Saturday, December 7
Brooklyn, NY (Barclays Center)
9 PM
University of Louisville
vs
#2 UConn
Photo by: Rachel Klotz | Louisville Athletics
No. 22 Cardinals and No. 2 UConn Face Off in Shark Beauty Women’s Champions Classic
December 06, 2024 | Women's Basketball
The two teams will play at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn
BROOKLYN, N.Y. — The No. 22 Louisville women's basketball team (5-3) is set to face off with another ranked opponent this weekend as they are back out on the road again. The Cardinals are in Brooklyn for the first ever Shark Beauty Women's Champions Classic and they are set to face off with the second-ranked UConn Huskies (7-0). The Cardinals and Huskies will play the second game of a double-header on Saturday from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The game is set for a 9 p.m. ET tentative start based on the end of the first game and it will be broadcast nationally on FOX.
The Huskies are the second ranked opponent the Cardinals will face this week after going up against No. 11 Oklahoma this past Wednesday. It is the first time since the 2016-17 season that Louisville will face two Top 15 teams within the same week during the non-conference portion of the schedule.
The Huskies are also the fourth ranked opponent the Cardinals will face through the first nine games of the season. This is the first time in the Jeff Walz era that the Cardinals have faced four or more ranked teams through the first nine games.
Tajianna Roberts continues to impress early on in her collegiate career. She earned her second ACC Rookie of the Week honors this past Monday and against No. 11 Oklahoma, she scored in double figures with 13 points and a team-best three assists. She has scored in double figures in seven of the eight games this season, the most by any player on the team.
Merissah Russell had her best game of her Louisville career against the Sooners on Wednesday. She scored a career-best 14 points and hit four three-pointers and tied a career best with five field goals made. Her and Roberts were two of five Louisville players to score in double figures. Olivia Cochran led the team with 17 points and nine rebounds while Jayda Curry (11) and Nyla Harris (10) also scored in double figures.
Date: Saturday, December 7
Time: 9 p.m. ET
Site: Brooklyn, N.Y. | Barclays Center (19,000)
TV: FOX (Tim Brando, play-by-play; Sarah Kustok, analyst)
Radio: 93.9-FM The Ville (Nick Curran, play-by-play; Cortnee Walton, analyst)
Series History: Louisville trails 3-19 (1-5 home, 0-7 road, 2-7 neutral)
Last Meeting: L, 62-86 (Dec. 16, 2023 at Hartford, Conn.)
ABOUT THE HUSKIES
UConn comes into Saturday's matchup at the Barclays Center with a 7-0 record on the season and are ranked No. 2 in the Associated Press and the USA Today Coaches Poll. The Huskies already have wins over a common opponent and a future opponent of the Cards this season. On Nov. 10, they defeated South Florida 86-49 in Storrs. Later that week, they defeated #14 North Carolina, 69-58, in Greensboro. After they face the Cardinals in Brooklyn, UConn is heading to South Bend to take on #10 Notre Dame on Dec. 12. The Huskies also have a Top 25 win over #18 Ole Miss, 73-60, in the Baha Mar Women's Championship game. UConn leads the country in assist to turnover ratio (2.08) and field goal percentage (.517) while they rank third in assists per game (22.3), fifth in scoring defense (49.1 ppg) and sixth in turnovers per game (10.7). Paige Bueckers is back for the Huskies and she ranks eighth nationally in assist to turnover ratio (3.6), 17th in field goal percentage (.609) and 18th in points per game (20.4).
Series History - This will be the 23rd meeting all-time between the Huskies and the Cardinals as the two teams were conference foes in the BIG EAST and the American. Louisville trails the all-time series 3-19 but the teams have split the last four matchups. Louisville is 2-7 all-time against UConn in games played in neutral venues but won the previous neutral matchup on Dec. 19, 2021 that was held at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn. This is the second-straight season the Cardinals and Huskies have faced off and they are set to meet in each of the next four seasons. Next year, Louisville and UConn will begin the season in the Armed Forces Classic at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. After the meeting in Germany, the teams will resume the home-and-home series with a matchup in Louisville set for 2026 before the teams alternate home and away again in 2027 and 2028.
Last Meeting (Dec. 16, 2023) - The No. 18/17 Louisville women's basketball team's (10-2) six-game winning streak came to an end after an 86-62 loss to No. 17/18 UConn (7-4) on Saturday afternoon at the XL Center. The Cardinals trailed by one after the first quarter and four at the break but the Huskies pulled away in the second half. Kiki Jefferson led the team with 19 points and had a team-best six rebounds and five assists. The five assists tied a season high that she set against Gonzaga. It was her seventh-straight game scoring in double figures. Olivia Cochran joined Jefferson in double figures with 12 points and tied for the team lead with six rebounds. Sydney Taylor had 13 points with three assists against the Huskies.
