Volleyball falls to Purdue

SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE:

-Boilermakers eliminate Cards in four sets

-Soccer advances to Final Four

-Hoops today: Cards vs. Cats

Tough break for Leonid Yelin's Volleyball squad yesterday in West Lafayette, IN...falling to Purdue 26-24, 25-23, 19-25, 25-15.

Sometimes, you play a better squad and that was the case Saturday against the Boilermakers. Still, a very good season for Yelin's young team and the promise for next year looks bright with all but two players returning.

Louisville led in early in all four sets...but the Boilermakers...led by Tiffany Fisher's 12 kills and tough defense...came back in all but the third game to win.

"We had a tough time blocking Fisher," said Gwen Rucker. "She made the biggest difference for them. Purdue just made runs. In volleyball, you make runs. That's what you do. They made theirs and we had trouble stopping them.

Rucker had 13 kills and Caitlin Welch's four aces were high points for the Cards...but could not overcome the Boilermakers.

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Nice win in the snow last night for UofL men's soccer, defeating UCLA 5-4. The Cards head to Santa Barbara now...for the FINAL FOUR. Good job to Ken Lolla and crew.

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It tips at 2 p.m. Sunday and over 19,000 are expected in the KFC YUM Center. Cards vs. Cats. Red vs. Blue. In-state bragging rights for the year.

WE'LL have a full post game report on the action, including post game comments and players reactions later today.

Volleyball advances in NCAA Tournament over MTSU

SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE:

-Volleyball defeats MTSU in straight sets.

-Know the foe: Scouting the Ky. Wildcats

-Soccer tonight!

-High School roundup for UofL WBB recruits

The University of Louisville Volleyball team swept Middle Tennessee State in three games Friday in West Lafayette, IN. to win their first game of the NCAA Tournament and advance to play Purdue on Saturday.

The Cards roll on with a 25-22, 25-21 25-17 defeat of the Blue Raiders. Lola Arslanbekova had 17 kills to lead Louisville. The Cards held MTSU's hitters to a .158 hitting percentage, much lower than their season average.

Arslanbeckova fired the Cardinal offensive attack in the first game, getting seven of her kills. The Cards jumped out to a 6-1 lead but had to weather a Blue Raider rally that tied the contest at 20-20. Louisville took five of the next seven points to end the match.

In game two, Louisville secured an early 9-3 lead but watched MTSU fight back and grab a 15-13 advantage. Louisville then ran off 10 of the next 12 points to lead 23-17. Gwen Rucker finished the Blue Raiders with a kill to give the Cards a four point win.

The third game was back and forth with Louisville clawing to a 15-14 advantage. After a timeout, the Cards blasted ten of the next twelve over the net successfully for the win...Rucker blocking a MTSU attempt for the final Cardinal point and game and match win.

Purdue at 7 p.m. Saturday night. The Boilermakers beat Kentucky yesterday to advance and holds a regular season win over Yelin's Cardinals early in the season. This Louisville team has improved leaps and bounds (sorry about the pun) since then and will give Purdue all they want in second round action tonight.

The Cards are due against Purdue. With Rucker and Simmons dominating net action and Arslanbeckova on a hitting streak of late, Louisville looks ready for the challenge and hopefully will down the Boilermakers.

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The University of Kentucky women's basketball team will travel to the KFC YUM Center Sunday afternoon for a 2 p.m. game against Jeff Walz's Lady Cards. UK comes into the game 5-0, ranked 8th nationally and is fresh off two wins in the Lady Eagle Thanksgiving Classic in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. While there, they knocked off Murray State 91-59 and handled Southern Miss 79-60. The Cats, who have played three out of their first five on the road, also defeated BIG EAST school Notre Dame 81-76 in Memorial Coliseum in Lexington.

