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2020–21 Louisville Cardinals women's basketball team

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2020–21 Louisville Cardinals women's basketball
NCAA tournament, Elite Eight
ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 6
APNo. 8
Record26–4 (14–2 ACC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaKFC Yum! Center
Seasons
2020–21 ACC women's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 8 Louisville 14 2   .875 26 4   .867
No. 3 NC State† 12 2   .857 22 3   .880
Georgia Tech 12 6   .667 17 9   .654
Syracuse 9 7   .563 15 9   .625
Florida State 9 7   .563 10 9   .526
Notre Dame 8 7   .533 10 10   .500
Virginia Tech 8 8   .500 15 10   .600
North Carolina 8 9   .471 13 11   .542
Miami (FL) 8 10   .444 11 11   .500
Wake Forest 8 10   .444 12 13   .480
Clemson 5 12   .294 12 14   .462
Pittsburgh 3 12   .200 5 14   .263
Boston College 2 11   .154 7 12   .368
Duke 0 1   .000 3 1   .750
Virginia 0 2   .000 0 5   .000
Duke suspended their season on December 25, 2020
Virginia suspended their season on January 14, 2021
2021 ACC tournament winner
As of March 30, 2021
Rankings from AP poll

The 2020–21 Louisville Cardinals women's basketball team represented the University of Louisville during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Cardinals, were led by 14th-year head coach Jeff Walz, and played their home games at the KFC Yum! Center in their seventh year in the Atlantic Coast Conference. On January 18, 2021, following a 12–0 start, the Cardinals were ranked number 1 in the AP Poll for the first time in program history, garnering 20 of 29 first place votes.[1]

The Cardinals finished the season 26–4 and 14–2 in ACC play to finish in first place. In the ACC tournament, they defeated Wake Forest in the Quarterfinals and Syracuse before losing in the Final NC State. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they were the two seed in the Alamo Regional. In the tournament they defeated fifteen seed Marist in the First Round, seven seed Northwestern in the Second Round, and six seed Oregon in the Sweet Sixteen before losing to one seed and eventual champions Stanford in the Elite Eight to end their season.

Previous season

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The Cardinals finished the 2019–20 season at 28–4 and 16–2 in ACC play. They finished as the regular season ACC champions and earned the first seed in the ACC tournament. They defeated Syracuse in the Quarterfinals before losing to eventual champions NC State in the Semifinals. The NCAA tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.[2]

Off-season

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Departures

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Name Number Pos. Height Year Hometown Reason for Departure
Yacine Diop 2 G 5'10" Redshirt Senior Dakar, Senegal Graduated
Seygan Robins 3 G 5'10" Sophomore Harrodsburg, KY Transferred to UT Martin
Lindsey Duvall 12 G 5'9" Redshirt Sophomore Mount Washington, KY Transferred to Northern Kentucky
Kylee Shook 21 F 6'4" Senior Colorado Springs, CO Graduated; drafted 13th overall in the 2020 WNBA draft by the New York Liberty
Jazmine Jones 23 G 6'0" Senior Tallahassee, FL Graduated; drafted 12th overall in the 2020 WNBA draft by the New York Liberty
Jessica Laemmle 24 G 5'2" Senior Louisville, KY Graduated
Molly Lockhart 30 F 6'3" Redshirt Freshman Louisville, KY
Bionca Dunham 33 F 6'2" Senior Philadelphia, PA Graduated

Incoming transfers

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Name Number Pos. Height Year Hometown Previous School
Ahlana Smith 2 G 5'9" Junior Charlotte, NC Gulf Coast State

Recruiting class

[edit]

Source:[3]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Hailey Van Lith
G
Wenatchee, WA Cashmere 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) N/A  
Recruiting star ratings: RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 98
Olivia Cochran
F
Columbus, GA Carver 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) N/A  
Recruiting star ratings: RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 98
Merissah Russell
G
Ottawa, Ontario Cairine Wilson 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) N/A  
Recruiting star ratings: RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN:3/5 stars   ESPN grade: 90
Ahlana Smith
G
Charlotte, NC Mallard Creek 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) N/A  
Recruiting star ratings: RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN:3/5 stars   ESPN grade: 90
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Roster

