2020–21 Louisville Cardinals women's basketball team

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 18th, 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]

2020–21 Louisville Cardinals women's basketball
NCAA Tournament, Elite Eight
ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 6
APNo. 8
2020–21 record26–4 (14–2 ACC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaKFC Yum! Center
2020–21 ACC women's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 8 Louisville14–2 .87526–4  .867
No. 3 NC State†12–2 .85722–3  .880
Georgia Tech12–6 .66717–9  .654
Syracuse9–7 .56315–9  .625
Florida State9–7 .56310–9  .526
Notre Dame8–7 .53310–10  .500
Virginia Tech8–8 .50015–10  .600
North Carolina8–9 .47113–11  .542
Miami (FL)8–10 .44411–11  .500
Wake Forest8–10 .44412–13  .480
Clemson5–12 .29412–14  .462
Pittsburgh3–12 .2005–14  .263
Boston College2–11 .1547–12  .368
Duke0–1 .0003–1  .750
Virginia0–2 .0000–5  .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 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

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

Departures
Name Number Pos. Height Year Hometown Reason for Departure
Yacine Diop2G5'10" SeniorDakar, SenegalGraduated
Seygan Robins3G5'10"SophomoreHarrodsburg, KYTransferred to UT Martin
Lindsey Duvall12G5'9" SophomoreMount Washington, KYTransferred to Northern Kentucky
Kylee Shook21F6'4"SeniorColorado Springs, COGraduated; drafted 13th overall in the 2020 WNBA draft by the New York Liberty
Jazmine Jones23G6'0"SeniorTallahassee, FLGraduated; drafted 12th overall in the 2020 WNBA draft by the New York Liberty
Jessica Laemmle24G5'2"SeniorLouisville, KYGraduated
Molly Lockhart30F6'3" FreshmanLouisville, KY—
Bionca Dunham33F6'2"SeniorPhiladelphia, PAGraduated

Incoming transfers
NameNumberPos.HeightYearHometownPrevious School
Ahlana Smith2G5'9"JuniorCharlotte, NCGulf Coast State

Recruiting Class

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: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 98
Olivia Cochran
F		 Columbus, GA Carver 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) N/A  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 98
Merissah Russell
G		 Ottawa, Ontario Cairine Wilson 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) N/A  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 90
Ahlana Smith
G		 Charlotte, NC Mallard Creek 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) N/A  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:   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
    2020–21 Louisville Cardinals women's basketball team
    PlayersCoaches
    Pos.#NameHeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
    F 0 Ramani Parker 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) RS FrMontverde Academy Fresno, CA
    G 1 Dana Evans 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) SrWest Side Leadership Academy Gary, IN
    G 2 Ahlana Smith 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) JrMallard Creek
    Gulf Coast State    		 Charlotte, NC
    F 3 Malea Williams 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) FrScott County Georgetown, KY
    G 4 Elizabeth Balogun 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) JrHamilton Heights Christian Academy
    Georgia Tech    		 Chattanooga, TN
    G 5 Mykasa Robinson 5 ft 7 in (1.7 m) JrAshland Blazer Ashland, KY
    G 10 Hailey Van Lith 5 ft 7 in (1.7 m) FrCashmere Wenatchee, WA
    G 11 Norika Konno 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) SoSeiwa Gakuen Sendai, Japan
    G 13 Merissah Russell 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) FrCairine Wilson Ottawa, Ontario
    G 14 Kianna Smith 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) RS JrTroy
    California    		 Moreno Valley, CA
    F 22 Elizabeth Dixon 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) JrRidgeway
    Georgia Tech    		 Memphis, TN
    F 44 Olivia Cochran 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) FrCarver 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

    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
    Main article: 2020–21 NCAA Division I women's basketball rankings
    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
    PollPre-
    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 7т 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
    1. "Louisville No. 1 in AP women's poll for 1st time". ESPN.com. ESPN. 18 January 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
    2. "NCAA cancels remaining winter and spring championships". Archived from the original on 2020-03-12.
    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.
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