The Cats are led by senior front line star Victoria Dunlap and guard A'dia Mathies. Dunlap, a 6'1" senior is averaging 15 points and 9.8 rebounds so far this year. Mathies, a sophomore guard out of Louisville Iroquois, carried a 16 point average for the Cats. Guard Keyla Snowden, a deadly outside shooter, chips in at 11 points and game and freshman point guard Maegan Conwright has started four contests and is one of six new players for Matthew Mitchell.

Like UofL, the UK frosh have had an impact on the court this year. Besides Conwright...the diaper dandies are true freshmen Kastine Evans, Samantha Drake (Nelson County, KY.), Sarah Beth Barnette (Lexington Christian), Jennifer O'Neill and redshirt freshman Bernisha Pinkett.

The frosh are contributing 33 of the Cats 84 points per game and Conwright looks like the real deal at point guard.

Last year, UK obliterated UofL 101-67 in Lexington...a game where the Cats overwhelmed Louisville's guards with pressure defense and transition basketball. Mathies, Dunlap and senior guard Carly Morrow all had big games against the depleted Cardinals that afternoon.

SONJA SEES IT:

For Louisville to have a chance against the Wildcats...they must accomplish five things:

1) Get the ball up the court after UK scores. Last year, the Cats withering defense and several unforced Lady Card turnovers put this one out of reach early. Louisville adds Shoni Schimmel, Tia Gibbs and Charmaine Tay this year as back court specialists and they should help improve the Lady Cards' attempts to cross the time line.

2) Hit the boards. UK dominated the Cards on the glass last year and most of it came from the hard working, blue collar Dunlap. Louisville must find a way to keep her bottled up and capitalizing on second chance baskets and defensive rebounds. Blocking out would be a good start. The Cards match up zone on defense should help, but preventing 'VD" from spreading is a must.

3) Outside effectiveness. Louisville will need to be "spot on" from behind the three point arc early to loosen up the paint. The Cards have proven long range bombers in Becky Burke (shooting 50% this year from three point range), Schimmel, Antonita Slaughter, Charmaine Tay and Gibbs...they'll need to display it against a UK defense that probably won't give them anything easy.

4) Create the transition, stop the transition. This may should a bit contradictory...but Louisville will need to rebound well when on the defensive glass to get the transition game rolling. The Cards are at their best when they can motor, create and let Schimmel perform her magic at the point. They must also get back when UK rebounds and prevent the free-wheeling Mathies and company from making it a layup fest.

5) Hit the free ones. This one has the possibility of seeing both teams proliferate at the free throw line. Louisville has had a mixed bag of success there this year...encouraging 14-16 against Mississippi Valley State...but off nights as well. Gotta get the points when no one is guarding you and if the Cards don't cripple themselves with errant charity stripe opportunities...they could benefit here.

Gates open at noon for the game. CARDINAL COUPLE will be there to watch the rivalry and give our readers a full report and post game comments after the contest. GO CARDS!

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Saturday 7 p.m is a chance for the #1 nationally ranked UofL men's soccer team to advance to the NCAA Final Four in Santa Barbara. All they need to do is defeat the visiting UCLA Bruins in Cardinal Park. Weather conditions will be nasty for this one, about 2 inches of snow has already fallen here as WE write this column this morning and snow is forecast until later this afternoon. Not exactly the conditions you hope for in a soccer match. Think about it, though...how many times has the UCLA, located in southern California, played in a mess like this? WE think...advantage Cardinals. (For the fans sake...would they move this one inside to the Trager...? LOL)

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Sara Hammond popped in 20 of Rockcastle County's 54 points last night in a nine point win over Lincoln County. The UofL women's basketball signee has led "the Rockers" to a 2-0 start so far this year.

Louisville verbal Quaneisha McCurty led Dalton, GA. with 21 points in their win over Cartersville 71-61. Dalton is 4-0 on the season and 6'5" McCurty is proving to be very hard for opponents to stop.

Lady Cards romp Mississippi Valley State 96-37

FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE:

-Lady Cards roll over the Devilettes 96-37.

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Track and field @ Southern Illinois.

