Mission Impossible? Cardinals hope to slow high-flying Huskies

1/11/2008 5:11 PM

By WILL GRAVES
AP Sports Writer

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Louisville coach Jeff Walz isn't expecting 40 minutes of immaculate play on Saturday when the Cardinals host No. 1 Connecticut.

Ten minutes of perfection, however, could go a long way toward helping the Cardinals slow down the undefeated and utterly dominant Huskies.

``We've just got to believe when we step on the floor (that) if we can withstand the first 8-10 minutes of the game, then hopefully our players can get some confidence and hopefully be ready to play, too,'' Walz said.

The Cardinals (11-4, 0-2 Big East) are participating in a program called ``Pack the House,'' and have heavily promoted the game locally. The school has given away thousands of tickets in hopes of giving Freedom Hall the kind of electric atmosphere usually reserved for the men's games.

A record crowd of at least 15,000 is expected, many of whom will be attending their first women's game. Walz knows it's up to the Cardinals to give his team's new fans a reason to stick around.

It won't be easy against the Huskies (14-0, 2-0). Connecticut is winning by an average of 42.6 points a game and has trailed less than 10 minutes the entire year.

The competitive portion of the games game usually doesn't last long. Most of Connecticut's wins this season have looked like their 84-48 win over No. 16 West Virginia on Wednesday. The Huskies scored the game's first 13 points and led 27-5 just over eight minutes in.

``If you can survive that first run, you can stay in the game and get them thinking 'Oh, it's a game,''' said Louisville forward Angel McCoughtry. ``They're not invincible. They can be beat. We can't come in scared. We've got to believe.''

If the Cardinals want to pull of the biggest upset in school history, they'll need to keep their composure and not get rattled by Connecticut's relentless pace.

McCoughtry, the defending Big East Player of the Year, has struggled against the Huskies during her career. She scored just nine points in 18 minutes before fouling out in a 76-50 loss to Connecticut in the Big East tournament semifinals last year.

``Sometimes I do too much because I want to win so bad,'' said McCoughtry, who leads the conference in scoring (23.1 points per game) and steals (4.9 per game). ``That's what I'm learning right now is taking my time and you do have teammates, so it's OK.''

After three straight NCAA Tournament berths, the Cardinals say they're no longer intimidated by playing the nation's elite.

``A lot of times, teams go out there and see UConn and (UConn) gets 15 points off that alone,'' Louisville guard Patrika Barlow said. ``We're just going to out there and play hard and not worry about who it is and play our game.''

Walz knows what it's like to watch a program go through growing pains. As an assistant at Maryland, he watched the Terrapins struggle against teams like Duke and North Carolina, getting closer each time before finally breaking through in 2006, when the Terrapins beat the Blue Devils to win the national title.

``It's a matter of making sure you're prepared,'' Walz said. ``They're very all talented and our players are just the same.''