They'll have to get ready for a red invasion in the Big Blue city. Louisville's women's basketball team and its fans are headed to the Lexington Regional and Rupp Arena as the No. 1 seed -- and the Cardinals come in having played well in their early-round games. Especially on Sunday.
Admittedly, their first-round victory over Boise State on Friday was bench-fueled, and there was some concern about stars Asia Durr, the ACC player of the year, and Myisha Hines-Allen. But that wasn't the case in Sunday's 90-72 second-round victory over No. 8 seed Marquette.
Durr, who had shot 28.3 percent from the field in her previous four games, was 8-of-15 for 19 points on Sunday. Hines-Allen was sharp, too, going 12-of-16 from the field for 24 points.
Lexington is hosting a women's regional for the third year in a row, but Louisville wasn't placed there -- about 78 miles from its campus -- in 2016 or '17. The Cardinals were in the Dallas Regional in 2016, but lost in the second round. Last year, they were in the Oklahoma City Regional and fell in the Sweet 16.
This year, the Cardinals will go to Kentucky Wildcat territory with hopes of advancing to their third Women's Final Four. They previously advanced to the national semifinals in 2009 and 2013.
How it was won: The Cardinals got off to a great start Sunday, taking a 34-16 lead in the first quarter. Marquette refused to give up and pushed the Cardinals in the second half. But Louisville's early lead was just too much for the Golden Eagles to overcome, and the Cardinals' level of play stayed high throughout the game.
Player of the game: Hines-Allen was her typically efficient self, finishing with a double-double of 24 points, 13 rebounds and four assists. But Marquette junior guard Allazia Blockton, the Big East player of the year, deserves a nod, too. She had 34 points, six rebounds and five assists.
Stat of the game: What shooting woes? Louisville didn't have any on Sunday, finishing at 63.5 percent (40-of-63) from the field. The Cardinal's 90 points also marked a program best in the NCAA tournament.
What's next: Louisville (34-2) will face the winner of Monday's No. 4 Stanford-No. 12 Florida Gulf Coast game in the regional semifinals on Friday in Lexington. Marquette ends its season at 24-10.