When Does Uofl Basketball Play Again

Louisville and Michigan are preparing for an Aristocracy Eight matchup on Monday night at 9 p.m. eastern, but it isn't the outset fourth dimension this flavour the teams have met.

On Dec. ii, Louisville trounce Michigan 70-48 fresh off its 10-day west coast road trip. The Cardinals forced 24 turnovers and held All-American post Naz Hillmon to just 12 points in the game.

But inquire any player or coach on either teams and they'll say no i is taking that game into consideration coming into Monday's showdown. Both teams have improved since then.

Louisville women'southward basketball:Cardinals are going back to the Elite 8 later belongings off No. four seed Tennessee

"That game is in the past. They've grown, they've gotten amend from that game," Louisville baby-sit Chelsie Hall said. "We just have to go out there and focus on the states and play our game, play the way we play, bring the same intensity nosotros did that previous game, but also even bring more. It's March. This is a big game. Annihilation can happen."

"I think we've get a lot more confident since that game and having that previously happen to us, so early in the year definitely did help our growth offensively and defensively," Michigan forward Naz Hillmon said.

The Wolverines accept seen the growth of freshman Leila Pheila since that game. She is averaging 12 points per game the last five bouts and made the game-winning basket in the Sweet 16 confronting South Dakota. She played twenty minutes and had viii points against Louisville in December.

Louisville passenger vehicle Jeff Walz mentioned her past name as one histrion who has improved, forth with other changes Michigan has made since then.

"They accept kids playing now that didn't play then," Walz said. "The (Amy) Dilk kid didn't play then. They take one kid who played 20 minutes and hasn't played in a few weeks. (Laila) Phelia is playing so much better, so kids have gotten better."

Overall, the Wolverines believe the loss to Louisville was a wake upwardly call for them. Michigan won 13 of its side by side 14 games later on losing to Louisville with two wins over Ohio State and one over Baylor, Indiana, Maryland and Iowa.

More:How Louisville has prepared even its inexperienced players for Elite Viii phase

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"They really disrupted u.s.a. and took united states of america out of what we wanted to do and that was important for us to learn from and abound from. They have a great team," Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico said. "We learned a lot from that game nearly the states and what we needed to go better at, and we had to larn how to exist a top squad in the country, and I call back we took a lot from that game for sure."

As for Louisville, defense force is what has dominated the headlines. Louisville is giving upward merely 58 points in the tournament and forcing 20.vi turnovers. But the chemistry has grown for Louisville since that early game, besides.

Walz said it's gotten to the point where Louisville'southward players concur each other answerable later a mistake on the floor.

"I have kids now when they get beat on a backdoor cut they are looking at each other like, 'Hey that's my mistake, it won't happen once more.' When yous get to that signal when they accept ownership you take a take chances to be special," Walz said. "That'southward where nosotros are."

The obvious improvement for Louisville is on the offensive end. The Cardinals are one of the best defensive teams in the country and get a lot of attention for that, but the offense has evolved since that win. Louisville averaged 74 points in briefing play and is averaging 75 in the NCAA Tournament.

Hailey Van Lith has come alive and has scored 20 or more than points in five of the last six games. Kianna Smith and Emily Engstler each remain a serious threat, Engstler had xx points on Saturday and Smith is averaging over 13 points in the terminal 5 games. Louisville'southward demote has been a primal piece, too. Louisville has found lineups information technology can trust and has threats at every level on the floor.

"We're talking a lot about defense, but we've got a lot of bully scorers on this team and sitting at this table correct at present, and we dear to score," Van Lith said. "So we really do play defence force the fashion nosotros do because we want to score so bad and we love to get out and run."

In that location'southward going to be a lot of talk about the December. ii matchup leading up to Mon'south Elite Eight game. Merely neither squad is letting it dictate its mindset going into the game, they know how much has changed.

"We have older kids who know it doesn't thing what happened in Dec," Walz said. "It's non similar we're starting (the game) up 22."

Cameron Teague Robinson CTeagueRob@gannett.com;  Twitter: @cj_teague;

gambleheacqualom92.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/college/louisville/2022/03/27/ncaa-womens-tournament-how-have-louisville-michigan-basketball-improved/7185155001/

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