Your University of Louisville Cards will open the 2017-18 campaign Friday at 7:00 p.m. ET at the Yum! Center against Southeast Missouri.

It marks the opening game of the Women’s National Invitational Tournament, which features a loaded field, including top 25 teams Michigan, Texas A&M and Oregon. Louisville is guaranteed three games in the tournament and will play four if they advance to the championship game on Sunday, Nov. 19.

This marks Louisville’s second ever appearance in the preseason WNIT. They are 4-0 all-time after claiming the 2013 title with a 97-92 overtime victory over Oklahoma in Norman, Okla.

The Cardinals return nine letterwinners from a team that went 29-8 and advanced to their seventh Sweet 16 in 10 seasons a year ago, highlighted by 1,000-point scorers senior Myisha Hines-Allen and junior Asia Durr.

Durr was named ACC Preseason Player of the Year at ACC Media Day in October. It marks the second straight season that a Louisville player has earned ACC Player of the Year honors, as Hines-Allen earned the award prior to her junior season.

Last season, Durr played in 36 games, all starts, averaging 19.2 points, which ranked sixth in school history, 3.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.3 steals, while shooting 42 percent from the floor and 41 percent from 3-pt range.

Hines-Allen finished with 17 double-doubles a year ago, which led the conference and tied Angel McCoughtry for the most in a single season in school history. She ranks third on Louisville’s all-time double-double list with 29. Hines-Allen averaged 13.9 points and 9.3 rebounds, while shooting 49 percent from the floor.

Louisville returns 51.7 points per game, 69.3 percent of their production from a year ago. Durr and Hines-Allen combined for 33.1 points. The rest of the returning roster combined for 18.6 points in 2016-17, led by sophomore Kylee Shook‘s 5.2 points per game.

The Cards welcome back redshirt junior Arica Carter, who missed all of last season with a groin injury. As a sophomore in 2015-16, she played in 34 games with 29 starts, averaging 4.1 points and 2.6 assists. She leads the Cards with 139 career assists.

Louisville also welcomes back junior Sam Fuehring, who played in 34 games last year, averaging 3.6 points and 2.5 rebounds, sophomore Jazmine Jones, who averaged 4.5 points and 2.6 rebounds, sophomore Sydney Zambrotta, who shot 41 percent from 3-point range, sophomore Bionca Dunham, who shot 65 percent from the floor and sophomore Jessica Laemmle, who played in 24 games as a freshman.

The Cardinals’ incoming freshman class – ranked fourth nationally – also features a plethora of talent, highlighted by McDonald’s All-Americans Dana Evans and Loretta Kakala. Freshman Lindsey Duvall, the third member of the freshman class, will miss the 2017-18 season as she will be redshirted with a knee injury.

The Cardinals, under 11th-year leader and the winningest coach in program history Jeff Walz, were picked to finish second in the ACC and begin the season rated No. 9 in the Associated Press poll and No. 10 in the USA Today poll.

Last season, Southeast Missouri went 13-17 overall and 7-9 in Ohio Valley Conference play under second year head coach Rekha Patterson (28-32, two years). The Redhawks return two starters from last year’s team, led by senior forward Deja Jones, who played in 29 of 30 games, with nine starts, averaging 7.9 points and 6.0 rebounds, while shooting 60 percent from the floor. 

For the latest information on Louisville women’s basketball, log on to GoCards.com, or, for up-to-the-minute updates, follow the team’s Twitter account at www.twitter.com/UofLWBB or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/UofLWBB.

SERIES HISTORY – Louisville vs. Southeast Missouri
Louisville posted a 97-43 victory in their lone meeting against the Redhawks at the KFC Yum! Center on Nov. 19, 2010. Louisville finished with five players in double figures led by Monique Reid with 16 points. Keshia Hines finished with her first double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

GAME FACTS – Southeast Missouri at Louisville
Date: Friday, Nov. 10
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Site: KFC Yum! Center/Crum Court (22,000), Louisville, Ky.
Video: ACC Network Extra (online, free)
Radio: WKRD 790 AM, Nick Curran (play-by-play) and Adrienne Johnson (analyst)
Promotion: Free patriotic UofL t-shirts to first 1,000 fans, $3 tickets to active military and veterans
Series History: Louisville leads the all-time series 1-0 (1-0 in Louisville). Louisville defeated Southeast Missouri 97-43 on Nov. 19, 2010 in the KFC Yum! Center.
Next UofL Game: Sunday, Nov. 12 vs. No. 5 Ohio State, Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio, 2 p.m. ET (ESPNU)

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Daryl Foust

Lifelong fan of the Louisville Cardinals, been covering the teams since 2012, graduated from c/o 2015, Writer/Contributor for TCZ for Men's Soccer, Women's Basketball & Softball since 2016.

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