The University of Louisville women’s basketball team, seeded fifth in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, is set to compete in the Lone Star State in Austin for the first and second rounds. The team will face off against the 12th-seeded Drake Bulldogs on March 18th at the Moody Center, with the game airing on ESPN2 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
This marks the Cardinals’ 25th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and the 14th under head coach Jeff Walz. During the regular season, Louisville finished fourth in the ACC and made it to the ACC Tournament championship game. Meanwhile, Drake finished fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference and went on to win their conference tournament championship for the eighth time, securing their 14th overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
For the first time since 2015, the Cardinals will start on the road for the first and second rounds. However, the team has a successful track record away from home in the first two rounds of the tournament, with a 12-2 record, having advanced to two Final Fours in 2009 and 2013 after starting on the road. Additionally, the game against Drake will mark the first time the Cardinals have faced a current opponent from the Missouri Valley Conference in the NCAA Tournament, and it will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
Louisville has had impressive first-round success in the NCAA Tournament, with a 17-7 overall record and a perfect 13-0 record under Coach Walz. The team has been the higher seed in all 13 previous first-round matchups under his tenure.
Several players on the Louisville roster have previous NCAA Tournament experience, including Mykasa Robinson, who will be playing in her fourth tournament with the Cardinals, and Morgan Jones, who has made the tournament three times at Florida State. Hailey Van Lith, Olivia Cochran, and Norika Konno will each be making their third tournament appearances.
Drake enters the NCAA Tournament with a 22-9 record and as the fourth seed in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. They defeated the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in the tournament to win their eighth championship in program history. The Bulldogs rank in the top 10 nationally in several categories, including defensive rebounds per game, assists per game, blocks per game, field goal percentage, and rebounding margin. They are led by Katie Dinnebier, who is nationally ranked in assists per game and assist/turnover ratio, and Maggie Bair, who is ranked 11th in the nation with a .603 field goal percentage.
This is the 14th NCAA Tournament appearance for Drake, and they have made one Elite Eight, two Sweet 16s, and four second-round appearances in program history. This will be their fourth time facing an ACC opponent in the NCAA Tournament, having previously faced Syracuse, Clemson, and Maryland. Additionally, this is the second time the Bulldogs will play in Austin, having lost to Texas in the first round of the 1984 NCAA Tournament.
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