LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) - For the second straight season, Louisville women's basketball will need to win away from the KFC Yum! Center to open the NCAA Tournament.

The Cardinals, seeded No. 6 in the Albany 2 region, will begin their run vs. Middle Tennessee in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. If Louisville wins, the Cards could face No. 3 LSU and Hailey Van Lith in the second round.

UofL will need to find its form at the right time if it wants a sixth consecutive Elite Eight appearance. Louisville has not won back-to-back games since going on a three-game winning streak from Jan. 25 to Feb. 1.

After beating Boston College, Pittsburgh and Syracuse, the Cards have switched off wins and losses, going 5-6 over the past 11 games.

Offensively, this Cardinal team has scoring depth, as four players average in double figures: Olivia Cochran, Nyla Harris, Kiki Jefferson and Sydney Taylor.

Louisville ranked second in the ACC in field-goal percentage and third in three-point percentage. A costly issue on the offensive end has been too many turnovers, especially in recent performances.

The Cards have tallied at least 15 giveaways in each of their last five games.

Defensively, Jeff Walz has been trying to figure out some answers. His group has forced turnovers, ranking third in the ACC by forcing opponents into an average of about 18 per contest. But Louisville ranks 12th in the conference for opponent field goal percentage (42%) and seventh in scoring defense (63 points per game). 

Historically speaking, Walz has earned the belief that Louisville can typically find a way to make a run in March. He is 40-14 in the NCAA Tournament, good for eighth all-time with a 74% winning percentage.

Those wins have led to two national championship games, four Final Four trips, eight Elite Eight berths and 12 Sweet 16 appearances. 

JEFF WALZ net

Louisville coach Jeff Walz holds up the net after his team beat Michigan to advance to its fourth Final Four.

It is also worth noting UofL has overcome playing away from home early in recent years. Last season, the Cardinals went to the Elite Eight after starting their run in Austin, Texas.

In 2021, when the entire tournament was played in San Antonio during the COVID-19 pandemic, Louisville still made it to the Elite Eight. 

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