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Volleyball Friday afternoon

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Purdue vs. Louisville: Part Deux

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Shoni Schimmel (pictured here) is either calling a Cardinal inbounds play or is scratching her ear. As far as we're concerned...she can do whatever she wants on the court and it'll probably turn out good.

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This one tonight was like that old 1960's V-8 gas guzzler my Dad used to drive the family around in. It started kind of rough at the beginning but once it got warmed up, it hit on all eight cylinders and ran to perfection. Almost five minutes into tonight's game, the score stood at 6-6 and Louisville was still sputtering out of the driveway.

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Enter Shelby Harper and the Cards shifted into high gear and rolled out the next 15 points over the next six minutes.

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Shelby had a little help. The Cardinal defense turned up the pressure, Monique Reid comes in the game and adds eight quick points and Shoni Schimmel nails a three...well, you get the picture. Sometimes it takes a village to get it done.

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Add another 18-2 Cardinal run and this one was pretty much one for the record books. Louisville went in at half up 44-15...10 Cardinals had played, seven had scored and they had allowed a mere 16 Devilette shots in twenty minutes...10 of those from three point range.

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They went ahead and played the second half anyway.

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Louisville outscored Mississippi Valley State by 30 points in the second stanza and everyone scored but Rachel Story. Five Cardinals end up in double figures, led by Schimmel's 15. Monique Reid added 12 in 14 minutes, Antonita Slaughter pushed in 11 second half points, Polly Harrington 10 in the final twenty minutes and Tia Gibbs totaled 11.

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Other things to like about tonight's romp:

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-The Cards shot 14-16 from the charity stripe. When asked about improvement from the line from previous games...Jeff Walz joked:

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"It's all about getting good free throw shooters to the line."

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(At least I think he was joking.)

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-Louisville went 10-23 from three point range. Schimmel and Slaughter with three each. 6 for 11 in the second half...Slaughter is almost automatic when she can set, square and release.

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-10 rebounds for guard Charmaine Tay, all in the second half. Add six assists to that stat and you begin to get an idea why Jeff Walz was so crazy about her out of high school.

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-Louisville held MVS scoreless for the opening 7:45 on the final half. By then it was 63-15 and Louisville would go on to hold a 81-24 lead with seven minutes to go.

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How does it all translate out as far as a preparation game for Kentucky on Sunday? Coach Walz pointed out that he was pleased with the defense and the way the Cards stopped the screen off the ball, a play UK runs effectively. The open shots weren't too prevalent for the Devilettes and Louisville ran the transition game as good as they have all season long.

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It will be her first time experiencing the UofL /UK rivalry game but Shoni Schimmel wants to help her seven teammates that weathered the UK bombardment last year get a little payback.

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"It means a lot to me. I'm going out, playing as hard as I can and doing the best I can against them. We won't worry about what they can do, we're just going to play our game and make it about us." the sharp passing freshman commented.

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Monique Reid turned up the intensity level tonight and showed a lot of hustle in her 14 minutes tonight. She even commented that she's OK with coming off the bench and contributing to the team that way.

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That's good...because it's a role that Jeff Walz doesn't see changing anytime soon. According to Walz, if she can provide a solid 15-20 minutes without getting tired or slowing down and add 12-14 points...then it's 'job accomplished' for now.

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The University of Louisville's track and field teams open the 2010-11 indoor season Friday at Carbondale, Ill. in the Southern Illinois Fast Start Invitational.

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For the women, two-time weight throw national champion D'Ana McCarty will look to put up big tosses in the event. McCarty is also the BIG EAST indoor weight throw two consecutive years.

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The Cards will compete against national Division II power Lincoln (Mo.), Southern Illinois, South Florida and Belmont. Toss away, Cards!

