Preview: Louisville Cardinals vs. Iowa Hawkeyes

The Cardinals and Hawkeyes are fighting for a trip to the Final Four in Dallas.

No. 5 Louisville Cardinals (26-11, 12-6 ACC) vs. No. 2 Iowa Hawkeyes (29-6, 15-3 SEC)

- Tipoff: Sunday, March 26 at 9:00 p.m. EST
- Location: Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Wash.
- How To Watch: ESPN
- How To Listen: 93.9 FM
- Betting Favorite: Iowa: -5.5
- All-Time Series: Louisville leads 2-0
- Last Meeting: Louisville won 86-52 on Dec. 4, 2014 (KFC Yum! Center - Louisville, Ky.)

Projected Starting Lineups

Louisville

  • G Chrislyn Carr (5-5, Gr.)
  • G Hailey Van Lith (5-7, Jr.)
  • G Mykasa Robinson (5-7, Gr.)
  • F Nyla Harris (6-2, Fr.)
  • F Olivia Cochran (6-3, Fr.)

Iowa

  • G Gabbie Marshall (5-9, Sr.)
  • G Caitlin Clark (6-0, Jr.)
  • G Kate Martin (6-0, R-Sr.)
  • G/F McKenna Warnock (6-1, Sr.)
  • F/C Monika Czinano (6-3, 5th)

Comparison

Louisville

Iowa

Points Per Game

45th (73.0)

1st (87.3)

Opp. Points Per Game

152nd (63.4)

305th (70.5)

Scoring Margin

46th (9.7)

9th (16.8)

FG Percentage

27th (45.1)

1st (51.1)

Opp. FG Percentage

162nd (39.9)

148th (39.7)

3PT Percentage

55th (34.4)

8th (37.5)

Opp. 3PT Percentage

283rd (33.0)

95th (29.7)

FT Percentage

60th (75.1)

43rd (76.4)

Rebounds Per Game

105th (37.89)

62nd (39.20)

Rebound Margin

58th (4.7)

47th (5.6)

Assists Per Game

63rd (15.0)

1st (21.1)

Turnovers Per Game

118th (14.9)

91st (14.3)

Turnover Margin

80th (2.27)

184th (-0.06)

Assist/Turnover Ratio

82nd (1.00)

3rd (1.47)

Steals Per Game

114th (8.3)

198th (7.4)

Blocks Per Game

85th (3.7)

239th (2.6)

Game Notes

Louisville

  • Louisville is back in the Elite Eight for the fifth-straight tournament after the 72-62 win over No. 8 seed Ole Miss. They are the only team in the country to make each of the last five Elite Eight's. It is the eighth Elite Eight in program history and they have all came under head coach Jeff Walz. The Cardinals have been to seven Elite Eight’s since the 2013 season, the second most in the country during that span. Jeff Walz improved his record in the Sweet 16 to 8-4 after the win over the Rebels.
  • The Cardinals inserted Mykasa Robinson and Nyla Harris into the starting lineup ahead of the Jan. 29 matchup against Syracuse and they are 11-3 since that game. Hailey Van Lith has led the team with 18.9 points per game and has averaged 3.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.6 steals in the last 14 games. Van Lith has scored 15 or more points in 13 of her last 14 games. Chrislyn Carr is second on the team with 11.1 points per game over the previous 14 games. She scored the second-most points by a Cardinal player in the ACC Tournament in school history with 27 against No. 3 seed Virginia Tech. Robinson has led the team in a several categories since she has been in the starting lineup. She is first on the squad with 6.1 assists, 6.9 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game while she has scored 8.3 points per game. Harris has also done well in the starting five as she has set career-highs in points against Syracuse (18) and rebounds against North Carolina (12). Liz Dixon has tallied two doubles-doubles off of the bench in the wins over Boston College and Miami. Dixon led the Cards with a team-best 10 rebounds in the win over No. 4 seed Texas. Merissah Russell scored a career-high 13 points in the win over Boston College and had 12 points at home against #10 Notre Dame.
  • At 26-11 this season, Louisville is a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament for just the second time in program history. The other time Louisville was the No. 5 seed was the 2013 tournament when the Cardinals knocked off No. 1 seed Baylor in the Sweet Sixteen and No. 2 seed Tennessee in the Elite Eight en route to the program’s second Final Four at the time. The Cardinals advanced to the championship game after defeating No. 2 California in the national semifinals.
  • Louisville is making its 25th NCAA Tournament appearance and 14th in 15 tournaments under head coach Jeff Walz. The Cardinals are playing in their 12th-straight NCAA Tournament and they are 44-24 all-time. They were 4-11 in their first 11 appearances and are 40-13 in their 14 appearances with Walz. The 44 NCAA Tournament wins rank 14th all-time in NCAA history. They have moved on to the Sweet 16 12 times, the Elite Eight eight times, Final Four four times (2009, 2013, 2018, 2022) and twice advanced to the title game.
  • Eight ACC teams (Virginia Tech, Duke, Florida State, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, NC State and Notre Dame) were selected to compete in the 2023 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament, the most of any conference. It marks the fifth-consecutive NCAA Tournament that the ACC has had eight teams selected, leading all conferences or tied for the conference lead each year. In the last six NCAA Tournaments, ACC teams have earned 47 selections to compete in the field, also the most of any conference. It is the ninth-straight year the ACC has had at least one No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Six teams advanced to the second round of the tournament, tied for the most by any conference. Four of those teams made it to the Sweet 16, tied for most of any conference. Both Louisville and Miami advanced to the Elite Eight on Friday and the ACC has an opportunity for two more teams (Virginia Tech, Notre Dame) to advance on Saturday.
  • The Cardinals won their fifth-straight Sweet 16 game over the Rebels on Friday and did so in convincing fashion. Over the last five Sweet 16 games for the Cardinals, they have won them all with a scoring margin of +16.8. With the win, Louisville improved to 8-4 in the Sweet 16 under Walz.
  • Mykasa Robinson has played a team-high 16 NCAA Tournament games and is the only player entering her fourth NCAA Tournament at Louisville. This is the fourth overall NCAA Tournament for Morgan Jones, as she made the tournament three times while at Florida State. For Josie Williams, this is her second appearance in the NCAA Tournament after appearing with Utah Valley in 2021. Hailey Van Lith, Olivia Cochran and Liz Dixon have all played in 12 career NCAA Tournament games.
  • Louisville guard Hailey Van Lith is having one of the best seasons by a player in the Power Five conferences this season. She is one of two players (Caitlin Clark) to average at least 19 points, four rebounds and three assists per game this season. Last week, Van Lith was named an Honorable Mention All-American by the AP and USBWA, a Second Team Academic All-American by the College Sports Communicators and a Region Finalist by the WBCA.
  • For the first time since the 2015 NCAA Tournament, the Cardinals were on road for the first and second rounds. The Cardinals have had a lot of success away from home in the first two rounds under head coach Jeff Walz. Louisville is 14-2 under Walz on the road in the first two rounds of the tournament.

