Louisville women's basketball is 2-0 in ACC play, but Cardinals haven't played best game
Louisville women's basketball has only two losses this season, went 2-1 against three consecutive ranked opponents and is second in the ACC standings. Yet, the 16th-ranked Cardinals have yet to peak.
“I personally don't think we've come close to playing as good as we can,” U of L coach Jeff Walz said after his team’s 1,000th win, a 61-44 rout of Duke on Thursday night.
The Cardinals’ transfer-heavy squad has shown glimpses over the last two games of what that might look like, though. Guard Nina Rickards’ final dagger in the waning seconds at Miami was a sign of the team’s growing patience considering she was the third option during the possession. Two shot-clock violations as part of 27 forced turnovers against Duke was an area in which the group took a step forward.
“We guarded for 30 seconds,” Walz said. “We've been guarding for about 24, and then the last four or five, we'd get messed up. We wouldn't call on a switch. We wouldn't talk, and somebody would get an open shot and make one. Now we're getting better with that.”
Walz-led teams have a knack for hitting their stride late in the season, and this year’s group is on the same track heading into the thick of conference play. The Cardinals' 13-2 record is the best after 15 games since going 14-1 two years ago, a team that reached the Final Four. The commonality for both squads is experienced transfer players.
U of L is starting three newcomers, all of whom are fifth-year players: Kiki Jefferson (James Madison), the team’s leading scorer, Rickards (Florida) and Sydney Taylor (UMass). Though they have basketball experience, they’re working to adjust to the level of play required not only at Louisville but also in the ACC. Prior to this season, Taylor said she’d played only three ranked teams during her four years at UMass. Against those teams, she averaged 7.6 points per game but had seven points, four rebounds and four assists against the Blue Devils.
“I've got to do everything I can to get Syd back on track and feeling comfortable out there,” Walz said, “because right now, she's just not sure what's a good shot, what's a bad shot, and that's on me. I've got to make sure she understands. ... If she can get back playing how she did at UMass in scoring the basketball, it's just going to give us another scorer.”
The Cardinals have two more experienced starters coming off the bench: Jayda Curry (California) and Lele Love (Georgia Tech). Louisville also receives veteran leadership from four-year Cardinals players Olivia Cochran, a starter her whole career, and Merissah Russell. Cochran, who has embraced a bigger role this season, has been playing some of her best basketball. She’s averaging double-digit scoring for the first time (11.9 points) and is the team’s second-leading scorer. Cochran also averages a team-high 6.3 rebounds.
As Louisville gets deeper into ACC play, Cochran will continue to be an important piece of the team’s progress and success.
The ACC has five teams ranked in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, tied for second most of any conference, with three other teams having received votes. Even the unranked teams have been competitive and can’t be taken lightly. Syracuse upset No. 17 Notre Dame on New Year’s Eve then lost at North Carolina four days later thanks to Tar Heels guard Alyssa Ustby’s program-first triple-double.
After falling to Duke in the ACC opener on New Year’s Eve, Boston College beat a Miami team that took Louisville to the wire. Despite fourth-ranked N.C. State being undefeated, the Wolfpack needed overtime to beat No. 22 Florida State at home. The parity in the conference continues to increase each season.
For that reason, Louisville has to play with urgency not in every game but on every possession.
“There needs to be more (urgency), but we're learning as we go,” Jefferson said.
Louisville is still looking for its best game but getting closer with a road game against Pitt up next.
“It's a team that we play twice, and every time we've played at Pitt, it's been a rock fight,” Walz said. “They're really tough at home. ... You've got to figure out a way to continue to steal a couple on the road, and then you've got to take care of business at home.”
Reach Louisville football, women's basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at acubit@gannett.com and follow her on X at @Alexis_Cubit.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville basketball: Jeff Walz club starts strong but hasn't peaked