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At 5 p.m. Friday afternoon, the volleyball Cards begin the quest to win the NCAA Championships with a match against Middle Tennessee State in West Lafayette, IN. Winner of this one gets the victor in the Purdue vs. Kentucky match. MTSU has defeated Louisville the last two times the teams have met in the NCAA Tournament. Not today, Blue Raiders...Spike 'em, Cards!

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Got a e-mail from CARDINAL COUPLE reader Dan Wallace about the Go Cards Beat Purdue legacy. He was in the student section the night of the event. He writes:

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Paul and Sonya:

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Great story and a classic on the Purdue sign.

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What actually happened was...which ever opponent UofL was playing the student section called out that school's name in the cheer. It was the next home game after the Purdue game and the cheerleader used the backside of the Purdue sign to write the name of the opponent the Cards were playing that night. The cheerleader happened to have turned the sign over and upside down to write the name of that night's opponent. So, as the cheerleader is holding the sign down against her body..."PURDUE" is being shown to the student section.

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We all chanted PURDUE before she could place the sign over her head. And a tradition was born.

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Thanks for bringing back the memory!
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Thanks for the eye witness report, Dan! Now... if we could only resurrect the Cardinal Bird bungee jumping from the ceiling of the YUM Center....

Louisville's Exeter, Melhado Invited to U20 Canadian Women’s Soccer National Team Camp

BIGEAST.org Photo - FR D/F Christine Exeter

Exeter, Melhado Invited to U20 Canadian Women’s Soccer National Team Camp
Melhado also a nominee for U20 Canadian Player of the Year Award
Official Louisville SID Release

OTTAWA, Ont. – Louisville women’s soccer players Christine Exeter and Rachel Melhado were recently invited to participate in the U20 Canadian National Team Camp by the Canadian Soccer Association, while Melhado is also a nominee the U20 Canadian Player of the Year Award.

Both Exeter and Melhado are currently in Sao Paulo, Brazil for the camp, which runs from Nov. 29 through Dec. 8. Team Canada head coach Carolina Morace will use this camp to start the selection process for Canada’s 2012 U20 World Cup squad. Melhado is one of six players nominated for the Player of the Year honor, which will be determined through voting by Canadian Soccer Association coaches from across the country. The winner will be announced during the week of December 13-17.

Exeter, from Pickering, Ont., led the Cardinals with seven goals, including three game-winners. She also led the team with 16 points and finished with a pair of two-goal performances against Toledo and Cincinnati. Her seven goals were the most for a Louisville player since 2006 and the most for a Cardinal freshman since 2003.

Melhado, from Brampton, Ont., started and played in 17 of the Cardinals’ 19 games as a freshman and was a key contributor to Louisville’s backline.

Mountain - Mississippi Queen

THURSDAY @ CARDINAL COUPLE:


-Mississippi Valley State vs.UofL LADY CARDS tonite.


-Volleyball prepares for NCAA 1st round against MTSU.

-GO CARDS BEAT PURDUE

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(In honor of the visiting Devilettes, we offer the classic MOUNTAIN song from the early seventies. If this one doesn't make you get up and dance with the coffee mug...check your pulse. And, no...that isn't Paul on the left...)



The University of Louisville women's basketball team seeks to improve to 5-3 with a Thursday night game versus SWAC Conference member Mississippi Valley State. The Devilettes come into the contest with a 1-3 mark...losing on the road big to Texas (92-6o) and Texas Tech (73-28) but playing Tom Collen's Arkansas team very close in a 55-54 loss in Fayetteville. Their win came against the legendary Toogaloo College 72-64 in Jackson, MS.. (Grateful Dead fans will relate...'Half step, Mississippi uptown...toodaloo.)

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The Devilettes are led by freshman guard De'Kisha Fondon, who recently received SWAC Newcomer of the Week honors. Fondon had 21 points and three steals against Texas, 10 against Toogaloo and eight vs. the Razorbacks.
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No need to duck. The Devilettes have one player on their roster 6 feet tall. They'll attempt the run and gun Paul Westphal up and down the court theatrics against the Cards. Could be a track meet in the KFC YUM Center tonight.