Iowa

  • Iowa tied its program record for most wins in a single season after defeating Colorado to advance to its fifth Elite 8.
  • Iowa won its third Big Ten Tournament title since 2019, over Ohio State which was the largest marging of victory in BTT Championship history.
  • Caitlin Clark was named the Big Ten Player of the Year for the second consective season.
  • Monika Czinano and Clark were unanimous All-Big Ten selections.
  • Lisa Bluder and Clark were named to both Naismith Semifinalists Lists. (COY/POY)
  • Since 2008, Bluder’s teams own a 230-42 record inside of Carver-Hawkeye Arena. In that stretch, the Hawkeyes have posted three undefeated seasons at home. Over the last eight years, Iowa has dropped the second-fewest regular season home games in the Big Ten.
  • Iowa welcomes four new players to the 2022-23 roster: Molly Davis, Jada Gyamfi, Taylor McCabe, and Hannah Stuelke. Gyamfi, McCabe, and Stuelke are all true freshmen, hailing from Johnston, Cedar Rapids and Fremont, Nebraska, respectively. Davis is a fourth-year transfer from Central Michigan.
  • Clark was named The Athletic National Player of the Year and a unanimous AP First Team All-American.
  • Czinano was tabbed as a Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Semifinalist.
  • Iowa set a program record against Evansville scoring 115 points earlier this season.
  • Iowa has had five out of the last six Big Ten Players of the Year.
  • The Hawkeyes have a nation’s best five wins against AP Top 10 opponents.
  • Clark was the Big Ten Tournament MVP for the second straight season which has only happened three times in conference history.
  • For the first time in the Lisa Bluder era, the Hawkeyes won 15 Big Ten regular season conference games.
  • This is Iowa’s 29th trip in school history to the Big Dance.
  • Over the last 10 games, Gabbie Marshall is shooting 58% from 3-point range.
  • Bluder owns a 492-248 (.664) record and a 247-141 (.637) conference mark at Iowa. In her 38 seasons as a head coach, Bluder is 849-389 (.685).
  • The Hawkeyes have stacked wins against 15-Seed SE Louisiana, 10-Seed Georgia, and 6-Seed Colorado.
  • Clark led the Hawkeyes against both foes averaging 26.3 ppg, 10.6 apg, and 3.2 rpg.
  • Clark accounted for 31 of Iowa’s final 33 points in the victory over Georgia.
  • Over the last six games, Gabbie Marshall is 20-of-37 from deep.
  • Since the Big Ten title game, Iowa has shot 50% or better from the field in 13 of the last 16 quarters.
  • Iowa’s 95-point performance against SELA was the second-most points scored in a NCAA Tourney game in program history.
  • It’s Iowa’s fifth Elite 8 appearance in school history and second time in four seasons.
  • In three games, Iowa has drawn five intentional fouls.
  • Against Colorado, Iowa tied its program record for most wins in a single season. (29).
  • Clark is the third Big Ten player to score 900 points in a single season — at 943, she is second on the conference’s single-season scoring list. The Big Ten single-season scoring leader is Iowa’s Megan Gustafson (1,001 in 2018-19).
  • Iowa has defeated 22 opponents by double figures this year.
  • Caitlin Clark is the only player in the country averaging more than 26 ppg, 7.0 rpg, and 7.0 apg. Since 2009, Clark has averaged more than 25 ppg, 5 apg, and 5 rpg in all three seasons as Hawkeye, only one other player has accomplished that feat. (Anastasia Hayes, Middle Tennessee)

(Photo of Hailey Van Lith: Kirby Lee - USA TODAY Sports)

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Matthew McGavic
MATTHEW MCGAVIC

McGavic is a 2016 Sport Administration graduate of the University of Louisville, and a native of the Derby City. He has been covering the Cardinals in various capacities since 2017, with a brief stop in Atlanta, Ga. on the Georgia Tech beat. He is also a co-host of the 'From The Pink Seats' podcast on the State of Louisville network. Video gamer, bourbon drinker and dog lover. Find him on Twitter at @Matt_McGavic