaga next...in Spokane on Saturday, March 26th. The two have never met in women's college basketball.
.
In the end, the poise and top notch marksmanship from the stripe spelled the difference for the Cards. Oh, and a talented freshman from Portland, OR. named Schimmel. Call her "Judge Schimmel"...because her court awareness is second to none. Judge Schimmel rules the court.
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Collins, Wherry get Softball honors, WBB in action tonight.

TUESDAY as seen by CARDINAL COUPLE:

-Collins BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week

-Wherry named to BIG EAST Honor Roll

-LADY CARDS WBB vs. Xavier tonight.

-The Sideline Reporter Great Eight starts today.

-Dumb and Dumber on the air.

Paul Sanderford, pictured above, does color commentary on UofL Women's Basketball games. He'll be on hand for tonight's match up in Cincinnati when Louisville faces Xavier at 7 p.m. at the Cintas Center. Tickets still available. Sanderford was also a coach at Western Kentucky University and Nebraska and they say he was a pretty good catcher 'back in the day'. He and Louisville Bats radio voice Matt Andrews will have the broadcast on 790 AM/101.7 FM WKRD. The game will also be shown on ESPN2. WE strongly urge you to attend, though. Cincinnati is less than two hours away from Louisville and your LADY CARDS need as much "red" in the stands to offset what will be a large home advantage for the Muskies and their fans.

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Tori Collins has been named BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week for her 3-0 record last week. She also recorded a save in five appearances. The junior struck out 24 batters and allowed just two runs on 12 hits for a sparkling ERA of 0.59 in 23.2 innings. Opposing batters went an anemic .150 against Tori. It is the second time this season she has been selected Pitcher of the Week.

Colby Wherry swung the big bat for the Cards last week and has been named to the BIG EAST Softball Honor Roll for outstanding performance. Colby was a hitting machine...going .625 at the plate with a home run, three doubles, six RBI's and four scored runs. Her on base % was .611 and her slugging percentage a perfect 1.000. The senior helped lead the Cards to a 4-1 record out at the San Diego Classic II.

Louisville faces in-state rival Kentucky at Ulmer Stadium on campus Wednesday at 6 p.m. The Cards (18-9) also have a weekend series to begin BIG EAST play coming up against Villanova.

Tickets for UK are $5 and can be purchased at the field game day.

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Louisville's LADY CARDS basketball team will take on Xavier tonight at the Cintas Center on the Xavier University Campus tonight at 7 p.m. For the Cards, stopping the gigantic front line of Amber Harris and Ta'Shia Phillips will be a priority, as well as slowing down senior guards Special Jennings and Megan Askew. Local high school girls basketball fans may also remember Jeffersonville star center Sabrina Johnson, who is a reserve on the Xavier team.

The Cards will look to establish their own pace against the Musketeers instead of letting Xavier settle into their half court game of getting the ball inside to their dual post players and controlling the boards on both ends of the court.

The two teams met early in the season, on November 23rd. in the Cintas Center. Although Xavier won 71-59, Louisville jumped out to an eleven point first half lead using transition, fast break basketball and a stifling man-to-man defense. Xavier head coach challenged senior post Amber Harris, from Indianapolis to get more involved in the offense and she turned in a yeoman effort, torching the Cards for 13 points and 10 boards in the first half. Harris ended up with 28 points and 18 rebounds in the game and Xavier used a 19-3 run early in the second half to take control of the game. Senior guard Special Jennings nailed a couple of key 3's during that run.

"She's fantastic." head Louisville coach Jeff Walz remarked about Harris after the game. "She's unbelievable. Next to Maya Moore, she may be the best player in the country." Walz, known for his humorous sarcasm at times, was dead serious about Harris. She is all that.

Ta'Shia Phillips, Xavier's other post dominator, got into early foul trouble against the Cards and only played 20 minutes. The Cards had no one that could stop Harris, though, and it will be interesting to see what tactics Walz employs tonight to keep both from controlling the boards against a usually weak Cardinal rebounding squad. Louisville will also be wary of the three point shooting of guards Jennings, Tyeashia Moss and Katie Rutan.

Monique Reid had 20 points for Louisville in the loss.

SONJA SAYS:

The Cards will need to force the tempo and keep the Xavier guards from working the ball inside
to the Xavier twin towers if they are to advance in the NCAA Tournament. Cut off the head of the beast and the body dies. They'll also need to shut down any Xavier long range marksmanship, which they can do with effective full court pressure and a tight guarding scheme.
Keisha Hines needs to step up and have a big game on both ends of the court and if Walz chooses to give Asia Taylor extended minutes to combat the Xavier height advantage, the Columbus, Ohio sophomore must play prevention defense and avoid the reach-in fouls that have stymied her at times this season. Good shooting from the perimeter from Schimmel, Gibbs and Burke is a must and Reid will be expected to produce her usual stellar performance from inside the arc.

You counter height with quickness and Louisville has the fast break, transition basketball game to keep the Muskateers off balance and on their toes if they can get it started. Steals against the veteran Xavier back court may be hard to come by and turnovers few and far between...but if the Cards can contest ball movement and play smart, they can beat this A-10 powerhouse.
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CARDINAL COUPLE (well, at least 1/2 of the couple...) will be court side for the action and bring you pre-game, in-game and post game reports from the Cintas Center. Look out I-71, the red is on the way...