Louisville must stay on point and not lose focus of the opponent at hand. We all know who comes purring into town on Sunday and they are snarling for a fight. One step at a time, LADY CARDS. Dispose of the Devilettes and then concentrate on the Kitties.

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Louisville Volleyball begins NCAA play against Middle Tennessee State Friday afternoon in West Lafayette, Indiana. The Cards would face the winner of the Kentucky vs. Purdue match if they can defeat the Blue Raiders...who currently hold a 2-0 advantage over Louisville in NCAA Tournament play. The Cards will face a style in Blue raiders volleyball that they have seen several times in the BIG EAST this season...a style that is a little different than the Louisville attack and defense.
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Louisville has faced both Kentucky and Purdue this season. .losing to the Cats 3-2 in Lexington and 3-1 to Purdue in Cardinal Arena. Time for a little payback on either.
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Purdue brings back the memories of Freedom Hall and basketball from many years ago. Louisville defeated the Boilermakers one night and the cheerleaders used to hold up a sign at all four stations of the court....endzones and halfcourt. The signs read...respectivefully...GO... CARDS... BEAT... (Opponent) and the fans in that particular section would shout out what was on the poster board in front of them...creating a swirling cheer effect. After the Purdue game, someone forgot to switch the 'opponent' sign, so fans in the end zone were baffled, then amused when the cheerleaders implored them to beat Purdue again, even though the opponent wasn't Purdue. It became a tradition after that for the students and fans in the end zone to shout out "PURDUE!" each game when the cheerleaders did the cheer, no matter who the opponent was. Finally, after a couple of years... the cheer squad dropped the cheer from the repertoire. (Check Friday's entry for the official version of the Purdue legend).

Opponents were baffled by the cheer. It was great fun to hear it. I also remember an alleged story about a visiting media representative asking a UofL player during that time about the cheer. Maybe not verbatim here...and I can't verify the veracity of the event...but the player allegedly replied, tongue in cheek, words something like what is listed below:

"It really doesn't matter who we go out there to play. We hate Purdue. It fires us up each game, to imagine that our opponent out on the court is Purdue. We feed off our fans and when they get that cheer going, we get pumped. We'd play Purdue every home game if we could. Beating Gene Keady once or twice a week would be so cool. Beat Purdue."

Dieng steals the show in the YUM Weds. night

CARDINAL COUPLE - SPECIAL WEDNESDAY NIGHT REPORT
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-UofL Men, Dieng romp FIU 92-55
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(Photo by Charlie Springer-UofL Card Game)
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Gorgui Dieng, pronounce it however you like..we go with (gor-ghee zhang) speaks five languages. They need to add a sixth to that resume. Basketball.
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The 6'10" UofL freshman was a walking highlight reel tonight in the KFC YUM Center, helping lead UofL to a 92-55 win over Florida International University.
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Consider what he accomplished in a mere 18 minutes of playing time:
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-15 points.
-5 rebounds
-7 blocked shots
-5 fouls

