The University of Louisville women’s basketball team takes on a familiar opponent in USF on Monday, when the Cardinals and Bulls meet for the 31st time in series history in an NCAA Tournament second round game in the Sun Dome in Tampa, Fla.
The March 23 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.
No. 3-seed Louisville (26-6) improved to 7-0 under head coach Jeff Walz in the NCAA Tournament first round following its 86-53 rout of BYUon Saturday. The Cardinals recorded 24 steals, setting an NCAA Tournament program record and tying for the second most steals in a first- or second-round game in NCAA Tournament history. Louisville scored 38 of its points off turnovers and outscored BYU 44-30 in the paint.
Myisha Hines-Allen put together one of her best performances of the season, producing 19 points and eight rebounds in the winning effort. Jude Schimmel had 13 points and four assists, Shawnta’ Dyer added 11 points, and Bria Smith registered 11 points and a career-tying best seven steals.
Louisville, which owns a 26-4 record against USF, a No. 6 seed, is looking to advance to its sixth Sweet 16 in program history. The Cardinals improved to 9-2 all-time as the No. 3 seed and 12-2 as the higher seed in NCAA Tournament games.
USF posted a 73-64 victory over LSU in the second game of the day, improving to 27-7 with the first-round victory. The Bulls shot just 36.9 percent from the field, but connected on 22 of 29 free throws and scored 20 second-chance points.
Courtney Williams scored 17 points on 7-of-25 shooting, while collecting 12 rebounds and six assists. Alisia Jenkins added 15 points and eight rebounds, and Maria Jespersen came off the bench to contribute 11 points and six boards.
Williams is pacing the team in scoring (20.1), assists (112), and steals (56). The all-AAC first-team selection has taken 661 shots this season, 32 of the team’s field goal attempts. Jenkins is averaging a double-double of 13.0 points and 11.5 rebounds and has a team-high 76 blocks.
Collectively, the Bulls are outscoring opponents by 12.2 points, hold a 44.9-36.3 rebounding edge, and are connecting on a stellar 73 percent of their shots from the free throw line.
The Bulls are under the direction of 15th-year coach Jose Fernandez, who has guided the program to a 260-215 record.
GAME FACTS – No. 3-seed Louisville vs. No. 6-seed USF
Date: Monday, March 23
Time: 9 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 26-4 (13-2 in Louisville, 12-2 in Tampa, 1-0 neutral).
Last Meeting: Louisville defeated USF 60-56 on March 9, 2014, in Uncasville, Conn.
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