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The final eight contestant of the Sideline Announcers Bracket are ready and raring to go and the first matchup pits Erin Andrews vs. Heather Cox. Since the NCAA Men's basketball tournament is on CBS and their affiliates this year, we haven't seen much out of the ESPN duo lately. Maybe they're doing some women's or men's NIT games...but we aren't catching them if they are. Both have been embroiled in a bit of controversy lately...Cox and her obscenities during a taping of a halftime report and Andrews and the stalker. WE enjoy both, though, when they are on the air and this will be a tough one to decide. David Watson goes with Andrews, Paul is siding with the red-headed Cox and Sonja selects Andrews. You can weigh in on the fray here in the comments section..or send your vote to us at cardinalcouple@insightbb.com


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Did anyone else out there catch the Tennessee vs. Marquette game last night on ESPN2? We normally don't pay much attention to the meanderings and dribble that flows from the network play by play and color commentators...but Debbie Antonelli and "pretty boy"Dave Ryan must have had money on Marquette. Especially "pretty boy"... who almost reached orgasm every time Marquette's Angel Robinson took a step, tied her shoes or put up a shot. "Debs" was her usual condescending, haughty self...lamenting that Marquette could not produce enough defense to hold Tennessee. Hmmm. That Golden Eagle "d" had it down to a 2 point game late and both "pretty boy" and "Debs" were in full connubial ecstasy. Tough loss for a good and veteran Marquette team. Tougher, though, to listen to the 'dynamic' ESPN duo and their on air love affair for Terri Mitchell's squad. And...who cares if Bruce Pearl got fired and if it would affect the Vols? For goodness sake...do you really think losing a lying men's basketball coach is going to affect the way Pat Summitt prepares for and coaches a game? Please...ESPN and their "head games". We can understand "Debs" hatred for the Vols...she was UK's Director of Marketing early in her professional career. Once a Kat, always a Kat. Ryan, a veteran of both CBS and ESPN broadcasting needs to stick to college football...in our humble opinion.
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We're OK with the studio show and Trey Wingo, Kara Lawson and Carolyn Peck. Wingo stays out of the way and lets Lawson and Peck talk about the sports they know. Lawson has improved dramatically over the past several years and it's good to see her on the studio report with Peck instead of "Ms Negative" Stacey Dales. We do wonder why Carolyn Peck hasn't been hired by someone has a coach. She knows the game quite well and that cute, little southern drawl of hers...well, we're sold. Sure, she had a rough 2006-07 season as Florida Gators head women's basketball coach which led to her dismissal...but she won an NCAA Championship while head coach at Purdue. She has WNBA coaching experience at Orlando, too. Maybe it's of her own choosing to stay in the studio instead of returning to the sidelines...but WE can think of at least five BIG EAST teams that would grow and prosper under Peck's knowledge and coaching ability. Sounds like we're trying to pimp her out as agents...that's not the case, though. We're perfectly fine listening to her intelligent and informative studio commentary. And Walz doesn't need another top flight, opposing coach to worry about in the BIG EAST.
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Lady Cards travel to Xavier to face #5 Muskies

TUESDAY @ CARDINAL COUPLE

-Lady Cards meet the monster Muskies

-Youman picks up another award

-Men's basketball romps Chattanooga

Asia Taylor, pictured right, and her front line teammates for the

University of Louisville women's basketball team will have their work

cut out for them tonight in the Cintas Center, Cincinnati, OH. when

they face the #5 Xavier Musketeers at 7 p.m.

XAVIER (2-0) features the all-world front line duo of 6'6" bangers Ta'Shia Phillips and Amber Harris. The pair are averaging 18.5 ppg. each this season and part of four Muskies in double figures. Guard Speical Jennings also returns from the 2008-09 team that lost to Louisville 66-55 in the last meeting...a game where Candyce Bingham went off for 23 points and 10 boards in the road win for Louisville. Angel McCoughtry added 16 points and 11 boards.

The Cards are 6-2 lifetime against Xavier. In the 2008 meeting, head coach Jeff Walz told the team that someone else besides Atlantic 10 Conference 1st teamer Phillips would have to beat Louisville, if the Cards were going to lose. Louisville did an effective job with employing a double team on Phillips...holding her to five points in the Xavier loss.

For Louisville (3-1) to pull the upset this year in the Queen City, the Cards will have to do an effective job on Phillips again this year and also deal with Harris in the paint. Between Keisha Hines, Asia Taylor, Antonita Slaughter and Sherrone Vails...the Cards have shown improved ability to go to the boards but they will need their finest effort of the season to combat the towers that Xavier has at the ready.

The Cards have been effective in the fast break, transition game and if they can get this aspect of their offense in gear tonight, it will benefit greatly if Louisville is to win. If Xavier packs back in a zone, outside shooting specialists Becky Burke, Tia Gibbs, Antonita Slaughter, Shoni Schimmel and LaToya Johnson will need to be on the mark.

This is the first of three road games for Louisville and not too bad a trip for the zealous Cardinal fan. Cintas Center is a little over two hours from Louisville and the Muskie fans are pretty enthusiastic about their team, so any "Red" in the seats would be a boost to Walz's crew.

No TV for this one, but the broadcast can be heard on WKRD 790 AM/101.7 FM and at http://www.uoflsports.com/ . Jim Kelch and Paul Sanderford handle the call.

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Field Hockey's Nicole Youman has added another honor to her career here at UofL by being named to the NFHCA All-American second team. Youman was the 2010 BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year. The Black Mountain, Australia native was a four year All-BIG EAST selection during her playing days for Pam Bustin and shares the school record for most goals in a game with five against Central Michigan.

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Nice performance last night by Pitino's Cards in the 106-65 romp over Chattanooga. The more WE see sophomore Steven Van Treese play...the more we are impressed about how much better he has gotten this season. Louisville has demonstrated a powerful and deep front line this year with VanTreese, Rakeem Buckles, Terrence Jennings, George Goode and Gorgui Dieng. Depth during the brutal BIG EAST schedule that awaits the Cards is essential and it looks like the Cards have five guys who are pretty much interchangeable and still effective.