Yes, Dieng did have to leave the contest with 21 seconds to go...to a warm round of applause from the 5000 or so still left in the YUM center...but visions of Gorgui dancing in their heads may replace any Christmas dreams or holiday thoughts.
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It's hard to believe the way he moves for a guy that tall. Quick, good passing and spacing and the arm span of Rhode Island. A smooth mid-range jumper and strong around the rim. And, yeah...the guy can block a shot if you're foolish to try and put it up within a 2 county radius of him.
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See Gorgui pass. A fake, spin and deft bounce pass to 'Bullet' Justice for a layup. No black hole here when the ball goes into him.
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Gorgui Dieng is just a freshman. This could be a fun next 4 years....
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Another diaper dandy on this Pitino team is Elisha "Bullet" Justice. A solid 12 points tonight for the Shelby Valley freshman who plays like a junior. He is the not a guy that puts a lot of fear into opposing guards when he first walks on the court. They soon learn that the Bullet will put you down. Smooth outside shot, accurate passing and hustle whenever he's on the Denny Crum Court. Another reason to look forward to Cardinal hoops the next four years.
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Preston Knowles led the Cards with 18 points tonight and he had the "three ball" working early. Louisville got an incredible 30 points off turnovers tonight. The Cards have a talented back court and Knowles is perhaps the best of them.
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The biggest rounds of applause tonight in the YUM were for head soccer coach Ken Lolla and football coach Charlie Strong. You might have heard of these two guys, Lolla's soccer squad faces UCLA Sunday night in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Championships. A trip to the final four in Santa Barbara, CA. awaits the winner. Expect another crowd of 5000+ out at Cardinal Park for this one.
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Charlie Strong awaits the bowl assignment. He also likes basketball. Strong visibly enjoyed watching the Cardinal hoopsters tonight in the Bucket (sorry...it's catching on as a nickname for the KFC YUM Center) and greeted the crowd with Lolla during one of the timeouts tonight.
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Speculation that the Cards are headed to the Sun Bowl in El Paso, TX is gaining momentum...obviously most fans would prefer something closer and the timing of this game absolutely is the worse...with the UofL vs. UK basketball game the same day...but, hey...a bowl bid after three years in the dark is a good thing...whether it be El Paso, Birmingham or St. Pete.
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(We'll resume normal women's sports coverage with the Thursday edition of CARDINAL COUPLE...don't adjust your terminals or call your local ISP...This one tonight is for all you that say we should cover "the guys" now and then...and also because of the situation and accessibility.)
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Hammond leads Rockcastle Co. to 70-59 win over Wayne Co.

WEDNESDAY @ C.C.
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-Sara Hammond starts season

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-Lady Cards prepare for next

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-BIG EAST thriller tonight

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Sara Hammond, the consensus early choice for 2010-11 Miss Kentucky Basketball and UofL signee got her season started Tuesday night as Rockcastle County went on the road and beat Wayne County. 70-59. Hammond had 16 points in the win.

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Louisville hosts Mississippi Valley State Thursday Night in the KFC YUM Center and Jeff Walz's team will be trying to build a little momentum before facing top 20 UK on Sunday in the YUM. The Lady Cards hit the century mark Monday night in a 100-79 win over IPFW.

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Walz couldn't have been too pleased with the points allowed in the second half by the Cardinal defense, but IPFW has three very, very good three point shooters and study of game filmage should help the Lady Cards realize where the breakdowns occured and set a tone for stopping any further "bombs" away tactics. IPFW took almost 50% of their shots from beyond the three point circle Monday night.

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Louisville has the advantage this year of having a wealth of guard talent to choose from. Walz recently started Becky Burke, Tia Gibbs and Shoni Schimmel and has Monique Reid, Charmaine Tay, Rachel Story, Shelby Harper and LaToya Johnson available from the bench.

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We suspect that Reid will work her way back into the starting lineup before too long...but it will be hard to bump any of the three currently out there. Might depend on who can step up and deny the opponent from long range. One of several key components as the Cards guards battle continues.

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We like the way Becky Burke has been swishing the nets from trifecta land this year. 13 for 27 so far...barely under .500. Wonder if it has anything to do with Paul's advice to her at the BIG EAST Softball Tournament earlier this year here at Ulmer Stadium. He suggested she square, set, exhale and release. Nah, probably not. He couldn't hit a thing from outside 5 feet when he played. After all, Babe Ruth never took advice from little leaguers, did he?

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Keep firing, B.B. Shooter on court.....

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A good one tonight in WBB as Notre Dame travels to Waco, TX. to face Kim Mulkey's Baylor squad. Can't believe that this one isn't available on TV tonight...but we'l scan the ESPN3 schedule and see what is there.

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The UofL men's team will be on ESPN Tres this evening...hosting Fla. International. Game time is 7 p.m. in the YUM.