[edit]
2020–21 Louisville Cardinals women's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Year Previous school Hometown
F 0 Ramani Parker 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) RS Fr Montverde Academy Fresno, CA
G 1 Dana Evans 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) Sr West Side Leadership Academy Gary, IN
G 2 Ahlana Smith 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) Jr Mallard Creek
Gulf Coast State
Charlotte, NC
F 3 Malea Williams 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) Fr Scott County Georgetown, KY
G 4 Elizabeth Balogun 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) Jr Hamilton Heights Christian Academy
Georgia Tech
Chattanooga, TN
G 5 Mykasa Robinson 5 ft 7 in (1.7 m) Jr Ashland Blazer Ashland, KY
G 10 Hailey Van Lith 5 ft 7 in (1.7 m) Fr Cashmere Wenatchee, WA
G 11 Norika Konno 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) So Seiwa Gakuen Sendai, Japan
G 13 Merissah Russell 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) Fr Cairine Wilson Ottawa, Ontario
G 14 Kianna Smith 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) RS Jr Troy
California
Moreno Valley, CA
F 22 Elizabeth Dixon 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) Jr Ridgeway
Georgia Tech
Memphis, TN
F 44 Olivia Cochran 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) Fr Carver Columbus, GA
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: April 16, 2021

Schedule and results

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Source[4]

Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-Conference Regular season
November 25, 2020*
3:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 5 at Southeast Missouri W 74–53  1–0
Show Me Center (475)
Cape Girardeau, MO
November 29, 2020*
1:00 p.m., ACCNX
No. 5 Eastern Kentucky W 101–58  2–0
KFC Yum! Center (2,614)
Louisville, KY
December 4, 2020*
6:30 p.m., ESPN
No. 5 vs. No. 20 DePaul
Jimmy V Classic
W 116–75  3–0
Mohegan Sun Arena 
Uncasville, CT
December 6, 2020*
2:00 p.m.
No. 5 UT Martin W 85–67  4–0
KFC Yum! Center (2,709)
Louisville, KY
ACC Regular season
December 9, 2020
7:00 p.m., RSN
No. 2 at Duke W 73–49  5–0
(1–0)
Cameron Indoor Stadium (0)
Durham, NC
December 13, 2020
4:00 p.m., ACCN
No. 2 North Carolina Postponed [5] KFC Yum! Center 
Louisville, KY
December 17, 2020
8:00 p.m., ACCN
No. 2 Florida State Postponed [6] KFC Yum! Center 
Louisville, KY
December 20, 2020
1:00 p.m., RSN
No. 2 Miami (FL) Postponed [7] KFC Yum! Center 
Louisville, KY
January 1, 2020
3:00 p.m., ACCNX
No. 2 Northern Kentucky W 74–64  6–0
KFC Yum! Center (0)
Louisville, KY
January 2, 2020
Noon, ACCNX
No. 2 Bellarmine W 97–46  7–0
KFC Yum! Center (2,718)
Louisville, KY
January 3, 2021
Noon, ACCN
No. 2 at Virginia Postponed John Paul Jones Arena 
Charlottesville, VA
January 5, 2021
2:30 p.m., ACCN
No. 2 North Carolina Postponed KFC Yum! Center 
Louisville, KY
January 5, 2021
2:30 p.m., ACCN
No. 2 UT Martin W 96–61  8–0
KFC Yum! Center (2,754)
Louisville, KY
January 7, 2021
6:30 p.m., RSN
No. 2 Pittsburgh Postponed KFC Yum! Center 
Louisville, KY
January 7, 2021
8:00 p.m., RSN
No. 2 at Virginia Tech W 71–67  9–0
(2–0)
Cassell Coliseum (250)
Blacksburg, VA
January 10, 2021
Noon, ACCN
No. 2 at Florida State Postponed Donald L. Tucker Center 
Tallahassee, FL
January 10, 2021
Noon, ACCN
No. 2 Clemson W 70–45  10–0
(3–0)
KFC Yum! Center (2,734)
Louisville, KY
January 14, 2021
8:00 p.m., ACCN
No. 2 Boston College W 89–70  11–0
(4–0)
KFC Yum! Center (2,604)
Louisville, KY
January 17, 2021
3:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 2 No. 3 NC State Postponed[8] KFC Yum! Center 
Louisville, KY
January 17, 2021
3:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 2 Florida State W 84–56  12–0
(5–0)
KFC Yum! Center (2,804)
Louisville, KY
January 21, 2021
9:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 1 No. 23 Syracuse W 67–54  13–0
(6–0)
KFC Yum! Center (2,643)
Louisville, KY
January 24, 2021
2:00 p.m., ACCN
No. 1 at Wake Forest W 65–63  14–0
(7–0)
LJVM Coliseum (0)
Winston-Salem, NC
January 26, 2021
4:00 p.m., ACCN
No. 1 Miami (FL) W 79–76  15–0
(8–0)
KFC Yum! Center (2,653)
Louisville, KY
January 28, 2021
7:00 p.m., ACCN
No. 1 North Carolina W 79–68  16–0
(9–0)
KFC Yum! Center (2,748)
Louisville, KY
February 1, 2021
7:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 1 No. 4 NC State L 60–74  16–1
(9–1)
KFC Yum! Center (2,989)
Louisville, KY
February 4, 2021
8:00 p.m., ACCN
No. 1 at Boston College W 97–68  17–1
(10–1)
Conte Forum (0)
Chestnut Hill, MA
February 7, 2021
2:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 1 Notre Dame W 71–65  18–1
(11–1)
KFC Yum! Center (2,912)
Louisville, KY
February 11, 2021
7:00 p.m., ACCNX
No. 3 Georgia Tech W 85–70  19–1
(12–1)
KFC Yum! Center (2,914)
Louisville, KY
February 14, 2021
1:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 3 at Syracuse Postponed[9] Carrier Dome 
Syracuse, NY
February 18, 2021
8:00 p.m., ACCN
No. 3 at Pittsburgh W 82–58  20–1
(13–1)
Peterson Events Center (500)
Pittsburgh, PA
February 21, 2021
2:00 p.m., ACCNX
No. 3 at Florida State L 59–68  20–2
(13–2)
Donald L. Tucker Center (1,258)
Tallahassee, FL
February 28, 2021
3:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 6 at Notre Dame W 78–61  21–2
(14–2)
Purcell Pavilion (126)
Notre Dame, IN
ACC Women's Tournament
March 5, 2021
Noon, RSN
(1) No. 5 vs. (9) Wake Forest
Quarterfinals
W 65–53  22–2
Greensboro Coliseum (592)
Greensboro, NC
March 6, 2021
Noon, ACCN
(1) No. 5 vs. (5) Syracuse
Semifinals
W 72–59  23–2
Greensboro Coliseum (1,122)
Greensboro, NC
March 7, 2021
Noon, ESPN2
(1) No. 5 vs. (2) No. 3 NC State
Final
L 56–58  23–3
Greensboro Coliseum (2,063)
Greensboro, NC
NCAA tournament
March 22, 2021
8:00 p.m., ESPN
(2 A) No. 8 vs. (15 A) Marist
First Round
W 74–43  24–3
Alamodome 
San Antonio, TX
March 24, 2021
5:00 p.m., ESPN2
(2 A) No. 8 vs. (7 A) Northwestern
Second Round
W 62–53  25–3
Alamodome 
San Antonio, TX
March 28, 2021
7:00 p.m., ESPN
(2 A) No. 8 vs. (6 A) No. 23 Oregon
Sweet Sixteen
W 60–42  26–3
Alamodome 
San Antonio, TX
March 30, 2021
7:00 p.m., ESPN
(2 A) No. 8 vs. (1 A) No. 2 Stanford
Elite Eight
L 63–78  26–4
Alamodome (1,463)
San Antonio, TX
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
A=Alamo.
All times are in Eastern.

