Cardinals thrive among the non-believers
It is clear that Louisville believes in itself, its coach and the righteousness of its quest for the improbable dream -- a national championship.
The Cardinals call themselves “The Bad News Bears” and revel in their self-image as the ragamuffins of women’s basketball.
They have even suggested how happy they are to have another chance to prove it to No. 1 Connecticut on the grandest stage of all tonight. The Huskies have crushed them twice this season.
Connecticut Coach Geno Auriemma has made mental notes.
“We’re playing a team that has a lot going for it right now, a team that, from what I’ve heard, really wants to play us,” Auriemma said. “I admire the Big East camaraderie. I’m sure that’s what they meant, right?”
While the Cardinals may believe in themselves, it is just as certain many others do not believe in them yet, not even after they beat Louisiana State, Maryland and Oklahoma to reach the final.
“That’s OK,” Louisville senior Angel McCoughtry said Monday. “That’s how we win. So I hope they all wish Connecticut wins [tonight]. That’s what we’ve been thriving on, so we don’t want [the negativism] to change. . . . We just want people to keep doubting us.”
What’s not clear is how Connecticut feels about all this talk.
“The game has to be played,” Connecticut’s Maya Moore said. “All talk stops as soon as the ball goes up. Hopefully, our reality will be what we expect.”
Tonight, the Huskies’ unbeaten season intersects with the unfettered optimism of Coach Jeff Walz’s team.
“I know many people have said that Geno has never lost a national championship” game, Louisville guard Deseree Byrd said. “But neither has Coach Walz.”
At stake for the Huskies (38-0) is a third undefeated championship season and their sixth national title, the first since 2004.
“All I can say is, we’ve done it 38 times, hopefully we can do it one more time,” Auriemma said.
The Huskies have won all of their games by at least 10 points, and if they do the same tonight, they will become the first team in the history of NCAA basketball, men or women, to dispatch each opponent by double figures.
“I think I saw their manager drop a bottle of water,” Walz said. “So that’s a weakness.” He’s only half-joking.
Connecticut’s combined winning margin in the two games with Louisville (34-4) was 67, including a 39-point victory in the Big East title game March 10.
“If you flip a coin and it comes up heads 10 times straight, there’s no guarantee it will the 11th time,” Auriemma said. “Each flip is individual. They are all separate events. So I don’t know if what we did to them in the first game had any effect on the second. Or what happened in the second will have any impact on this.
“It’s a different environment, a different day, different emotions and attitudes among the players. There’s no disputing we’ve won by a lot, but I don’t know what that gets you.”
The game also brings to a close the career of two first-team All-Americans, McCoughtry and Connecticut’s Renee Montgomery.
“It feels really good to end your season on the last day, and hopefully be able to end it the right way,” said Montgomery, who will play in her 150th game, an NCAA record, and needs 28 points to become the sixth player in Connecticut history to score 2,000.
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