FOLLOW LOUISVILLE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ON SOCIAL MEDIA
For the latest on Louisville women's basketball, visit GoCards.com, or follow the team's Instagram account at @LouisvilleWBB, X account at @LouisvilleWBB or on Facebook at facebook.com/louisvillewbb.
The Huskies are the second ranked opponent the Cardinals will face this week after going up against No. 11 Oklahoma this past Wednesday. It is the first time since the 2016-17 season that Louisville will face two Top 15 teams within the same week during the non-conference portion of the schedule.
The Huskies are also the fourth ranked opponent the Cardinals will face through the first nine games of the season. This is the first time in the Jeff Walz era that the Cardinals have faced four or more ranked teams through the first nine games.
Tajianna Roberts continues to impress early on in her collegiate career. She earned her second ACC Rookie of the Week honors this past Monday and against No. 11 Oklahoma, she scored in double figures with 13 points and a team-best three assists. She has scored in double figures in seven of the eight games this season, the most by any player on the team.
Merissah Russell had her best game of her Louisville career against the Sooners on Wednesday. She scored a career-best 14 points and hit four three-pointers and tied a career best with five field goals made. Her and Roberts were two of five Louisville players to score in double figures. Olivia Cochran led the team with 17 points and nine rebounds while Jayda Curry (11) and Nyla Harris (10) also scored in double figures.
Date: Saturday, December 7
Time: 9 p.m. ET
Site: Brooklyn, N.Y. | Barclays Center (19,000)
TV: FOX (Tim Brando, play-by-play; Sarah Kustok, analyst)
Radio: 93.9-FM The Ville (Nick Curran, play-by-play; Cortnee Walton, analyst)
Series History: Louisville trails 3-19 (1-5 home, 0-7 road, 2-7 neutral)
Last Meeting: L, 62-86 (Dec. 16, 2023 at Hartford, Conn.)
ABOUT THE HUSKIES
UConn comes into Saturday's matchup at the Barclays Center with a 7-0 record on the season and are ranked No. 2 in the Associated Press and the USA Today Coaches Poll. The Huskies already have wins over a common opponent and a future opponent of the Cards this season. On Nov. 10, they defeated South Florida 86-49 in Storrs. Later that week, they defeated #14 North Carolina, 69-58, in Greensboro. After they face the Cardinals in Brooklyn, UConn is heading to South Bend to take on #10 Notre Dame on Dec. 12. The Huskies also have a Top 25 win over #18 Ole Miss, 73-60, in the Baha Mar Women's Championship game. UConn leads the country in assist to turnover ratio (2.08) and field goal percentage (.517) while they rank third in assists per game (22.3), fifth in scoring defense (49.1 ppg) and sixth in turnovers per game (10.7). Paige Bueckers is back for the Huskies and she ranks eighth nationally in assist to turnover ratio (3.6), 17th in field goal percentage (.609) and 18th in points per game (20.4).
Series History - This will be the 23rd meeting all-time between the Huskies and the Cardinals as the two teams were conference foes in the BIG EAST and the American. Louisville trails the all-time series 3-19 but the teams have split the last four matchups. Louisville is 2-7 all-time against UConn in games played in neutral venues but won the previous neutral matchup on Dec. 19, 2021 that was held at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn. This is the second-straight season the Cardinals and Huskies have faced off and they are set to meet in each of the next four seasons. Next year, Louisville and UConn will begin the season in the Armed Forces Classic at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. After the meeting in Germany, the teams will resume the home-and-home series with a matchup in Louisville set for 2026 before the teams alternate home and away again in 2027 and 2028.
Last Meeting (Dec. 16, 2023) - The No. 18/17 Louisville women's basketball team's (10-2) six-game winning streak came to an end after an 86-62 loss to No. 17/18 UConn (7-4) on Saturday afternoon at the XL Center. The Cardinals trailed by one after the first quarter and four at the break but the Huskies pulled away in the second half. Kiki Jefferson led the team with 19 points and had a team-best six rebounds and five assists. The five assists tied a season high that she set against Gonzaga. It was her seventh-straight game scoring in double figures. Olivia Cochran joined Jefferson in double figures with 12 points and tied for the team lead with six rebounds. Sydney Taylor had 13 points with three assists against the Huskies.
FOLLOW LOUISVILLE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ON SOCIAL MEDIA
For the latest on Louisville women's basketball, visit GoCards.com, or follow the team's Instagram account at @LouisvilleWBB, X account at @LouisvilleWBB or on Facebook at facebook.com/louisvillewbb.
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballWBB: Head Coach Jeff Walz Press Conference (7/31/25)
Thursday, July 31
Jeff Walz Post Game vs Clemson Press Conference 02.27.25
Friday, May 16
WBB: NCAA 2nd Round Preview Press Conference
Saturday, March 22
WBB: NCAA 1st Round Postgame Press Conference (Nebraska - 3/21/25)
Saturday, March 22
