Louisville women’s basketball coach Jeff Walz discusses upcoming season
Louisville women’s basketball coach Jeff Walz says he’s excited about the upcoming season with his offseason additions to the team.
Sam Upshaw Jr.
ACC women’s basketball experienced a shakeup during the offseason.
Between coaching changes, conference expansion, graduation and the transfer portal, the league will have a much different look this season. In Louisville basketball’s case, that means a team featuring eight freshmen and two returning full-time starters: Olivia Cochran and Nyla Harris.
Cochran, who opted to return for another year, and Harris will need to continue being leaders for their younger teammates as Louisville looks to rebound from last season’s first-round NCAA Tournament exit. After the loss, Cochran and Merissah Russell, who also decided to come back for a final season, vowed to take the lead on getting the team prepared in the offseason to avoid a repeat performance in the postseason. It was U of L’s first time to make the tournament and not win at least one game during head coach Jeff Walz’s tenure.
A big part of the postseason is seeding, and the Cardinals will need to have a better showing in ACC play to be one of the top seeds. Their conference schedule was released Tuesday night and includes a road trip to SMU, one of the league’s new additions. Louisville will play Stanford and California at home.
“I think with the history that they’ve (Stanford) had in women’s basketball, obviously it just adds another great program to our league,” Walz said. “Cal had a really good year last year. SMU is talented as well. So, I think we’ve added three quality teams. And then when you look at the rest of our league, we’ve had some teams that have done very well in recruiting with high school and portal. So, I’m expecting this to be an exciting year for us in the ACC.”
Because of the three new teams, the Cardinals lost home-and-home series against Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Boston College, though the series against Notre Dame remains.
Here are five games that will be key in helping Louisville’s seeding:
The pendulum of wins went from a six-game winning streak for Louisville to five straight in N.C. State’s favor. During that time, the Wolfpack has won by an average of 9.4 points and, this season, is coming off the program’s second Final Four appearance. Breaking N.C. State’s streak won’t be easy because the team returns its two leading scorers: senior guards Aziaha James and Saniya Rivers. The game is part of the Jimmy V Classic and will be televised on ABC.
Losing the home-and-home series against Syracuse works in Louisville’s favor. After last season’s controversial finish in New York, the teams split the series. Although the Cardinals’ loss to Virginia was arguably worse, falling at Syracuse did Louisville no favors at the end of the season. Prior to the loss, U of L had defeated Syracuse eight times in a row. Having to play the Orange only once at the KFC Yum! Center gives the Cardinals the advantage. They’re 12-1 against the Orange, which will be without graduated guard Dyaisha Fair, at home.
The country soon will learn what Stanford women’s basketball looks like without Tara VanDerveer, who retired during the offseason after a stellar 38-year coaching career. First-year head coach Kate Paye spent the last 17 years on VanDerveer’s coaching staff and played for the legend on the national championship team in 1992. Stanford will still be a formidable foe, making the ACC even more competitive. Louisville must take advantage of getting Stanford at home during a transitional year.
Defeating Duke on the road was one of the Cardinals’ better wins last season. Despite finishing seventh in the league standings, the Blue Devils were one of six ACC teams to make the Sweet 16 last season. Taking care of home court is expected but picking up road wins during the latter stretch of the season will be vital to Louisville’s success, especially in a tough environment. U of L has defeated Duke only twice in six meetings in Durham, North Carolina.
In each of the last four seasons, Louisville has played at Notre Dame in the regular-season finale. Louisville has lost the last two, ending the regular season on a sour note. With ACC Defensive Player and Rookie of the Year Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles back from injury, expect the defending ACC Tournament champion Fighting Irish to be one of the teams to beat. Last season, seeding came down to the last few games, and considering how the league is shaping up, that could be the case again in 2024-25. That’s why it’ll be important for the Cardinals to reverse their fate against Notre Dame and pick up a crucial road win heading into conference tournament action. They’ve historically played some of their best basketball at the end of the season and must get back on track after last season’s hiccup.
Monday, Nov. 4: Louisville vs. UCLA (Aflac Oui-Play Event), Adidas Arena in Paris
Friday, Nov. 8: Louisville vs. Southern Indiana
Tuesday, Nov. 12: Louisville at UT Martin
Saturday, Nov. 16: Louisville at Kentucky
Thursday, Nov. 21: Louisville vs. Morehead State
Sunday, Nov. 24: Louisville vs. South Florida (WBCA Showcase), 1 p.m. in Orlando, Florida
Saturday, Nov. 30: Louisville at Colorado
Wednesday, Dec. 4: Oklahoma at Louisville (SEC/ACC Challenge), 5 p.m. (ESPN2)
Saturday, Dec. 7: Louisville vs. UConn (Women’s Champions Classic), TBA at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York
Thursday, Dec. 12: Louisville vs. Grambling State
Sunday, Dec. 15: Louisville vs. N.C. State*, 1 p.m. (ABC)
Saturday, Dec. 21: Louisville at Memphis
Sunday, Dec. 29: Louisville at Boston College*
Thursday, Jan. 2: Louisville vs. Miami*
Sunday, Jan. 5: Louisville at Wake Forest*
Thursday, Jan. 9: Louisville at Pittsburgh*
Sunday, Jan. 12: Louisville vs. Georgia Tech*
Thursday, Jan. 16: Louisville vs. Syracuse*
Sunday, Jan. 19: Louisville at Virginia Tech*
Sunday, Jan. 26: Louisville at Virginia*
Thursday, Jan. 30: Louisville at SMU*
Sunday, Feb. 2: Louisville vs. Notre Dame*
Thursday, Feb. 6: Louisville vs. California*
Sunday, Feb. 9: Louisville vs. Stanford*
Thursday, Feb. 13: Louisville at Florida State*
Thursday, Feb. 20: Louisville at Duke*
Sunday, Feb. 23: Louisville vs. North Carolina*
Thursday, Feb. 27: Louisville vs. Clemson*
Sunday, March 2: Louisville at Notre Dame*
*ACC games
Reach Louisville football, women’s basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at acubit@gannett.com and follow her on X at @Alexis_Cubit.
