Jeff Walz cautioned Cardinal fans after the NKU game that the #2 Louisville Cardinal basketball squad might take awhile before they returned to pre-COVID delay form. It looks like his players didn't get the script he laid out -- Louisville was dominant in Saturday's 51-point win over Bellarmine yesterday inthe KFC YUM! Center.
This was simply no contest as the game worn on. Everyone that entered the court for the Cards had success and there were a few nice surprises along the way as Louisville went to 7-0 on the season. The Cards simply controlled the board on both ends of the court and the paint. The shuffling in-and-out of bigs didn't really matter. Olivia Cochran and Liz Dixon went 17 for 18 from the floor and we even saw an unexpected treat when Malea Wiliiams took the floor for the first time this season and looked effective in her five minutes with Ramani Parker.
It was the kind of game where 5'7" Hailey Van Lith led Louisville in rebounding with eight in 22 minutes. A game where Norika Konno led the team in minutes played and 5'9" Ahlana Smith had two blocked shots.
A lot of respect and admiration for Bellarmine coming in to play #2 and playing hard. Chance Dugan realized she had no chance to pull off a big upset and followed the Walz pattern of massive substitutions and infinite combinations on the court. A good game for her to sit down with the team and the video of the game and point out just what the Knights need to improve on. A road map of what her 0-5 squad could become, with hard work, fundamentals and determination.
Mostly, it was just a great chance to see actual people back in the KFC YUM! Center again for women's basketball. Fun to watch the different combinations Walz (and Dugan) were experimenting with. Interesting to see that some of the food and drink kiosk venues were open again and doing business.
The three-point attack of the Cards (3 for 16) is still missing-in-action but it wasn't needed . . If Walz wanted to see an improvement in the inside-out game and defensive pressure, he got his wish. He has wanted games. He's now getting them. His thoughts?
"I thought we moved the ball much better today. We got it below the free throw line, wee made the defense get flattened out and we made some quick passes. It's what we need to continue to do. We need to make opponents work on the defensive side of the ball....it's gonna be less dribbles, more passes and then shot ready."
And, to be brutally honest here -- as good as Louisville looked yesterday against Bellarmine, they aren't nearly as in-shape and game performance accurate as they were before the COVID shutdown. The real test comes Tuesday when a 7-2 North Carolina squad comes to town for the head-scratching 2:30 p.m. Tuesday afternoon contest against the Cards. I guess UNC is still having travel issues?
It'll be the Cards first real test against a dominating center in Janelle Bailey. Against a UNC team that averages 82.9 points a game. A team that hasn't played since Dec 20th. It should be a good one.
--sonja--
This was simply no contest as the game worn on. Everyone that entered the court for the Cards had success and there were a few nice surprises along the way as Louisville went to 7-0 on the season. The Cards simply controlled the board on both ends of the court and the paint. The shuffling in-and-out of bigs didn't really matter. Olivia Cochran and Liz Dixon went 17 for 18 from the floor and we even saw an unexpected treat when Malea Wiliiams took the floor for the first time this season and looked effective in her five minutes with Ramani Parker.
It was the kind of game where 5'7" Hailey Van Lith led Louisville in rebounding with eight in 22 minutes. A game where Norika Konno led the team in minutes played and 5'9" Ahlana Smith had two blocked shots.
A lot of respect and admiration for Bellarmine coming in to play #2 and playing hard. Chance Dugan realized she had no chance to pull off a big upset and followed the Walz pattern of massive substitutions and infinite combinations on the court. A good game for her to sit down with the team and the video of the game and point out just what the Knights need to improve on. A road map of what her 0-5 squad could become, with hard work, fundamentals and determination.
Mostly, it was just a great chance to see actual people back in the KFC YUM! Center again for women's basketball. Fun to watch the different combinations Walz (and Dugan) were experimenting with. Interesting to see that some of the food and drink kiosk venues were open again and doing business.
The three-point attack of the Cards (3 for 16) is still missing-in-action but it wasn't needed . . If Walz wanted to see an improvement in the inside-out game and defensive pressure, he got his wish. He has wanted games. He's now getting them. His thoughts?
"I thought we moved the ball much better today. We got it below the free throw line, wee made the defense get flattened out and we made some quick passes. It's what we need to continue to do. We need to make opponents work on the defensive side of the ball....it's gonna be less dribbles, more passes and then shot ready."
And, to be brutally honest here -- as good as Louisville looked yesterday against Bellarmine, they aren't nearly as in-shape and game performance accurate as they were before the COVID shutdown. The real test comes Tuesday when a 7-2 North Carolina squad comes to town for the head-scratching 2:30 p.m. Tuesday afternoon contest against the Cards. I guess UNC is still having travel issues?
It'll be the Cards first real test against a dominating center in Janelle Bailey. Against a UNC team that averages 82.9 points a game. A team that hasn't played since Dec 20th. It should be a good one.
--sonja--
