Clemson Heads to Louisville to Play 25th-Ranked Cardinals
- Charles Mays
- Feb 26
- 2 min read
The Clemson Tigers will head on the road to face the Louisville Cardinals, who is coming off a four-point loss to the North Carolina Tar Heels. The Cardinals are currently 18-9 overall on the season and 12-4 within ACC play, which has them tied for fourth place with Florida State and Duke.
Louisville Cardinals Overview
Before their loss to the Tar Heels, the Cardinals had won four straight games, three of them against top-25 ranked teams. Louisville Head Coach Jeff Walz has been with the program since 2007, making 15 NCAA tournament appearances while being on track to make his 16th this season. According to ESPN's Women's Bracketology by Charlie Creme, the Cardinals are a projected 6-seed in the tournament. They would play the winner of the Iowa State/Washington game in the first round.
Key Players
Tajianna Roberts: The 5'10" guard averages 13.2 points per game, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.9 steals on 41% shooting from the field. In the Cardinals' loss against the Tar Heels last Sunday, Roberts could only muster up 11 points on 30% shooting.
Jayda Curry: The 5'6" guard averages 13 points per game, 3.3 assists, and 1.6 steals. Curry is sixth in the nation and first in the ACC in free throw percentage at 92.4%. In Louisville's last game, Curry was the standout player, tallying 18 points, six rebounds, four assists, and two steals on 7/15 shooting from the field.
Louisville's Defensive Struggles
Although the Cardinals have two dominant guards, the downside to their team is defense. Louisville ranks 258th in the nation in points allowed per game, allowing 67.9 points, while also ranking 222nd in defensive rating. If the Tigers plan on pulling off the upset on Thursday night, they'll have to attack the Cardinals' weak defense.
Clemson Tigers Overview
The Clemson Tigers come into this game winners in two of their last three games, most recently falling to Pittsburgh on Sunday afternoon. Clemson is 13-14 overall on the season and 6-10 within ACC play, which has them tied for 11th place with Virginia and Stanford.
Recent Performance
On Sunday afternoon, the Tigers lost a close game to Pittsburgh, falling by 13 points due to a strong performance by Khadija Faye. The Tigers were unable to score against Pittsburgh, as the Panthers held Clemson to just 31.3% shooting from the floor and 25% shooting from behind the line.
Key Players
Hannah Kohn: Clemson's best shooter, Kohn took 17 three-pointers in their loss while only making five of them. On the season, Kohn averages 9.9 points per game on 36.6% shooting from downtown and has been Shawn Poppie's wildcard. When Kohn hits her shots, the Tigers are a tough team to beat.
Loyal McQueen: In the Tigers' loss against Pittsburgh, McQueen was terrific, tallying 17 points, four assists, and two steals on 5/9 shooting from the field. McQueen will need to replicate this performance for the Tigers to have a chance against the Cardinals.
Game Details
Game time is set for 6:00 PM on Thursday, February 27, at the KFC Yum! Center and is available to watch on the ACC Network.
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