Rankings

[edit]
Regular season ranking movement
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. ██ Not ranked the previous week. RV=Received votes. т=Tied with team above or below also with this symbol
Poll Pre-
Season
Week
2
Week
3
Week
4
Week
5
Week
6
Week
7
Week
8
Week
9
Week
10
Week
11
Week
12
Week
13
Week
14
Week
15
Week
16
Final
AP 5 5 2 (2) 2 (1) 2 (1) 2 (1) 2 2 1 (20)[A] 1 (20) 1 (26) 3 3 6 5 8
Coaches 5 2 (6) 2 (6) 2 (1) 2 (1) 2 (1) 2 (1) 1 (30) 1 (30) 3 (5) 2 (11) 2 (8) 5 5 7 7 6

Coaches did not release a Week 2 poll and AP does not release a final poll.

A This is the first time Louisville has been ranked number 1 in the AP Women's Basketball Poll in program history.[1]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Louisville No. 1 in AP women's poll for 1st time". ESPN.com. ESPN. January 18, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  2. ^ "NCAA cancels remaining winter and spring championships". Archived from the original on March 12, 2020.
  3. ^ "Louisville Cardinals". espn.com. ESPN. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  4. ^ "2020–21 Louisville Cardinals women's basketball schedule". Louisville Cardinals. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  5. ^ "North Carolina at Louisville Women's Basketball Game Postponed". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  6. ^ "UofL Women's Basketball Game vs. Florida State Postponed". gocards.com. Louisville University Athletics. December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  7. ^ "UofL Women's Basketball Game vs. Miami Postponed". gocards.com. Louisville University Athletics. December 17, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  8. ^ "ACC Women's Basketball Announces Schedule Changes". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. January 13, 2021. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  9. ^ "ACC Announces Women's Basketball Postponements". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. February 12, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2021.