UM women ‘super hyped’ for Tuesday road game at undefeated, top-ranked Louisville

Classes resumed at the University of Miami on Monday after an extended winter break, and the spring semester tips off with a huge exam for the Hurricanes women’s basketball team as it takes on top-ranked Louisville on the road Tuesday at 4 p.m.

The Cardinals are 14-0 and ranked No. 1 in the nation for the first time in school history.

Louisville has become one of the nation’s top programs since coach Jeff Walz took over 14 years ago. The Cardinals have been to nine Sweet 16s, five Elite 8s, three Final Fours, and two national title games.

They are led by senior All-American guard Dana Evans, and a highly touted freshman class.

“This is a big opportunity for us, that’s for sure,” UM coach Katie Meier said Monday as the team boarded the bus to head to the airport. “They have arguably the best point guard in the country [Evans], certainly one of the best competitors you ever want to play against. She is not a demonstrative competitor, she’s just very calm, poised, knows when it’s a big play, when the game’s on the line, so they’re hard to beat because in any close game, she’s going to take over.”

Meier said the key to Louisville’s success this year are the “phenomenal” freshmen — guard Hailey Van Lith and forward Olivia Cochran.

“To have basically two starters as freshmen to come into the No. 1 team in the country, and they’re like, ‘Yeah, that’s why we came to Louisville, to be on a great team and to play a lot,’’’ Meier said.

Van Lith is a scrappy player who handles the ball a lot, and Cochran is what Meier termed “a beast down low.” Cochran is a native of Georgia, and UM recruited her heavily.

“We recruited Olivia really, really hard, had some connections to her, had some home visits, we really love that kid,” Meier said. “She keeps her game simple. No diva about her. A blue-collar worker. Hailey was the big name, and Olivia was under the radar but Louisville was smart enough to see her talent.”

The Hurricanes (7-5) are coming off a 72-68 road win at Pitt. Miami overcame a 23-point first-half deficit to beat the Panthers, which was a big confidence boost on the heels of a 35-point blowout loss at Syracuse in the previous game. Meier called it one of the most significant wins of her career, as the team was “gut checked” following the Syracuse loss and poor first quarter against Pitt.

Miami needs its guards to step up on Tuesday, especially Endia Banks.

“Endia has to play a great game, and if she does we can play with anyone in the league,” Meier said. “You cannot even consider beating Louisville without solid guard play. If the guards hold, then we have to find mismatches. It’s a tough one, but I told my players `If you’re not super-hyped for this game, don’t get on the bus because I won’t let you represent us.”