Cards vs. Gonzaga

[Sonja]

UofL WBB began the NCAA Tournament with an 83-51 win over 16-seed UAlbany on Friday, Next up for Walz and Company is #9 seed Gonzaga on Sunday night at 7 p.m. at the KFC Yum! Center. The game will broadcast on ESPN and 790-AM WKRD.

The "Zags" advanced to the sound round of the NCAA Tournament with a 68-55 win over Nebraska in the KFC YUM Center Friday.

In the 68-55 win, Gonzaga's leading scorer was Kayleigh Truong...with 20 points, nine higher than her season average of 11.1. Her twin sister also plays for Gonzaga but does not start.

Zags head coach Lisa Fortier is in her eighth season in Spokane and is the only coach in program history to have six 20+ win seasons in their first seven seasons. Gonzaga defeated San Francisco and BYU to win the West Coast Conference Tournament after finishing first in the regular season with a 16-2 mark. The Bulldogs enter the game winners of 10 of their last 11 games BYU was eliminated in the first round of the NCAA WBB Tournament by Villanova -- San Francisco did not make the field.

Today's game will be the third ever meeting between Louisville and Gonzaga and the Cardinals are 1-1 all-time. Louisville won 55-42 in Puerta Vallarta, Mexico on Nov. 21, 2012. Gonzaga won 76-69 in Spokane, Wash., in the NCAA Sweet 16 on March 26, 2011.

In that 2012 Cardinals win, Megan Deines and Shoni Schimmel each scored 16 points and the No. 7 Cardinals held Gonzaga to just two points over the final eight minutes in a 55-42 victory in the Hardwood Tournament of Hope.

Louisville's four starting guards had 58 of the Cards 83 points in the win over UAlbany. (They list Emily Engstler as a guard --whatever). I fully expect the Cards guards (and Engstler) to go on another scoring frenzy on Gonzaga's guards tonight and I see Louisville taking this one without much trouble to advance to Wichita and the Sweet Sixteen.

--sonja--

 

[KozmasAgain]

I hope you’re right all these games make me nervous. I hope we play a well rounded solid game and work on rebounding, good passes and pacing ourselves. I don’t like seeing slow starts where we get behind and then use a lot of energy catching back up. Then running out of gas in the 4th period.

 

[2330859]

I sincerely hope the UL Ladies are not reading Sonja’s threads; as these west coast women’s teams can be most difficult when trying to compare with those East of the Mississippi.

I have only seen the Zags play once this year, and that was their impressive win over Nebraska. I also saw some of the same Nebraska team earlier this year beating Michigan ……. admittedly, that is not much to go on, but the Zags looked quite formidable in their win over the huskers.

 

[KozmasAgain]

I agree all of these games have been closer than expected and from what I have seen very physical.

 

[KozmasAgain]

Impressive start let’s keep it up 14-0 defense is awesome. The announcer said we would have about 10,000 it looks full to me.

 

[KozmasAgain]

Zags have settled in have cut the lead to 4

 

[KozmasAgain]

Dixon is getting blocked out on rebounds quiet often need Emily back in there.

 

[2330859]

I saw Emily gasping for air during the 14-0 run; that level of exerting so much energy while feeling the adrenal of the crowd. We need to execute in the half court offense.

 

[TheRealVille]

I have never seen so many missed layups and put backs than this Cards team. They have left 8 points off the board, all by front court players.

I didn't have a good feeling going into this game as something is missing from this team. I believe its the post play as usual with Coach Walz's teams.

 

[uncle_D]

Our bench is way overrated. Second straight game with nothing…

 

[KozmasAgain]

#2 Iowa lost at home #1 Baylor lost at home let’s not be a victim of the upset.

 

[KozmasAgain]

#2 Baylor

 

[KozmasAgain]

Good 3rd period up by 12 I hope it continues in the 4th.

 

[KozmasAgain]

BS foul on Robinson we don’t need them going to the line for FF’s.

 

[KozmasAgain]

Good win the road gets tougher from here I am more worried about playing the lower seeded teams than I am against the higher seeded teams. Both Belmont and South Dakota are well coached teams. Neither teams miss FF’s and they are fundamentally sound.

 

[beantowncard]

Sonja, the attendance looked good on tv. What was the crowd like in the arena?

 

[uncle_D]

Pretty wild in the Yum tonight!!

 

[KozmasAgain]

I was wondering about the attendance myself, the game against Albany they said we had 10,000. In that game the end zone areas were not full. Today’s game they said we had 10,000 but the whole bottom bowl was full and it looked like the top was full also. What was the real count on the attendance?

 

[CardsFirst]

The Yum was rocking. Once again lots of fun. Debating whether we go to Wichita next weekend

 

[KozmasAgain]

I was glad to see Coach Purcell still on the bench. Is he going to stay with the team until the season is over?

 

[Sonja]

Sonja, the attendance looked good on tv. What was the crowd like in the arena?

10414

 

[KozmasAgain]

It looked like a lot more fans than 10,414 especially since they said there was 10,000 at the Albany game.

 

[WahooCard]

Purcell will be here through our championship game. He wants a ring to wear!


PS - so do I.