Women’s Basketball’s ACC Schedule Revealed
September 15, 2016 | Women's Basketball
Louisville opens its ACC schedule with a home game against Syracuse on Dec. 29.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – University of Louisville women's basketball head coach Jeff Walz didn't do his team any favors with the program's nonconference schedule, certainly not the home portion that includes five teams that made last year's NCAA Tournament.
The Cardinals added to an already exciting KFC Yum! Center lineup, with Thursday afternoon's announcement of the Atlantic Coast Conference slate that features home games against 2016 national runner-up Syracuse, NCAA Tournament participant Miami (Fla.), and NIT qualifiers Georgia Tech and Virginia.
The ACC, arguably the nation's top women's basketball conference, sent nine teams to postseason play last year, with five advancing to the NCAA Tournament. This year, six ACC schools – tied with the Southeastern Conference for the most – were selected in ESPN's way-too-early preseason top 25 rankings – with Notre Dame at No. 1 and Louisville at No. 2 (others: No. 15 Florida State, No. 18 Miami, No. 20 Syracuse, No. 25 NC State).
Louisville is coming off one of its best conference marks in school history, logging a 15-1 record in 2015 that contained a 10-game win streak, and finishing in the top five in the league in multiple statistical categories. ACC Player of the Year Myisha Hines-Allen paced the Cardinals, who capped the year at 26-8 and No. 8 in the final Associated Press poll.
Fans interested in obtaining season tickets are encouraged to visit GoCards.com/WBBTickets or call (502) GO-CARDS for more information.
Louisville begins its third season in the league with a Dec. 29 tilt against Syracuse at home. The Cardinals have won the last two regular-season conference matchups against the Orange, including a 71-53 victory in January in the Carrier Dome. Syracuse, though, outlasted Louisville with an 80-75 victory in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament. The Orange went on a run in the postseason, defeating South Carolina, Tennessee, and Washington, before falling to Connecticut in the championship game.
The Cardinals then hit the road for consecutive contests, facing Duke on Jan. 2 and Virginia three days later on Jan. 5. Louisville defeated Virginia in both meetings – home and away – last season and earned a 65-48 home victory against the then-No. 18 Blue Devils.
After a one-game stint at home against Pittsburgh on Jan. 8, Louisville heads south to play at Florida State on Jan. 12. Mariya Moore scored 20 points and helped the Cardinals record a 79-69 New Year's Day victory.
Following the quick trip to Tallahassee, Louisville returns to the KFC Yum! Center for a two-game homestand. The Cardinals open with Miami (Fla.) on Jan. 15 – a contest that will be televised on ESPN2 or ESPNU – and then welcome Georgia Tech to Louisville on Jan. 18. Both opponents reached the postseason last year, with Miami falling to South Dakota State – Louisville's Dec. 14 foe – in the NCAA Tournament first round.
Louisville's break in conference play against South Florida on Jan. 22 starts a three-game swing on the road, with the Cardinals also playing at Clemson (Jan. 26) and Pittsburgh (Jan. 29).
Shortly after, Louisville endures a challenging pair of games in NC State – at home on Feb. 2 – and Notre Dame, a Feb. 6 road contest on ESPN 2. The Cardinals beat the Wolfpack 92-90 in a last-second thriller, courtesy of two free throws with three seconds left to break the tie and ice the game. The Cardinals also had an exciting game against the Fighting Irish, but ultimately fell 66-61 for their lone conference loss.
The Cardinals make their second-to-last road trip on Feb. 9, when they play at Virginia Tech, before enjoying three-consecutive home games: Boston College (Feb. 12), North Carolina (Feb. 19, ESPNU), and Virginia (Feb. 23).
Louisville finishes the regular season at Wake Forest on Feb. 26 before heading into postseason play. Dates and location for the 2017 ACC Women's Basketball Tournament will be announced at a later date.
For the latest information on Louisville women's basketball, log on to GoCards.com, or, for up-to-the-minute updates, follow the team's Twitter account at www.twitter.com/UofLWBB or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/UofLWBB.
| 2016-17 LOUISVILLE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ACC SCHEDULE | ||
| Thursday | Dec. 29 | vs. Syracuse |
| Monday | Jan. 2 | at Duke |
| Thursday | Jan. 5 | at Virginia |
| Sunday | Jan. 8 | vs. Pittsburgh |
| Thursday | Jan. 12 | at Florida State |
| Sunday | Jan. 15 | vs. Miami (Fla.) |
| Wednesday | Jan. 18 | vs. Georgia Tech |
| Thursday | Jan. 26 | at Clemson |
| Sunday | Jan. 29 | at Pittsburgh |
| Thursday | Feb. 2 | vs. NC State |
| Monday | Feb. 6 | at Notre Dame |
| Thursday | Feb. 9 | at Virginia Tech |
| Sunday | Feb. 12 | vs. Boston College |
| Sunday | Feb. 19 | vs. North Carolina |
| Thursday | Feb. 23 | vs. Virginia |
| Sunday | Feb. 26 | at Wake Forest |
