The University of Louisville women’s basketball team, entering its 18th NCAA Tournament in program history, arrived on Thursday afternoon in Tampa, Fla., where the Cardinals will play their first- and second-round games.
Earning the No. 3 seed for the third time in school history (2009, 2014), Louisville is scheduled to face No. 14-seed BYU on Saturday at 4 p.m. in the Sun Dome on the campus of the University of South Florida.
The March 21 contest will air on ESPN2, with Bob Picozzi (play-by-play) and Brooke Weisbrod (analyst) on the call. The radio broadcast will be available on WKRD 790 AM in Louisville, with Matt Andrews (play-by-play) and Adrienne Johnson (analyst) calling the action.
Louisville, which finished inside the Associated Press top 10 for the second-consecutive season at No. 8, boasts a 25-6 record. It is the fifth-consecutive season Louisville has reached at least 20 wins.
In the program’s inaugural season in the ACC, Louisville compiled a 12-4 league mark to achieve double-digit conference wins for the fifth-straight year. The Cardinals, who finished third in the regular-season standings, earned a double-bye in the ACC Tournament and advanced to the event’s semifinal following an overtime win over North Carolina.
Freshmen Mariya Moore and Myisha Hines-Allen and senior Sara Hammond, offensively, have led the Cardinals. Moore – averaging 13.8 points – and Hines-Allen – averaging 11.5 points – make Louisville the only school in the AP top 20 to have two freshmen as its leading scorers. Hammond is contributing 10.8 points. Jude Schimmel is first on the team in assists (120) and steals (68).
Moore, an all-ACC second team and all-ACC freshman team selection, also paces the Cardinals in 3-pointers (58) and free throws (114), while ranking second in assists (116) and third in steals (48).
Over the last nine games, Shawnta’ Dyer has been a major contributor as well. The redshirt senior is producing 11.6 points on 51-percent shooting and 7.0 rebounds over the stretch.
BYU, a program that Louisville faced once in series history and beat in the 2007 NCAA Tournament, holds a 23-9 record after winning the 2015 West Coast Conference Tournament. The Cougars have won four of their last five games, including a 76-65 win over San Francisco to become the lowest seed to win the WCC championship. The program is being outrebounded 37.5-36.1 and has a minus-0.5 turnover margin.
Heading into the contest, BYU averages 68.6 points on 43.3 percent shooting. The Cougars are connecting on 35.8 percent of their 3s, 30th best at the Division level. Similarly to Louisville, BYU ranks in the top 25 in assists per game, averaging 16.3 per contest to rank 22nd nationally.
The Cougars boast 2015 WCC Player of the Year in Morgan Bailey, who is producing 17.3 points and 10.5 rebounds. Lexi Eaton, WCC Tournament MVP, leads BYU in scoring at 20.7 points and is third on the team with 6.5 boards. Kylie Maeda is pacing the squad with 138 assists.
The Cougars are under the direction of 14th-year coach Jeff Judkins, who has a 305-142 record at the helm of the program. BYU finished fifth in the WCC after going 12-6 in league play.
GAME FACTS – No. 3-seed Louisville vs. No. 14-seed BYU
Date: Saturday, March 21
Time: 4 p.m. ET
Site: Sun Dome (10,411), Tampa, Fla.
TV: ESPN2 will broadcast the game, with Bob Picozzi (play-by-play) and Brooke Weisbrod (analyst) calling the action.
Radio: WKRD 790 AM will broadcast the game, with Matt Andrews (play-by-play) and Adrienne Johnson (analyst) calling the action.
Series History: Louisville leads 1-0 (1-0 neutral).
Last Meeting: Louisville defeated BYU 80-54 on March 17, 2007, in Los Angeles, Calif.
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