Louisville Cardinals
Big East (22-9, 10-6)
Coach Jeff Walz has done a great job at Louisville and has turned the Cardinals into a consistent threat to reach the Final Four. During his four completed season at Louisville, the Cardinals have reached the Sweet Sixteen three times and reached the Final Four in 2009. After a nice run to the final 16 last season, this experienced group is poised for a deeper tournament run.
Big Wins: 1/22 at Georgetown (64-61), 1/28 Villanova (62-58), 2/25 DePaul (75-62)
Bad Losses: 1/8 at St. John’s (64-72), 1/31 at DePaul (61-86), 2/4 at West Virginia (50-66)
Coach: Jeff Walz (5 seasons at Louisville)
Why They Can Surprise:
The Cardinals backcourt has really stepped up when they have been needed. Shoni Schimmel and Becky Burke are a couple dynamic scorers who can hit the long ball and attack the basket. Those two will take all of the big shots for Louisville and Schimmel will also set up her teammates and keep the team under control. Bria Smith had a lot of hype heading into her freshman campaign and she has lived up to it. The 5-10 Massapequa, New York native is not a shooter, but she can get to the basket and the charity stripe. A little more consistency shooting from the foul line would be nice, but Smith has the tenacity to make things happen and that is rarely a bad thing. With a bench that includes Antonita Slaughter and Jude Schimmel, this is a team that has a lot of options on the perimeter.
Why They Can Disappoint:
However, those options on the perimeter have a knack for turning the ball over. The team as a whole commits over 18 turnovers per contest and that is not going to win anybody a national championship. Outside of Becky Burke, the backcourt is young and needs to grow up quickly. The pressure on the backcourt started right away when superstar forward Monique Reid missed the first three games of the season with a back injury. Eight games later, she was done for the year with a knee injury. Not having Reid as a consistent interior scorer has shifted the focus to the backcourt. Meanwhile, the frontcourt has enough depth to get by with Cierra Warren and Sheronne Vails at the center spot and Asia Taylor, Shawnta’ Dyer and Sara Hammond playing forward. That depth may have saved Louisville’s season, but those are all young and inexperienced players who lack the scoring prowess of Reid.
Probable Starters:
Shoni Schimmel, Sophomore, Guard, 14.3 ppg, 4.5 apg, 4.4 rpg, 2.4 spg
Becky Burke, Senior, Guard, 11.6 ppg, 1.2 apg
Bria Smith, Freshman, Guard, 9.1 ppg, 2.0 apg, 4.4 rpg
Asia Taylor, Junior, Forward, 5.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg
Sheronne Vails, Sophomore, Center, 3.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Shawnta’ Dyer, Freshman, Forward, 6.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg
Sara Hammond, Freshman, Forward, 3.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg
Jude Schimmel, Freshman, Guard, 1.8 ppg, 1.4 apg
Antonita Slaughter, Sophomore, Guard, 5.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg
Cierra Warren, Sophomore, Center, 8.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 69.4 (47th in nation, 4th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 61.0 (158, 11)
Field-Goal Percentage: 42.1 (48, 4)
Field-Goal Defense: 36.7 (68, 7)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.9 (80, 4)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 32.2 (86, 5)
Free-Throw Percentage: 72.0 (75, 6)
Rebound Margin: 3.7 (73, 5)
Assists Per Game: 12.6 (162, 9)
Turnovers Per Game: 18.3 (228, 14)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
Louisville 2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Vanderbilt
Louisville 2011 NCAA Round of 32 win over Xavier
Louisville 2011 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Gonzaga
Louisville 2010 WBI First Round loss to Bradley
Louisville 2009 NCAA Round of 64 win over Liberty
Louisville 2009 NCAA Round of 32 win over LSU
Louisville 2009 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Baylor
Louisville 2009 NCAA Regional Final win over Maryland
Louisville 2009 NCAA National Semifinal win over Oklahoma
Louisville 2009 NCAA National Final loss to Connecticut
Louisville 2008 NCAA Round of 64 win over Miami of Ohio
Louisville 2008 NCAA Round of 32 win over Kansas State
Louisville 2008 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Kentucky
Louisville 2007 NCAA Round o 64 win over Brigham Young
Louisville 2007 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Arizona State
*all team stats through 3/1
See All Women’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
